DAYTON – The University of Dayton women's soccer team kicks off its quest to repeat as Atlantic 10 Champions on Saturday, Sept. 19 when the Flyers travel to St. Bonaventure to take on the Bonnies at 6 p.m. at the Marra Athletics Field Complex.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Forward Olivia Baca converted a penalty kick in the 83rd minute and keeper Kasey Cannistraro notched her first shutout as a Flyer to lift UD to a 1-0 victory over Ball State on Sunday night at Baujan Field.
 
UD's offensive attack turned up the pressure in the second half and served multiple threats at the Cardinals' defense when junior Laney Smith was taken down in the box to draw the crucial penalty. Baca fired her shot past the keeper for her third goal of the campaign.
 
Cannistraro picked up the first clean sheet of her Dayton career, stopping Ball State's only shot on goal in the match.
 
Dayton controlled 61-percent of the total ball possession in the match and had more shots (14-8), shots on goal (7-1) than the Cardinals, and tied BSU in corners (3-3).
 
AGAINST THE BONNIES
Dayton holds the upper hand over St. Bonaventure all-time, posting a 24-1-3 record against the Bonnies dating back to the Flyers' first season in the Atlantic 10, 1996.
 
UD is unbeaten in 13 consecutive meetings with SBU, winning last season by a score of 6-0. The last time Dayton was in Olean, however, saw the Flyers and Bonnies play to a 0-0 draw.
 
NOT THROWING AWAY HER SHOT
Flyer junior Laney Smith ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in shots per game with 3.50 shots. That mark also ranks 55th in the country after eight matches. The Fort Thomas, Ky. native has a shot on-goal percentage at 32.1 percent on the campaign.
 
Smith has played an average of 84.3 minutes per game in her junior campaign, nearly 30 minutes more than her previous career high of 57 minutes per game.
 
GRENDA THE GREAT
Dayton junior Liv Grenda has continued her run of excellence in the midfield for the Flyers this season, registering three points (1 goal, 1 assist), while also averaging 89.0 minutes per game.
 
Grenda has played full 90s in the last six matches, and her presence as both an offensive playmaker and defensive stalwart have helped UD go 2-2 in their last four.
 
GOLZ JOINS THE FLYERS WEEKLY PODCAST
Head coach Eric Golz joined Alex Mikos on the Flyers Weekly podcast to preview the 2026 campaign. WATCH HERE.
 
ALUMNAE NIGHT – CELEBRATING TWO FLYER CHAMPIONSHIPS
2026 marks two milestones for the UD women's soccer program, most notably it is the 30th anniversary of the first championship in program history.
 
It is also the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship, one of the most improbable titles in program history.
 
The Flyers will celebrate the two championship squads on Friday, Oct. 2 prior to their match against La Salle. CLICK HERE MORE INFORMATION.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers return home to take on Atlantic 10 rival Saint Louis on Thursday, Sept. 24 in a 7 p.m. match at Baujan Field.

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