DAYTON - The University of Dayton men's soccer team will head to its first NCAA Tournament since 2015 as the Flyers take on the University of Louisville on the road Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Lynn Stadium.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton overcame a 2-6-1 start to the season and have now gone unbeaten in the last 11 contests, sitting at 8-6-6 overall. The Flyers are coming off their fifth A-10 Tournament title in program history, their first since 2015.

Head coach Dennis Currier is in his 19th year at Dayton and is the winningest coach in program history. He ranks ninth among active coaches in career wins

The Flyers are averaging 1.80 goals per game and holding opponents to 1.35 goals each outing. Dayton boasts one of the most prolific attacks in the country, ranking second in shots per game. UD is out-shooting opposing squads 19.0 to 10.6.

Leading the Flyers is A-10 First Team and A-10 Championship MOP Kenji Mboma Dem who has eight goals and three assists on the year. Sophomore Sidike Jabateh has contributed six goals while grad student Hjalti Sigurdsson has five goals from the rightback position. Fellow grad student Manny Day as a team-high seven assists as well. Senior goalkeeper Dario Caetano has played every minute this season with four shutouts and 65 saves.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
LOUISVILLE
Louisville hosts the Flyers with an 11-5-3 record on the season and was 2-4-2 in ACC play. The Cardinals are 6-1-2 at home this year, and won their first two matches in the ACC Championships with wins over Pitt and No. 2 Notre Dame, but their run was cut short with a loss to No. 14 Clemson.

Head coach John Michael Hayden is in his fifth season as head coach at Louisville and is the fifth coach in program history. He has compiled a 34-29-7 record and a 17-16-3 mark in ACC play, earning three NCAA Tournament berths. He previously served four seasons as assistant coach for the Cardinals before earning the head coaching position.

Louisville is scoring 2.05 goals per game and stifling opponents with 1.68 goals against allowed through 15 games. The Cardinals are attempting fewer shots than opposing squads, but at a higher percentage.

Leading the Cardinals is Damien Barker John, who has nine goals and three assists on the year, and Sander Roed, who has added five goals and six assists. Goalkeeper Alex Svetanoff has made 19 starts with 88 saves and six shutouts while giving up just 32 goals.

LAST OUTING
Dayton earned a much deserved win with a 2-1 victory over top seed VCU to claim the 2023 A-10 Championship. The Flyers scored in the 68th minute on a strike from Mboma Dem with an assist from Day. The Flyers recorded the game-winning goal in the 88th minute on a header from Hjalti Sigurdsson to clinch the title.

Louisville's ACC Championship run came to an end with a 5-1 loss at No. 14 Clemson. The Cardinals scored in the 14th minute with a header from Gage Gurrea on the assist from Parker Forbes. Goalkeeper Alex Svetanoff recorded a new career-high 11 saves in the loss.

SERIES HISTORY
Dayton and Louisville have met 19 times previously with the Flyers holding a 15-2-1 series advantage. It's been 15 years since the two teams faced off in the regular season, a 1-0 win at home for Dayton en route to their second ever NCAA Tournament appearances.

SETTING THE STANDARD
Dayton enters the tournament as the No. 2 team in the country in shots per game and ranks 14th in shots on goal each outing. The Flyers also rank 14th in corner kicks and 19th in total goals.

DAYTON IN POSTSEASON PLAY
The Flyers head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Dayton is 1-4 all-time in tournament history with appearances in 1997, 1998, 2008, and 2015. The last time UD was in the NCAA tournament, the Flyers defeated Oakland at home in the opening round via penalty kicks before falling at Ohio State, also through PKs.

DAYTON WINS 2023 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Dayton won its fifth A-10 Tournament title in program history with a 2-1 victory over top-seed VCU Sunday, Nov. 12 in Richmond, Va. Sigurdsson scored the game-winning header in the 89th minute as the Flyers earned the automatic NCAA bid, their first in eight years.

FLYERS NAMED ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
The Flyers had five student-athletes named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship team. Kenji Mboma Dem was named Most Outstanding Performer as well as All-Tournament team, joining teammates Dario Caetano, Hjalti Sigurdsson, Manny Day, and Logan Brown.

MULTIPLE FLYERS RECEIVE ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
The Atlantic 10 All-Conference end-of-season awards were announced with four Flyers recognized. Kenji Mboma Dem was named First Team All-Conference while Joseph Melto Quiah was named Second Team All-Conference. Miles Bonham and Hjalti Sigurdsson were honored on the All-Rookie Team as well.

CAETANO PICKS UP FIRST A-10 HONOR
Dayton senior goalkeeper Dario Caetano was named A-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23 for his shutout performance at Saint Louis over the weekend. It made it two straight weeks with A-10 honors for the Flyers.

JABATEH NAMED A-10 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dayton sophomore forward Sidike Jabateh was named A-10 Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16 after scoring three goals for the Flyers the week prior. He scored the game-winner against Northern Kentucky before adding the lone goal in the draw at George Mason over the weekend.

SIGURDSSON PICKS UP A-10 CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES
The Atlantic 10 released its players of the week on Oct. 2 and chose Sigurdsson as the conference co-Rookie of the Week. Though listed as a graduate student, he is eligible for the award since he has not played collegiately previously.

SIGURDSSON NAMED DAYTON MALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES
The University of Dayton Athletics Division chose its student-athletes of the week for Aug. 30 and recognized Sigurdsson as the College Sports Advantage Male Student Athlete of the Week for Dayton. He received the award again on Sept. 20 for his hat trick against Rhode Island and yet again on Oct. 4 for leading UD to a pair of wins the week prior.

FLYERS PICKED 2ND IN PRESEASON POLL
Dayton was picked to finish second this upcoming season in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The Flyers received 161 points behind reigning A-10 Champs Saint Louis, who earned 13 of the 14 first-place votes, Loyola Chicago earning one.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Dayton historically has had a diverse team with players hailing from all over the globe. This season is no different with the Flyers having 18 international student-athletes.

WELCOME TO DAYTON
The Flyers brought in the most newcomers they have had in recent history with 21 new players joining the program including 16 freshmen.

UP NEXT
If victorious, the Flyers will move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 4 West Virginia Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. in Morgantown, W. Va.