Game Notes
The nationally-recognized University of Dayton women’s soccer team begins a five-game road swing with Atlantic 10 matchups against Temple and Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia. The Flyers, winners of nine consecutive games, take on the Owls Friday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. and the Hawks on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. In their first four A-10 matches the Flyers have outscored opponents 14-1.
SERIES INFORMATION
Dayton is 13-1-0 all-time against Temple; the lone loss was a 2-1 setback in 2007. Last season Lauren MacCormick, Emily Kenyon, Cara Cornacchia and Josie Grant each scored as the Flyers won 4-0 in their Atlantic 10 opener. Dayton is 11-1-1 all-time against Saint Joseph’s. The Hawks and Flyers fought to a 1-1 draw in their last meeting on Sept. 28, 2008. Jerica DeWolfe scored the goal for UD.
FLYER NOTES
• The Flyers are 12-2-0, and 4-0-0 in the A-10. UD is one of two teams with a perfect conference record in Atlantic 10 play. George Washington is the other at 3-0.
• Dayton is ranked No. 21 in the TopDrawerSoccer Tournament 64 rankings, No. 29 in the NCAA RPI, No. 33 in the NSCAA poll and No. 40 in CollegeSoccer360.
• Sophomore Colleen Williams leads the Flyers with 30 points (12 goals and 6 assists). Five of her goals have been game-winners. Her 30 points lead the Atlantic 10 and are fifth in the nation. She is also sixth in the nation in goals scored.
• Dayton, currently on a nine-game winning streak, leads the A-10 in shots (253), points (95), goals scored (31), assists (33), goals allowed (7), goals against average (.49), shutouts (8) and corner kicks (83).
• Senior keeper Lisa Rodgers is 9-0 with seven shutouts for the Flyers. Her 0.32 GAA is tops in the A-10 and fifth in the nation. Her .903 save percentage is seventh.
RETURNING TO PHILLY AGAIN
The Flyers have good feelings for Philadelphia. The last time they were there (Sept.10-12, 2010) UD won the Penn Invitational. In addition, sophomores Colleen Williams and Alysha Mallon and freshman Sarah Senoyuit, hail from the Philly area.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
TEMPLE
• Temple is 5-7-1 overall and 0-2-1 in the A-10.
• The Owls have scored one goal in each of their three A-10 matches; 2-1 losses to George Washington and Saint Joseph’s and a 1-1 tie against Richmond.
• Junior Niki Conn leads TU with eight goals and four assists for 20 points. She leads the league in shots taken (63) and is tied for second in points.
• Kate and Allicia Yurkovic each have 14 points and are tied for sixth in the A-10.
• Senior Kelly Diviny leads the Owls in assists (6).
• Three different keepers have seen action with junior Tara Murphy leading the way with seven starts and 37 saves.
SAINT JOSEPH’S
• The Hawks are 4-8-0 and 1-2-0 in A-10 play.
• Junior Jen Pfeiffer leads SJU with nine goals and 20 points.
• Freshman Mo Hawkins leads the team in assists (5) and also has four goals.
• Sophomore Christine Neal has seen the most time in net for the Hawks with 915 minutes and leads the team with 51 saves, but freshman Lauren Jancuska has a better GAA of 1.76.
UP NEXT
UD continues its five-game Atlantic 10 road swing with games at Duquesne on Friday, Oct. 22 and at St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Oct. 24.
SUCCESSFUL SENIORS
CollegeSoccer360 has compiled a list of the winningest women’s senior classes (2007-’10) and the Flyers come in at No. 17 in the nation with 56 wins. When the current seniors were freshmen the Flyers posted a 13-4-4 record. As sophomores they went 15-6-1, and as juniors only lost one game, going 16-1-6. The seniors are 12-2 so far this season.
HIGH RANKING FLYERS
Dayton is ranked No. 21 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, No. 33 by the NSCAA and No. 40 by CollegeSoccer360. The Flyers are also ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region. In the most recent NCAA rankings, Colleen Williams comes in at sixth in the nation for goals scored (12) and fifth for total points (30). Senior goalkeeper Lisa Rodgers is ranked fifth in the nation in goals-against average (.32) and seventh in save percentage (.903).
WILLIAMS NAMED THREE-TIME A-10 POTW
Colleen Williams has been honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Week three times this season. Following the first weekend of the 2010 season (Aug. 23), again on Sept. 20 and Oct. 4. She currently leads the A-10 in points scored with 30.
WILLY’S WISH
Sophomore Colleen Williams has a heart as big as her scoring ability. She has started Willy’s Wish - Dollars for Dayton. She is asking for Flyer fans to donate just $1 to help a Dayton family in need. “It may seem like a small contribution from your pocket, but put together with several others willing to help someone in need, this will change this family’s life,” said Williams. Fans can send their $1 donation to: University of Dayton Women’s Soccer Offices, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1220.
PENN INVITE CHAMPS
Dayton won the Penn Invitational (Sept. 10 & 12) with victories over Lehigh, 3-2 in overtime, and over the host Quakers, 2-0. Colleen Williams, Kelly Blumenschein, Jerica DeWolfe and Emily Kenyon were all named to the Penn Invitational All-Tournament Team.
FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton women’s soccer program owns an overall record of 352-149-41 (.687 winning percentage) since it became a varsity program in 1984. The Flyers made NCAA Tournament Appearances in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009.
DAYTON’S SHUTDOWN “D”
The Flyers return every player on their defense that posted a school-record 15 shutouts in 2009. The Dayton defense had the second-best goals against average (GAA) in the nation at .406 and was paramount in Dayton reaching the 2009 NCAA second round after posting a shutout against No. 23 Marquette. A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Katherine Boone posted a .41 GAA, breaking the A-10 record set by former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Briana Scurry. The Flyers have a league-high eight shutouts to their credit this season. Their goals against average of .493 is seventh in the nation and their shutout percentage of .571 is 18th in the nation.
FLYERS PICKED TO WIN IT ALL
For the second consecutive year, Dayton has been selected to claim the Atlantic 10 women’s soccer title in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. The Flyers posted an impressive 16-1-6 overall record en route to the program’s sixth A-10 title and second round appearance in the NCAA Championship. Under the direction of reigning A-10 Coach of the Year Mike Tucker, Dayton returns five All-Conference selections including 2009 Defensive Player of the Year Katherine Boone, along with Rookie of the Year Colleen Williams. The six-team A-10 Women’s Soccer Championship will be held Nov. 4-7 at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.
TERRIFIC TUCKER
Head Coach Mike Tucker’s Flyer squads are 125-22-8 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. In 2009, the Flyers claimed the A-10 tourney title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Tucker was named the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. The Flyers earned a league record 13th consecutive trip to the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship and dealt Fordham a 2-1 loss in the semifinals to give Tucker his 200th career victory. He went on to be named the Ohio Coach of the Year. UD has won eight of the 15 conference regular season titles. In addition, his teams have won the A-10 Tournament Championship six times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009). He has never had a losing season as head coach of the Dayton Flyers.
