DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton men's soccer team will battle VCU on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Baujan Field with the Atlantic 10 regular season title on the line. A win for the Flyers will clinch the first team championship since 2009.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters the season finale with a 10-4-3 record overall and an unbeaten A-10 mark of 5-0-2. The Flyers are also 6-1 this season at home as well, outscoring opponents 16-2 in the last three wins at Baujan. Head coach Dennis Currier is just two wins away from his 300th victory of his coaching career as well.

The Flyers boast one of the most prolific attacks in the nation, leading the country in total goals with 44 and scoring offense with 2.59 goals per game. Dayton is only allowing 1.07 goals to opponents as well. UD is third in the country in shots per game (17.76) and second in assists (40) to round out the attack.

Senior Amass Amankona leads the Flyers with nine goals and 23 points to go with five assists. Fellow senior Maik Schoonderwoerd has added eight goals and a team-high six assists while junior James Haupt has six goals and five assists. Junior goalkeeper Justin Saliba has four shutouts, 35 saves, and a 1.08 goals against average in 14 starts.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
VCU
The Rams are 4-9-4 on the season and 2-2-3 in the Atlantic 10, while going 0-4-2 away from home. VCU is fighting for the final spot in the A-10 Tournament and currently sits out of the postseason in ninth. The Rams are amidst a five-match winless streak and three straight losses. Head coach Dave Giffard is in his sixth season at the helm.

VCU is averaging 0.9 goals per game and allowing 1.16 goals to opposing squads. The Rams have a .436 shots-on-goal percentage and 15 total goals on the season. VCU is second in the A-10 behind Dayton in total shots and fourth in goals against average.

Leading the Rams are sophomore Rafael Andrade Santos and junior Jason McGlothern, who both have three goals each to lead the attack. Five different Rams have two assists on the season with junior Dakota Barnathan anchoring the midfield. Sophomore goalkeeperPierre Gardan has six shutouts and 43 saves in 14 starts.

THE SERIES
The Flyers and Rams have only met one time previously with VCU taking the lone meeting back in 2012, 3-2. This will be the first match played at Baujan Field between the two teams.

LAST OUTING
Dayton is coming off a 1-1 draw at Fordham on Saturday that ended three-game winning streak for the Flyers, but continued a seven match unbeaten streak. Junior defender Lalas Abubakar got a headed goal in the 81st minute to rescue a point for UD while keeping the title hopes alive.

VCU suffered a 2-0 loss to William & Mary in the last non-conference game of the season last Wednesday. A goal in each half handed the Rams their ninth loss of the season, the most since 2011 at VCU.

LEADING THE WAY
The Flyers are having a stellar season offensively, leading the Atlantic 10 in shots (17.76), points (7.53), goals (2.59), assists (2.35), and corner kicks (6.71). Dayton is also third in goals against average (1.07) and goals allowed (19).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Dayton has out-scored opponents 26-2 over its past five home games, including a 7-1 win over Saint Joseph's in the last outing. The Flyers are 6-1 in games at home as well, outscoring opponents 30-5. UD has allowed just two goals at home since Sept. 12.

OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE
The Flyers have been a force on the offensive side of the ball this season, ranking in the top 10 nationally in numerous statistical categories. Dayton currently leads the nation in total goals (44) and scoring offense (2.59). The Flyers are also second in total assists (40), assists per game (2.35), and total points (128).

PRESEASON
The Flyers totaled seven goals in Dayton's two exhibition contests against West Virginia and Butler, after scoring 30 all of last season. Dayton's leading scorer in the preseason was Schoonderwoerd, who scored three times, while Carlos Sendin and Tommy Harr added two apiece. That spreads the Flyers' scoring out across all three areas of the pitch, forwards, midfielders, and defenders.

FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton men's program has an overall record of 467-396-79 and three NCAA tournament appearances in its history. The Flyers are also 130-79-24 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.

A-10 PRESEASON HONORS
Four flyers were recognized by the A-10 as well in the preseason release. Senior Amass Amankona, junior James Haupt, and junior Lalas Abubakar were all named to the First Team All-Conference Preseason squad while freshman Kennedy Nwabia was named to the All-Rookie Team.

AMANKONA NAMED SENIOR CLASS FINALIST
The 2015 Senior CLASS Award candidates were announced and Dayton's Amass Amankona is one of 10 male finalists for the national honor. The award is given to one male and female in each sport every year that best exhibits excellence in four areas: classroom, character, community, and competition. Amankona is one of two A-10 candidates and joins Dayton women's soccer's Nicole Waters on the list. Dayton is one of only four schools with both a male and female honoree.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will next head to the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship tournament on Nov. 12-15 in Fairfax, Va. Dayton has already clinched a berth in the postseason, but will find out the time and opponent of their contest after Saturday.


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