DAYTON – The University of Dayton women's soccer team (7-3-1 overall, 4-1-1 A-10) closes out the regular season with two Atlantic 10 Conference matches at league-leading Saint Louis (11-1-0, 6-0-0 A-10) at Hermann Stadium. The Flyers take on the Billikens this Thursday, April 8 at 8 p.m. ET and again on Sunday, April 11 at 1 p.m. ET.
• Both matches are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+
• Fans are permitted at Hermann Stadium. Admission is free and all seating is on the west side of the stadium (press box side). All spectators will be required to follow COVID protocols, including social distancing and wearing a mask.
• Live stats will be available fans can follow Dayton women's soccer social media for updates: on Twitter: & Instagram: @daytonwsoccer
THE SERIES
• The Flyers lead the all-time series over Saint Louis, 10-6-3.
• Dayton is 3-2-1 all-time in road matches vs. Saint Louis.
• The Billikens have won the last four meetings, including a 3-2 double overtime victory at Baujan Field this year (March 18). Two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week Itala Gemelli scored both Dayton goals in that match. All three of the SLU goals were on set pieces, including a penalty kick in the 59th minute and the game winner on a corner kick in the 107th minute.
FLYER FACTS
• Dayton is on a four-match winning streak.
• The only conference loss for the Flyers this season was a 3-2 double overtime loss to Saint Louis on March 18.
• UD is averaging 1.91 goals per game in the 11 matches this season. 15 of the 21 goals have come from UD freshmen: Itala Gemelli leads Dayton and the A-10 with eight goals, including three game-winning goals. Madison Wilson has three goals. Diana Benigno has scored two goals, and Mia Perri and Elle Lovdal have each netted one goal.
• Sophomore Jessica Sheldon leads the Flyers with five assists. Fellow sophomores Marlee Taylor and Audrey Steiert each have three assists, and sophomores Laney Huber and Yaiza Navarro Leon each have two assists.
• Gemelli also leads Dayton in points (17), shots (34), and shots on goal (18).
• The five Flyers who have started every match this season are freshmen (Itala Gemelli and Katie Houck) and sophomores (Mackenzie Lutz, Jessica Sheldon, and Audrey Steiert). Sophomore Yaiza Navarro Leon has played in and started 10 matches.
• Sophomore defender Mackenzie Lutz leads all Flyers with 912 minutes played.
• Sophomore Madelyn Dewey earned her first collegiate start vs. Louisville (March 6) and has started every match since. In the other four matches she came off the bench to start the second half. Dewey is 7-2-1 on the season with 31 saves. The Flyers have five shutouts.
• 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.
• Dayton returns eight starters from a squad that went 7-9-3 overall and 5-3-2 in conference play in 2019.
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
• Saint Louis is currently ranked No. 20 by the United Soccer Coaches and is on a six-match winning streak, going undefeated thus far in Atlantic 10 play.
• SLU's only loss this season is a 1-0 overtime setback to Oklahoma State, ranked No. 16 at the time (March 6).
• Hannah Friedrich has 12 assists this season to lead the Billikens. She is also the A-10 and NCAA leader in assists.
• Saint Louis averages 2.50 goals per game and 12 different Billikens have scored this season led by Emily Groark's six goals. Hannah Larson has scored five, Abbie Miller (4), and Sophia Stram (3).
• Emily Puricelli has 12 starts in goal with 40 saves, a .49 GAA, and six shutouts.
UP NEXT
• 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.
ALL HAIL ITALA
• Freshman forward Itala Gemelli leads the Flyers and Atlantic 10 in goals scored with 8. She's also scored three game-winning goals. Her eight goals this season are third best in the NCAA for freshmen.
• 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.
• She also won the award for matches played March 15-21 when she scored three goals on the week. She scored both goals in Dayton's 3-2 double overtime loss to No. 22 Saint Louis, including the first goal just 57 seconds into the match, a rocket to the upper, far post 90. She also scored the equalizer in the 69th minute to send the match into OT. Gemelli scored the game-winning goal in UD's 3-0 shutout road win over St. Bonaventure to help the Flyers pick up their first conference win.
KUDOS FOR CAMARCO
Senior Kara Camarco scored the game-winning goal in UD's 1-0 victory over Marshall on Feb. 28. She also scored the game-winning goal in Dayton's 5-1 win over St. Bonaventure (April 1). She's played in 10 matches and started eight. Camarco had an assist in UD's 3-2 loss to Saint Louis.
TAYLOR'S TRADE
Sophomore Marlee Taylor scored her first collegiate goal in 3-0 win over St. Bonaventure (March 21). She had a goal and two assists in UD's 5-1 victory over SBU on April 1.
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.
DAYTON'S A-10 BACKGROUND
• Dayton has won the A-10 Tournament Championship more than any other team in the conference: 10 times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016).
• UD has also won or shared 11 Atlantic 10 Regular Season titles (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013). The next closest is Massachusetts with five.
• Dayton has appeared in 23 A-10 tournaments, earning a berth every year the Flyers have been a member of the conference.
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, 15 of the 21 goals have come from UD freshmen: Itala Gemelli leads Dayton and the A-10 with eight goals, including three game-winning goals. Madison Wilson has three goals. Diana Benigno has scored two goals, and Mia Perri and Elle Lovdal have each netted one goal.
• UD's top scorers from 2019 were 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.
