Game Notes in PDF Format
DAYTON RETURNS HOME TO FACE EASTERN ILLINOIS
The Dayton Flyers return home looking to stay perfect at Baujan Field when they host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Dayton, 2-1-1 overall, is coming off a weekend where they tied UNC Greensboro 1-1, but suffered its first defeat against Davidson 2-1 in overtime. Senior Zac Gibbens made a career-high eight saves and senior Tyler Imbrogno scored an unassisted goal in the Flyers tie. UNC Greensboro, ranked No. 23 in the NSCAA's pre-season Top 25, has made it to the NCAA's Round of 16 three straight seasons. Then on Sunday, sophomore Alex Torda tied up the game with less than a minute remaining in regulation, but the Flyers could not hold up in overtime in Sunday's loss to Davidson.
This will be a key game for UD. After the Eastern Illinois game, the Flyers will play seven of its next eight games on the road. The Flyers lead the all-time series at 2-1-0 with the last matchup back in 2004 with UD winning 3-2.
ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS
The Panthers are off to a red-hot start. Led by goalkeeper Mark Hansen, Eastern Illinois has allowed only three goals and has three shutouts on the season. Junior Brad Peters is the player to watch on offense as he leads the Panthers once again in goals, assists and points. During his breakout sophomore season, Peters led the Missouri Valley Conference in goals (11) and points (25). With nine starters returning from an 11-win team of a year ago that finished the season ranked in the NSCAA Midwest Region Top 10, Eastern Illinois was selected third by the league coaches in the MVC preseason poll.
QUICKLY ABOUT DAYTON
This is the 51st season of Dayton Flyers men's soccer. UD showcases an all-time record of 377-345-54 (.540) in 2007. The Flyers have had a winning record in eight of the last 10 seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998. Head coach Dennis Currier ranks sixth on the Flyers' all-time list in coaching victories with 19, just five behind John Schleppi.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
One of the reasons for the Flyers' hot start has been the solid play of its defensive core. Led by senior Zac Gibbens , the Flyers have allowed 1.17 goals per game. Sophomores Randy Dennis, Ryan Handbury and Sonny Renner, along with freshman Tommy Watkins have solidified the back and helped UD not allow more than two goals in four matches this season.
CORNERING THE MARKET
Generating scoring chances haven't been a problem for UD. Dayton ranks tied for second in the A-10 in corner kicks with 21 in four games. The Flyers also rank in the top seven in the conference in goals per game, goals against average, fouls, saves, yellow cards, assists and assists per game.
FOLLOW UD SOCCER ONLINE
Fans can follow the action of Dayton men's soccer throughout the year at www.DaytonFlyers.com. The official online host of Flyer men's soccer is home to rosters, statistics and game recaps. Fans can also follow each Flyer home game and selected road contests with GameTracker.
IMBROGNO HEATS UP ON OFFENSE
With two goals and two assists senior Tyler Imbrogno leads all UD players with eight points and ranks among the A-10 leaders in scoring. Imbrogno tallied the game-winner against Sacramento State to go with an assist. At UNC Greensboro, Imbrogno scored a goal in a 1-1 tie. In his last six regular season games, Imbrogno has eight points with three goals and two assists.
Imbrogno's recent success should be no surprise. Earlier this year Imbrogno earned a spot on the 2007 Atlantic 10 preseason men's soccer All-Conference team, as selected by the league's head coaches. After not registering a point in his first two seasons with UD, Imbrogno broke out in a big way in 2006. Last season Imbrogno scored three goals and two assists for eight points in 13 games. Off the field Imbrogno enjoyed success as well after being named to the 2006-07 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
TORDA'S LATE GOAL NOT ENOUGH IN 2-1 LOSS TO DAVIDSON
Sophomore Alex Torda fired home a late second half goal, but the Dayton Flyers fell in the opening minutes of overtime in a 2-1 defeat against the Davidson Wildcats. Senior Zac Gibbens made three saves on the afternoon as Dayton drops to 2-1-1 overall. The loss snapped UD's seven-game unbeaten streak dating back to last season.
ZAC ATTACK LEADS UD TO 1-1 TIE AT GREENSBORO
Senior Zac Gibbens made a career high eight saves and senior Tyler Imbrogno scored a goal as the Dayton Flyers tied the UNC Greensboro Spartans 1-1. The Flyers got on the board first at the 15:27 mark when Imbrogno converted on a shot 25 yards from the goal to sneak the ball in the lower right corner. It was Imbrogno's second goal of the season and he extended his point scoring streak to three games.
FLYERS DASH THE RED FLASH 2-1
Junior Simeon Zaprianov's second half goal proved to be the difference as the Flyers upended the St. Francis Red Flash 2-1. Sophomore Alex Torda added a first half goal, while senior Zac Gibbens made three saves to earn the victory.
