Nov. 4, 2005

DAYTON -  Looking to make it a clean sweep of the "Saints," the University of Dayton women's soccer team will face top-seeded Saint Louis University in the semifinals of the 2005 Atlantic 10 Championship Friday at 8 p.m. The Flyers are in the Championship for the 10th-consecutive season but just the second time as a No. 4-seed. UD reached the semis with Thursday's 2-1 win over Saint Joseph's. Baujan Field is playing host to the A-10 Women's Soccer Championship for the third time (1998, 2002).

THE FLYERS
The Flyers are 10-6-3 overall and enter the Atlantic 10 Championship after a fourth-place finish with a 5-3-1 conference mark, which snapped a streak of seven-consecutive A-10 regular season titles won by Dayton. Ironically, the last time the Flyers didn't win the A-10 regular season was 1997 -- the only other time they have been a fourth-seed for the Championship.

FIVE FLYERS NAMED TO ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Five UD women's soccer players were named to the 2005 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Teams in voting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Senior forward Reba Sedlacek, senior defender Alicija Bredlo and sophomore goalkeeper Niki Reed were named to the A-10 First Team, senior midfielder Katie Lowstuter was named to the Second Team and freshman defender Stephanie Wurth was selected to the All-Rookie Team. Sedlacek also earned mention on the A-10 All-Academic Team. Since 2001, the Flyers have averaged four players on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team.

UD'S HISTORY IN THE A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
There has been no more dominant team than the Flyers in the A-10 Women's Soccer Championship since UD joined the league in 1995. UD won its first A-10 Championship in 1996 and has won four more since then (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004). This year marks UD's first appearance in the quarterfinals since the A-10 moved to the six-team format in 2002. The Flyers' all-time record in the Championship is 12-4, a winning percentage of .750 which is best in conference history. UD is now 1-1 as a No. 4-seed in the Championship and 3-1 in tournament games at Baujan Field.

UD REACHES SEMIS WITH 2-1 WIN OVER SJU
The homestanding Flyers (10-6-3) went up 2-0 and hung on to defeat fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's 2-1 Thursday night. UD struck for the first two goals of the match and dodged a late charge by the Hawks (8-9-3) in earning the quarterfinal victory. UD struck first as Amanda Gallow headed a shot from eight yards out past SJU keeper Nicole DiEnna in the 36th minute. Gallow's third goal of the season came on assists from Laura Boland and April Carbajal. The Flyers took the 1-0 lead into the half and extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 57th minute with the ninth goal of the season from Reba Sedlacek. Gallow sent a pass up the middle of the field to Sedlacek, who chipped it from 15 yards out for the eventual game-winner. Saint Joseph's would keep the pressure on and cut the lead in half in the 76th minute with the fourth goal of the season from Ali Wean. A corner kick from Megan Schutt found the head of Wean, who flicked it past UD goalkeeper Niki Reed in heavy traffic in front of the net. Reed made four saves for UD, which outshot SJU 20-10.

SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
A-10 newcomer Saint Louis wasted little time making its impact on the Atlantic 10. The former Conference USA member, SLU stormed through the A-10 regular season with an undefeated 8-0-0 record (13-4-0 overall) and won the A-10 regular season crown. The top-seeded Billikens are led by a trio of 20+ point scorers in Kelly Ferguson (22 points), Maureen Hughes (22 points) and Cassi Winchell (20 points). Ferguson has a team-leading 10 goals and five game-winners while Courtney Hulcher has 19 points and a team-high 15 assists. Amanda Martin has played 885 minutes in goal with a 0.91 GAA and 9-2-0 record.

THE SERIES VERSUS SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis and Dayton have never met.

HOME SWEET HOME
Baujan Field, which the Flyers have called home since 1984, has been quite an imposing place for visiting teams. UD has played 192 matches there all-time, compiling an impressive 139-42-11 (.753) record in that period. Dayton has never lost more than five times in one season (5-5-0 in 1996) and has been perfect at home three times (6-0-0 in 2001 and 8-0-0 in 1987 and 8-0-0 last season). UD has won five times at home this season (5-2-1).

