DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's soccer team is set to play host to VCU Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship. As a top-four seed, No. 2 Dayton earn the opportunity to host the first-round match against No. 7 VCU. The Flyers and Rams are set to kickoff at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Baujan Field. Admission is free.
ABOUT DAYTON
Dayton (13-3-2) earned the No. 2 seed for the 2024 A-10 Championship after posting a 7-1-2 record in regular-season league matches and is making the program's 29th appearance in the postseason conference tournament. The Flyers enter Wednesday's match on a nine-game unbeaten streak after posting back-to-back ties to close out the season. Senior
Noel Blain leads UD's offense with a career-high 23 points (4th A-10) on nine goals (3rd A-10) and five assists (7th A-10). In goal for the Flyers, junior
Batoul Reda carries a 0.944 GAA (5th A-10) with 52 saves and 10 shutouts (1st A-10, 7th NCAA).
SCOUTING VCU
VCU (4-8-5, 3-2-5 A-10) finished its conference schedule with a 3-2-5 record, compiling 14 points, to secure the No. 7 seed. The Rams finished the regular season with a 2-2 draw against the Minutewomen of Massachusetts at home on Sunday. VCU's top offensive threat is Kanna Matsuhisa with seven goals, including three game winners, on 31 shots. Allison Karpovich is the Rams' primary goalkeeper, having worked 1453 or the team's 1530 total minutes, who holds a 1.36 GAA (10th A-10) with 63 shutouts and five shutouts (t-7th A-10).
SERIES STUFF
VCU Leads, 6-4-4
Dayton has won the last two meetings in the series, including a 1-0 win over VCU at home earlier this season on Oct. 20.
LAST TIME OUT
Dayton closed out the 2024 regular with a scoreless draw against visiting Saint Louis in a battle for the A-10 regular-season title. Seven different Flyers got off shots in the match led by senior
Noel Blain with a game-high-tying three while junior goalkeeper
Batoul Reda equaled her season high with six saves on a season-high 15 shots faced.
FLYER FACTS
•
Eric Golz is in his eighth season as head coach of the Flyers in 2024. His record at Dayton is 85-48-18 (.623) and his career win-loss mark sits at 105-64-23 (.607) over a total of 10 seasons. Golz has tallied the program's second-most wins, behind Mike Tucker who had 313 wins over 22 seasons (1995-2016) at Dayton.
• For the third-consecutive week, freshman
Laney Smith was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Monday, Oct. 28. Smith played a total of 147 minutes over Dayton's final two regular-season games, earning her first career start in the finale against Saint Louis. For the season, Dayton has claimed a total of six conference weekly honors.
• Dayton has won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season title 11 times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013). The Flyers have captured the A-10 Championship title 10 times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016). Over 28 appearances in the A-10 Tournament, UD has tallied a 34-11-5 record in the conference postseason championship.
• The Flyers finished the 2023 season with a 13-2-5 overall record and a 7-0-3 conference mark, finishing in third place in regular-season play.
• Top returners:
Diana Benigno (Gr., MF),
Noel Blain (Sr., F),
Kyra Karfonta (Jr., D),
Ella Raimondi (Jr., D/MF),
Batoul Reda (Jr., GK).
DAYTON IN THE A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday's match marks Dayton's 29th appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship and the Flyers hold a 34-11-5 overall mark in league tournament games. UD has won the A-10 Championship title a total of 10 times, most recently in 2016.
UP NEXT
With a win over VCU on Friday night, Dayton would advance to the semifinal round of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers would host a semifinal matchup against the second-lowest remaining seed on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
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