Torda, who had a goal and an assist over the weekend, got the UD offense going after connecting on a one-timer off a feed from freshman Tommy Watkins. In the second half, Zaprianov connected on a similar play after senior Tyler Imbrogno worked through the Red Flash zone to create the Flyers' second goal.
IMBROGNO STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT IN 2-1 VICTORY
Senior Tyler Imbrogno scored a goal and an assist, sophomore Isaac Kissi recorded his first collegiate goal in a Flyer uniform and strong midfield play throughout the match gave UD a 2-1 opening night win against the Sacramento State Hornets Dayton out shot Sacramento State 17-6 with senior Zac Gibbens making two saves in net for UD.
POPELLA PROPELS FLYERS TO TIE AGAINST KENTUCKY
Sophomore Jeff Popella provided the offensive punch that lacked in Dayton's first preseason game against Tulsa when he capitalized on a feeds from sophomore Ryan Handbury and freshman Josh Albers in the 71st minute to force a 1-1 tie against the Kentucky Wildcats. Senior Zac Gibbens came up with a critical one-handed save to preserve the tie as the Flyers finished the preseason 0-0-2.
DEFENSE DELIVERS AGAINST TULSA
Behind the play of defenders Ryan Handbury, Sonny Renner, Randy Dennis and Tommy Watkins, the Flyers played to a 0-0 tie against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Defensive consistency was the key to success for the Flyers in 2006 and in the first exhibition it looked like that trend would continue. When the team struggled to find the net, the Flyers had to rely on the versatility and grit of their back line to keep them in games, much like the Tulsa contest.
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF FLYERS
UD has an international flavor on the 2007 roster with six players from overseas. The European players include graduate student Daniel March and sophomore Ryan Handbury who hail from the United Kingdom, graduate student Gary Long from Ireland, Simeon Zaprianov from Bulgaria and Florian DeCamps from France. Sophomore Isaac Kissi is in his first season with UD and is from Ghana.
TOMMY TUTONE DIALS IN
One of the top freshmen to chip in early this season has been defender Tommy Watkins. On Sunday, Watkins recorded his first career assist in the Flyers' 2-1 win over St. Francis. Since preseason camp concluded, Watkins has earned a spot on the back line and has helped solidified a defense along with sophomores Sonny Renner, Ryan Handbury and Randy Dennis.
FLYER TRIO DELIVERS IN YOUTH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Flyers Randy Dennis, Alex Torda and Sonny Renner helped their squad win the 2007 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament. The Flyer trio helped their team, the Dallas Texans, achieve its third consecutive championship with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Magic. The 2007 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition.
MASTERS OF THEIR DOMAIN
Since 1992 the Flyers have excelled at Baujan Field with an 85-34-9 record, good for a .734 winning percentage. Dayton has played well in Baujan Field home openers as well going 9-4-2 in that span. Last season UD went 4-3-1 at home. Since becoming the exclusive home to UD soccer, Baujan Field has grown into one of the top soccer venues in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton twice has played NCAA Play-In games at the historic venue -- 1997 and 1998.
UD PICKED TO FINISH 7TH IN A-10
UD men's soccer was selected to finish seventh in the A-10 behind 2006 A-10 Champ Rhode Island, Saint Louis, Charlotte, Richmond, Duquesne and Xavier. Dayton will look to improve upon the prognosticators in order to earn itself a spot in the six-team 2007 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer, scheduled for its own Baujan Field from Nov. 15-18.
GREAT GAMES AT BAUJAN HIGHLIGHT 2007 SCHEDULE
Rivalry games against Xavier and Wright State and five consecutive home games to conclude the regular season remain on the 2007 Dayton Flyers men's soccer schedule.
The Flyers released their schedule with 20 regular-season contests with nine home games at Baujan Field. Dayton will play two teams, Rhode Island and UNC Greensboro, which advanced to the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Senior Day will take place at the regular-season finale against Duquesne.
UD TO HOST 2007 ATLANTIC 10 MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
The 2007 A-10 Men's Soccer Championship will be held on November 15-18 at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio. This will be the fifth A-10 soccer championship held at Baujan Field since opening in 1992. Baujan Field has played host to a number of post-season soccer events. The Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship was hosted here in 1998 and again in 2002, with the Men's Championship being played in 1996 and 1999.
GREAT GRAD RATES
UD men's soccer's 94 score in the latest GSR (Graduation Success Rate) is one of 12 Flyer teams to reach 90 or above. The University of Dayton is one of the top schools among NCAA Division I institutions and the best in the Atlantic 10 at graduating its student-athletes. Success in the classroom is nothing new for UD student-athletes. The Flyers combined cumulative grade point average is above a 3.0. In addition, UD has had 27 Academic All-Americans in the last six years.