HEAD COACH Mike Tucker
Now in his 11th season at the helm, head coach Mike Tucker continues to climb the charts among the NCAA's winningest coaches. With a career winning percentage of .731 (154-55-5) entering 2005, Tucker ranks 11th on the NCAA's Division I active coaches list and 29th on the all-time list (includes all divisions).

THE REBA SHOW
The defending A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, senior forward Reba Sedlacek leads the Flyers in scoring this season with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. She was named the A-10 Player of the Week once this year and scored game-winning goals over Furman, Ohio, GW, St. Bonaventure and yesterday versus SJU. In conference play, her 10 points and four goals were also a team high. The senior also owns a 3.94 grade point average in Exercise Science and Fitness Management, earning her third consecutive spot on the All-Academic Team. With 36 goals and 19 assists, the senior is an assist shy of becoming UD's fifth all-time member of the 20-20 Club (20 career goals and assists).

BRED-WINNER
Senior defender Alicija Bredlo helped lead the UD defense which has allowed less than a goal per game for the fourth-consecutive season. She scored once and had three assists with her goal coming in UD's win over Furman. Bredlo assisted on the game-tying goal in UD's 2-2 draw with then-No. 6 Virginia on Sept. 11. A native of Burlington, Ontario, Bredlo's senior year comes on the heels of a junior campaign which saw her start all 22 games and score five goals, four of which were game-winners.

REED-ICULOUS IN GOAL
Named as a First Team All-Conference performer and the A-10 Player of the Week once, sophomore goalkeeper Niki Reed has owned the A-10's best goals against average all season and has played all but 44 minutes in goal. The sophomore transfer from Vanderbilt made seven saves against then-No. 25 William & Mary and eight saves against then-No. 6 Virginia in a pair of double-overtime ties at the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She posted a 0.46 GAA in conference play with shutouts of Richmond, George Washington and St. Bonaventure.

LOWSTUTER MAKES SECOND TEAM
Senior midfielder Katie Lowstuter is one of just three Flyers to start all 18 games this season. The 2004 A-10 First Team All-Conference player is second on the team in scoring with eight points on two goals and a team-best four assists. Her 25 career assists ranks fourth all-time at UD. She was one of three Flyers named to the All-Tournament Team at the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, helping UD to a pair of ties against nationally-ranked William & Mary and Virginia.

WURTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD
Named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team, freshman defender Stephanie Wurth has played nearly every minute of every game since being inserted into the starting lineup against then-No. 25 William & Mary also played a key defensive role in UD's 2-2 tie with then-No. 6 Virginia. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic. Wurth was part of a UD defense which allowed opponents just 16 goals in 18 matches and just 5 goals in 9 conference games. Her place on the All-Rookie Team marks the sixth-consecutive year UD has had a student-athlete on the team.

WINNING WAYS
Since 2000, the women's soccer team owns the seventh-best winning percentage of any program at the NCAA Division I level. Entering this year, UD was 84-23-2 between 2000 and 2004, a winning percentage of .780.

ONE-GOAL WONDERS
Since 2003, (63 matches), more than half (39) have been decided by one goal or less. The Flyers are 25-9-5 in those close-calls, including an incredible 12-2-0 last season and 6-5-3 this season. UD had won 12-straight (including both in the A-10 Championship) last year, before the 2-1 loss in overtime to Wisconsin in the NCAA First Round. Already this season, 14 of UD's 19 matches have been decided by a goal or less.

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
 The Flyers were 3-1-0 in their overtime matches last season and are 0-0-3 this season. UD went to double overtime in both matches at the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic and ended with a 1-1 draw to William & Mary and 2-2 deadlock with Virginia. UD also tied Richmond 0-0 in double OT. All time, UD is 21-12-12 in overtime matches, but an impressive 15-5-8 under Tucker. The loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament First Round last season was UD's first overtime defeat since the 1999 season.

UP NEXT
Should the Flyers win, they will play the winner of tonight's first semifinal between second-seeded Rhode Island and third-seeded Charlotte. The A-10 Championship match will be played Sunday at Baujan Field at 1 p.m. ET.