Game Notes in PDF Format
DAYTON LOOKS TO REMAIN UNBEATEN AT BAUJAN FIELD
The Dayton Flyers are back to Baujan Field with a Friday contest against the Saint Joseph's Hawks and a Sunday match versus the Temple Owls. Dayton recently completed a stretch of seven of its last eight games on the road. Friday's game will be live video streamed for free at DaytonFlyers.com's All-Access, while Sunday's game will have a live audio broadcast by Flyer Radio.
The Flyers need to get hot in order to make the Atlantic 10 postseason. UD is coming off a five-save performance from senior Zac Gibbens in a 1-0 loss to the Fordham Rams. The good news is Dayton is unbeaten at home with a 4-0-0 record this season. The Flyers are one point out of the sixth and final seed, but are in a six-way tie for seventh with three points.
ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's has won three of its last four games and is tied for first in the Atlantic 10 going 3-0-0 in that span. Goalkeeper Bryan Benedict showcases the best goals against average in the A-10 at 0.31 through three league contests. Led by freshman Colin Baker, Saint Joseph's offense averages just under a goal per game at 0.92 but in A-10 games the Hawks have bumped that number up to 1.33.
ABOUT TEMPLE
The Owls are 2-2-1 in their last five contests but have lost four of its last five on the road. Senior goalkeeper Tony Pratico leads the Atlantic 10 and a stingy Owl defense that showcases a 0.88 goals against average and four shutouts. On the offensive side of the ball, Temple possesses a balanced attack with nine different players scoring at least one goal.
QUICKLY ABOUT DAYTON
This is the 51st season of Dayton Flyers men's soccer. UD showcases an all-time record of 382-348-55 (.521). 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 tied for fifth with John Schleppi on the Flyers' all-time list in coaching victories at 24.
SERIES STUFF
UD holds an 8-1-2 all-time series lead against Saint Joseph's and has won eight of the last nine meetings. The Flyers also own a winning record against Temple going 7-4-1.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
One of the reasons for the Flyers' winning record has been the solid play of its defensive core. Led by senior Zac Gibbens, the Flyers have a 1.11 goals against average on the 2007 season. Sophomores Randy Dennis, Ryan Handbury and Sonny Renner have solidified the back and helped UD to three shutouts on the season.
THE QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE
Through 11 games in 2007, eight different Flyers have recorded at least one goal. This productivity has helped Dayton rank fourth in the Atlantic 10 in goals per game at 1.31. Sophomore Alex Torda leads the team with six goals and ranks tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 in points per game. Five returning players, Florian DeCamps, Jeff Popella, Joe Olwig, Simeon Zaprianov and Torda have already matched or eclipsed last season's point total.
HOME ON THE RANGE
Through four games this season the Flyers are unbeaten at Baujan Field. Dayton has played well recently going 5-0-1 in its last six home games dating back to the 2006 campaign. The next five regular season games are at home for UD. This season the Flyers are averaging two goals per game at home.
UD RANKED NINTH IN MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION
With a winning record in the 2007 season, the Dayton Flyers are in ninth in the latest NSCAA/adidas® Middle Atlantic Regional Rankings. Dayton has victories this season over Oakland, Wright State, Butler, Eastern Illinois, Sacramento State and St. Francis and La Salle.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Sophomore Alex Torda has been on fire of late for the Flyers. He leads the team in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16) through 13 games this season. Torda recorded his first game-winning goal of the season in a victory over Oakland and has scored a goal or an assist in five of his last eight games.
ZAC ATTACK IN GOAL
Senior Zac Gibbens is among the Atlantic 10 leaders in victories, goals against average and save percentage. The Loveland, Colo. native is 7-4-2 with a 1.11 goals against average and a .769 save percentage with three shutouts. Among Atlantic 10 goalies, Gibbens is one of five goalkeepers who have played every minute in net for his team.
FINDING HIS MO-JOE
Junior Joe Olwig has been nothing but clutch for the Flyers. In eight games Olwig has two game-winning goals, matching his career high. After scoring just one goal in 11 games last season, Olwig has rebounded and ranks tied for second on the team in goals and fourth in points.
POSH JOSH
Freshman Josh Albers is the only Flyer this year to earn an A-10 weekly award after earning the Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 8. Since being inserted in the starting lineup, Albers recorded a goal and an assist in five games. The Cincinnati native also leads all freshman Flyers in scoring and is tied for second on the team in goals scored.
FANTASTICALLY FLORIAN
In 2007 junior Florian DeCamps has had a goal and four assists for the Flyers. He tied a career high in points with five after tallying an assist against Rhode Island. The Cannes, France native in his last 14 games played at UD has nine points with two goals and five assists.
CAREER BUILDERS
One of the interesting aspects to the strong start in 2007 has been the number of Flyers who have achieved career bests through six contests. Five players, Florian DeCamps, Jeff Popella, Alex Torda, Simeon Zaprianov and Sonny Renner, have already reached career highs in points, while senior goalkeeper Zac Gibbens has eclipsed his career best in wins with seven.
LENDING A HELPING HAND-BURY
As one of the keys to the Flyer defense, sophomore Ryan Handbury looks to improve on a stellar freshman season in which he earned Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention honors. Handbury was one of three Flyers to start all 17 games in 2006 and scored a goal on eight shots and had an assist. This season, Handbury is one of five Flyers to have started in all seven games.
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.
THREE'S COMPANY
In his coaching career with Dayton, Dennis Currier's teams are 11-0 when scoring three or more goals. However, the Flyers have scored three goals only once this season when UD picked up a 3-2 win against the Butler Bulldogs.
MAKING THEM COUNT
Both goals scored this season by sophomore Jeff Popella have been game-winners on the road. Popella netted the deciding goals against Wright State and La Salle.
BRINGING THEIR `A' GAME
Dayton is 72-51-9 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents dating back to 1995. Last season UD went 2-5-2 against A-10 opponents.
IMBROGNO DISHES IT OUT
With three assists on the season, senior Tyler Imbrogno has already reached a career high. The Dayton, Ohio native is tied for the team lead in assists and ranks second on the team in scoring with seven points. Imbrogno is one of five players to start all 11 games this season and leads the team in shots and shots on goal.
FLYER TRIO DELIVERS IN YOUTH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
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 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 87-34-9 record, good for a .734 winning percentage. 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 Championship scheduled at Baujan Field from Nov. 15-18.
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
The University of Dayton had nine sport programs record a perfect 100 percent Graduation Success Rate in the latest GSR Report released by the NCAA last week. 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 previous six years.
ALUMNI WEEKEND ON NOVEMBER 3
The Dayton Flyers will have its Alumni Weekend on Saturday, November 3 when UD hosts the Xavier Musketeers. The game will be at 7 p.m. ET. The event is free for all Dayton men's soccer alumni and the former Flyers can register at the men's soccer home page. The alumni will also receive free tickets to the UD football game at 1 p.m. ET when the Flyers host the Butler Bulldogs.
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.
