• The University of Dayton women's soccer team (3-2-0 overall) opens Atlantic 10 Conference action on the road in Pittsburgh at Duquesne (0-1-0 overall) this Sunday, March 14. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET. 
• This is the conference opener for both squads. 
• Dayton's last A-10 regular season match was Oct. 27, 2019, a 3-2 loss at La Salle.  When the Flyers take on the Dukes it will have been 504 days since UD's last conference match. 
• The match is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+. 
• Live stats will be available fans can follow Dayton women's soccer social media for updates:  Twitter: @daytonwsoccer  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

THE SERIES
• The Flyers lead the all-time series 17-3-2 against Duquesne.
• However, in the last six matches the squads are even at 2-2-2. 
• The last meeting was a 2-1 overtime Flyer victory at Baujan Field on Oct. 17, 2019. Laney Huber had the assist on the golden goal in the 100th minute. 
• The last encounter at Rooney Field resulted in a 0-0 double overtime draw on Sept. 23, 2018.
• Dayton is 7-1-1 all-time vs. Duquesne at Rooney Field, the lone UD road loss coming in 2016 (2-0 on Oct. 27). 

FLYER FACTS
• Dayton is coming off a 1-0 loss to Louisville, closing out non-conference play on March 6 at Baujan Field. 
• This season the Flyers are averaging 1.20 goals per game in the five first matches this season. Five of the six goals have come from UD freshmen this season: Itala Gemelli leads Dayton with two goals and Diana Benigno, Mia Perri, and Madison Wilson each have one goal. Senior Kara Camarco scored the game-winning goal in UD's 1-0 victory over Marshall on Feb. 28.
• Sophomore Jessica Sheldon leads the Flyers with three assists. Fellow sophomore Laney Huber has two assists. Freshmen Benigno and Wilson have one assist each, and sophomores Audrey Steiert and Marlee Taylor also have one assist apiece to their credit.
• Freshman Itala Gemelli leads Dayton in goals scored (2), shots (11), and shots on goal (6).
• UD returns eight starters from a squad that went 7-9-3 overall and 5-3-2 in conference play in 2019. 
• The six Flyers who have started every match this season are freshmen (Itala Gemelli, Katie Houck, Madison Wilson) and sophomores (Mackenzie Lutz, Jessica Sheldon, Audrey Steiert).
• Sophomore defender Mackenzie Lutz leads all Flyers with 431 minutes played. 
• Redshirt junior Carly Becker has earned the start in goal in four matches this season and has five saves. Sophomore Madelyn Dewey earned her first collegiate start vs. Louisville (March 6). In the other four matches she came off the bench to start the second half. Dewey is 3-1-0 on the season with 11 saves.
• Head coach Eric Golz is in his fourth season at the helm of the Flyers. He previously served as an assistant at UD in 2011.

SCOUTING DUQUESNE 
• Duquesne is 0-1-0 this season with its lone match resulting in a 3-0 loss to neighboring Pitt on March 7. Former Flyer Landy Mertz led the Panthers with two second-half goals. 
• The Dukes went 6-8-3 overall in 2019 and finished seventh in the A-10 with a 4-5-1 mark. Duquesne returns all 11 starters from last season. 
• Deena DeBaldo led the Dukes with nine goals and four assists. She earned A-10 Second Team honors.
• Megan Virgin started 17 matches in goal in 2019 for the Dukes. She had 78 saves and a 1.57 GAA.

UP NEXT
• The Flyers host defending A-10 champion Saint Louis on Thursday, March 18 at 4 p.m. ET at Baujan Field. 
• This match is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.

GOOD TO BE BACK AT BAUJAN
• Dayton's 1-0 win over Marshall on Feb. 28 marked the first NCAA Division I women's soccer match at Baujan Field in 493 days. Prior to the Flyers taking on The Herd, the last women's soccer match at Baujan Field was a UD 3-0 victory over Fordham on Oct. 24, 2019.
• Senior Kara Camarco scored the game-winner over Marshall in the 74th minute.
• UD's prior two home matches for spring 2021 were played at CJ's Roger Glass Stadium (turf) and Wall2Wall (indoor). 

EXHIBITION WIN
• Dayton defeated Akron 3-1 in an exhibition match on Feb. 25 at CJ's Roger Glass Stadium. The Flyers got goals from senior Kara Camarco and freshmen Itala Gemelli and Elle Lovdal.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR ITALA
•  Freshman Itala Gemelli was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Feb. 22. Gemelli scored her first collegiate goal, a game-winner in the 86th minute against Northern Kentucky in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory for UD. The rookie from Rochester, Mich., also scored the Flyers' lone goal in a 4-1 loss to undefeated Butler.

2-0-0 TO START
•  Dayton opened up this unorthodox spring campaign with a 2-0 win over Bellarmine at CJ's Roger Glass Stadium on Feb. 6. Freshmen Madison Wilson and Diana Benigno scored.
•  The Flyers followed that win a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Northern Kentucky at indoor facility Wall2Wall in Mason, Ohio. Freshmen Mia Perri and Itala Gemelli scored.

FLYERS PICKED 4TH IN A-10 POLL
• The Dayton women's soccer team was selected  to finish fourth in the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 standings in a vote by the league's 14 head coaches. The Flyers were 5-3-2 in the conference in 2019 and finished fifth in the league.
• A four-team 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Championship will be played on the campus of the highest seed, April 15-17, with the winner advancing to the NCAA tournament.
• The Atlantic 10 has divided the 14 teams that participate in women's soccer into three geographical pods.
• The top team from each pod, and the next best team (regardless of pod) will play in the four-team Championship.

OHIO CONNECTIONS
•  11 Flyers on the women's soccer team are from Ohio.
•  There are five from the Cincinnati area, including two from Fairfield: junior Lexy Kidd, and sophomore Alexis Goins. The other Cincinnati-area products include: senior Olivia Brown, sophomore Laney Huber and freshman Elle Lovdal. 
•  There are three from the Columbus, Ohio area: junior Gillian Losey, Tennessee transfer Alicia Donley (won't be playing this spring due to NCAA rules in which she competed already this season for the Vols in the fall), freshman Natale Hegg.
•  Freshman Diana Benigno is from Beavercreek, Ohio.
•  Sophomore Mackenzie Lutz is from Sylvania, Ohio and fellow sophomore Jessica Sheldon is from Medina, Ohio.

MICHIGAN MIGRATION
•  The next highest geographical location for the Flyers is four from Michigan:
- sophomore Marlee Taylor -Plymouth
- sophomore Audrey Steiert - Linden
- freshman Gabby Tremonti - Royal Oak
- freshman Itala Gemelli - Rochester

INTERNATIONAL FLYERS
• The Flyers have four international student-athletes on the women's soccer team:
- sophomore Yaiza Navarro Leon and freshman Adriana Alonso-Gomez from Spain
- freshman Madison Wilson from London, Ontario, Canada
- freshman Liana Yara from England

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN 
• Dayton's freshmen have a history of making an impact. 
• This season, five (of 6) Flyers goals have come from freshmen: Itala Gemelli (2), Diana Benigno (1), Mia Perri (1), and Madison Wilson (1)
• UD's top scorers from 2019 were freshmen and A-10 All-Rookie selections: Alexis Goins (7 goals, 3 assists) and Laney Huber (4 goals, 4 assists), with Goins also earning first-team honors. Nine different Flyers scored last season and five were freshmen.