DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton men's soccer team returns home after four straight games on the road to host La Salle at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Baujan Field. This is the first home contest for UD in 24 days (Sept. 23 vs. Bowling Green).

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton is 7-4-2 overall and 2-0-1 Atlantic 10 play as the Flyers have picked up seven out of nine points in the first three games of the conference season. UD is 3-1 at home and unbeaten in the past three contests. The Flyers are currently sitting fourth in the A-10 standings, three spots ahead of La Salle.

The Flyers are averaging a league-leading 2.08 goals per game while holding opponents to a 1.23 goal per game mark. Dayton is outshooting opposing squads 15.8-11.5 and has a .390 shots-on-goal percentage. UD is coming off two straight overtime performances.

Senior Amass Amankona leads the team with six goals, 15 points, and 14 shots on goal to go with three assists. Fellow senior Maik Schoonderwoerd has chipped in four goals and a team-high four assists while junior James Haupt has scored five times and assisted twice. Goalkeepers Justin Saliba (10 games) and Oliver Hansen (4 games) have shared time between the posts with a .698 save percentage and 37 saves combined.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
LA SALLE
The Explorers are 5-7-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in Atlantic 10 games. La Salle has a 3-5-1 record away from home, but defeated St. Bonaventure 3-0 in its last road contest. This season, the Explorers have wins over No. 25/21 UMBC, Rider, Siena, and Loyola as well.

La Salle has four points in A-10 play and sits in seventh place with the top six advancing to the postseason. The Explorers are scoring 1.14 goals per game and giving up 1.79 to opponents. Despite being outshot and shooting a lower on-goal percentage, La Salle has scored in 10 of its contests this year.

Leading the way for the Explorers is senior Andrew Connors, who has five goals and 10 points, and sophomore Mike Liska, who has five assists. Three different players have seen time in goal this year for La Salle with senior Mike Kirk getting the most action with nine starts, 29 saves, a .617 save percentage, and three shutouts.

THE SERIES
The Flyers and Explorers have met 22 times in the series history with Dayton taking 12 of those meetings. In 2014, the Explorers came out on top 1-0 in Philadelphia with returner Matt Robinson scoring the lone goal.

LAST OUTING
Dayton picked up a crucial point on the road at George Mason Wednesday with a 1-1 draw in double overtime. Senior Kissima Bojang scored in the 12th minute to put the Flyers up early, but the Patriots evened the score in the 70th minute.

La Salle battled VCU to a draw as well on Wednesday, 0-0. The host Explorers earned a valuable point as they sit in the middle of the A-10 standings. La Salle outshot VCU 8-6 and put three on target.

LEADING THE WAY
The Flyers are having a stellar season offensively, leading the Atlantic 10 in shots (15.77), points (6.00), goals (2.08), assists (1.85), and corner kicks (6.15).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Dayton has scored 10 goals over its past two home games, including a 6-0 win over Bowling Green in its last contest at Baujan on Sept. 23. The Flyers are 3-1 in games at home as well, outscoring opponents 14-3. UD has played four straight road games and five of its last six away from home.

OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE
The Flyers have been a force on the offensive side of the ball this season, ranking in the top 20 nationally in numerous statistical categories. Dayton currently ranks 13th in goals and 14th in points while ranking 18th in total assists, 13th in scoring offense, and 15th in shots per game.

FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton men's program has an overall record of 464-396-78 and three NCAA tournament appearances in its history. The Flyers are also 117-79-23 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and have six conference titles between the regular season and league tournament.

DAYTON PICKED SIXTH IN A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference released its preseason poll and tabbed the Flyers to finish sixth in the league. Dayton finished last season as the No. 6 seed in the A-10 Tournament and was picked to repeat that feat this year. Saint Louis was chosen as the favorite going into 2015, followed by reigning conference champion Rhode Island,  then George Mason and VCU. Davidson was picked to finish just ahead of Dayton.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will remain at home for the next contest as Dayton hosts Massachusetts on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Baujan Field.

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