DAYTON - The University of Dayton men's soccer team will host the 2017 Dayton Flyer Classic this weekend at Baujan Field. The schedule starts with Fort Wayne versus Liberty Friday at 5 p.m. followed by Dayton versus Central Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. The tournament continues Sunday at 11 a.m. with Central Arkansas meeting Fort Wayne and ends with Dayton hosting Liberty at 2 p.m.

Head coach Dennis Currier is in his 13th season at the helm of the Flyers, totaling 122 victories, the most in UD history. He returns a veteran squad this year with seven seniors, two of the top three goal scorers, and both goalkeepers from last season.

The Flyers head into the weekend with a 1-1-2 record ovearll including a 1-0-1 mark at home. Dayton is averaging 1.50 goals per game while holding opposing teams to 1.00 each contest. The Flyers have a 13.0 to 10.0 shots per contest advantage, but have just 18 corner kicks compared to opponents' 31 corners.

UD is led by sophomore Rok Taneski, who has one goal, the game-winner against Western Illinois, and two assists. Freshman Thor Helgason leads the team with two goals and is the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week. Senior Alvaro Navarro has a team-high three assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Federico Barrios has made four starts with 18 saves and one shutout.

PROMOTIONS
• T-shirts and miniballs will be thrown out every time the Flyers score.
• Arby's sub giveaway every time UD has a substitution.
• Posters and schedule cards will be available at the marketing table.
• On Friday, Red Scare is giving away 100 rally towels to the first 100 students, and raffling a Dayton soccer jersey.
• On Sunday, the first 100 students will get an American flag t-shirt and the first 50 fans get Dayton soccer emoji posters.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Central Arkansas is looking for its first win of the season, coming into the tournament with an 0-4 record, including a loss to Coach Currier's former team Incarnate Word. Head coach Ross Duncan is in his fourth season at Central Arkansas.


As a team, the Bears are scoring just 0.50 goals each game while giving up 2.00 goals to opponents. UCA is averaging 12.3 shots each game, but converting at a .041 clip. The Bears do benefit from a 24-16 corner kick advantage however.

UCA is led by sophomore Niklas Brodacki and freshman Kasper Anderson, who have both scored for the Bears this season. Three different players have seen time in goal for Central Arkansas in sophomore Marc Olsen, freshman Rasmus Jonsson, and sophomore Sebastian Thomsson. They have combined for 11 saves and eight goals allowed.

LIBERTY
Liberty enters the weekend with a 2-1 record overall this season and will face Fort Wayne Friday in the first game of the Dayton Tournament.  The Flames hold wins over Southern Virginia (7-0) and VMI (3-0), outscoring them by a combined score 10-0. Last weekend, they suffered their first loss of the season, a 3-2 decision at USC Upstate. Head coach Jeff Alder has led Liberty to 10 or more wins in seven of the last nine seasons.

The Flames are second in the nation, scoring at a rate of 4.00 goals per game and have the fourth most total goals with 12. Liberty is holding opponents to 1.00 goal per game and a .100 shot percentage. Through three games, the Flames are averaging 18.3 shots per contest.

Leading the way is junior Tresor Mbuyu, who leads the country in goals per game with 1.67 each contest and has five total goals. Junior Kevin Mendoza has chipped in two goals while three players have two assists each. Sophomore goalkeeper James Knoebel has spent the most time in goal with three starts, recording eight saves and one shutout.

THE SERIES
Dayton and Central Arkansas are meeting for the first time in program history Friday.

The Flyers and Flames have faced each other twice before with Dayton winning one meeting and drawing the other. In 2016, UD was victorious on the road thanks to a goal by Taneski in the 55th minute.

LAST OUTING
Dayton went on the road to Belmont Sunday and left with a 0-0 draw in double overtime as neither team was able to get on the scoresheet.

Central Arkansas fell at Campbell Sunday 0-1 on the road in North Carolina. A goal just before halftime handed the Bears their fourth loss of the season.

Liberty lost on the road at USC Upstate Saturday by a score of 3-2. Tresor Mbuyu scored twice for the Flames including the opening goal in the 11th minute, but the Spartans countered with two goals before the end of the first half.

HELGASON NAMED A-10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
On Sept. 5, the Atlantic 10 Conference named Dayton freshman Thor Helgason the A-10 Rookie of the Week. The Icelandic native led the team to a 4-1 win over Western Illinois and led the team through the first two weeks in scoring in four starts.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will head back out on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 13 to take on Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m.