Nov. 5, 2008

A-10 Championship Central

The University of Dayton women's soccer team will play in its league-record 13th consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship this weekend at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the campus of Saint Louis University. The Flyers earned a first-round bye after attaining the No. 2 seed by winning its last two games of the regular season -- a 3-2 double overtime win against No. 3 seed Fordham and a 2-0 victory that knocked La Salle out of the tournament. UD, which has competed in the Championship every year since 1996, is vying for its sixth A-10 crown, the first since 2004. The Flyers play Fordham at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 7. Fordham won 1-0 against No. 6 Duquesne. In the other first-round match, the host and No. 4 seed Saint Louis downed No. 5 seed St. Bonaventure, 2-1. The Billikens will take on the No. 1 seed Charlotte on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

DAYTON'S A-10 BACKGROUND
Dayton has won the A-10 Tournament Championship more than any other team in the conference: five times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004). UMass (4) is the only other team with three or more A-10 tournament championships.  UD has also won or shared seven A-10 Regular Season titles (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004). The next closest is Massachusetts with five.  The Flyers are 14-6 all-time in the conference tournament. Their .700 winning percentage is second only to Saint Louis' .800 (4-1).  Dayton has reached the finals seven times and is 5-2 in the championship game.

FLYER TEAM FACTS
Dayton finished the regular season 14-5-1 overall and 8-2-1 in the Atlantic 10. 

The Flyers lead the Atlantic 10 in shots (350). UD has outshot opponents by more than 100 (350 to 206). Dayton is second in the conference for goals scored (38) and third in assists (28). 

Dayton is also getting it done on defense. The Flyers are second in the A-10 for goals against average (0.92) and goals allowed (19) and tied for third in the conference for shutouts (7). 

Thirteen different players have scored goals for the Flyers this season and seven different players have scored multiple goals. Twelve players have dished out assists, with eight players having multiple assists.

UD LEADERS
Junior Mandi Back  is fourth in the A-10 in shots, firing off 60 for 3.00 shots per game. She leads UD with seven goals, tied for eighth in the A-10.
 
Junior Colleen Gibson is tied for fourth in the A-10 in assists per game. She has eight on the season for 0.50 per game, which is 33rd best in the NCAA National Ranking Summary.
 
Seven different players have scored game-winning goals for the Flyers, including senior Amanda Gallow and sophomore Kelly Blumenschein who are tied for third in the A-10 with three game-winning scores.  Back (7g, 3a) and Blumenschein (6g, 5a) lead the Flyers with 17 points. 

Senior goalkeeper Deana Waintraub is tied for third in the A-10 with her 0.86 GAA. She is ranked 62nd in the NCAA for goals against average.Her five shutouts are tied for third in the conference. The Flyers are 12-2-1 when she is in goal this season.

HOW THE FLYERS STACK UP
Dayton went 4-1 this season and is 34-8-6 all-time against the teams in the field of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship.

UD's All-Time Record
Duquesne  W 4-1 (Oct. 19)  12-1-0
Fordham     W 3-2 (2ot/Oct. 31)  9-1-3
Saint Louis W 1-0 (Oct. 26)  2-2-1
St. Bonaventure  W 4-0 (Oct. 17) 11-0-2

ATLANTIC 10 TOURNEY FLYER STATS
Senior Amanda Gallow and junior Caitlin Proffitt are Dayton's scoring leaders in Atlantic 10 Championship statistics. Gallow has tallied a goal and two assists and played in three games, while Proffitt has two goals in three games.  Mandi Back has started three tournament games and has one assist. Senior Stephanie Wurth has the most experience, playing in five games with four starts in A-10 tournament games.

FLYER SUCCESS
Dayton women's soccer program owns an overall record of 323-145-33 since it became a varsity program in 1984. The Flyers made NCAA Tournament Appearances in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

TERRIFIC TUCKER
Head Coach Mike Tucker's Flyer squads are 111-21-9 in A-10 play. He is the only active coach in the A-10 to achieve more than 100 women's soccer A-10 wins. He has twice been named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, first in 2001 and again in 2004.
 
COUNTDOWN TO 200
Tucker's record at UD is 199-78-16 and he will go for win No. 200 when the Flyers play in the A-10 Tournament. His teams have averaged more than 15 wins a year.

A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
Tickets for each session (two games Thursday, two games Friday, Sunday championship game) of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Soccer Championship are $6 for adults, $4 for youth (18 and under) and senior citizens, and $3 for students of A-10 institutions who show proper identification. Groups of eight or more who purchase in advance will be charged $3 per ticket, per session. An all-sessions pass for adults is available for $15. Call the SLU ticket office at (314) 977-4SLU (4758) for more information or to purchase tickets.