DAYTON – The University of Dayton women’s soccer team will host No. 19 Xavier under the lights at Baujan Field on Sunday night. The Flyers and Musketeers will face off at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25, the second of three consecutive home games for UD.
ABOUT DAYTON
Dayton (2-0) started the first two games of the year undefeated for the fifth time in a row. Current Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Liv Grenda leads the team and is second in the league with three goals and six points, with an average of 4.50 shots per game. In goal for the Flyers is the junior Batoul Reda has played all 180 minutes for UD this season and is second in the A-10 with eight saves.
SCOUTING NO. 19 XAVIER
Xavier (3-0) Flyers fans will see a familiar face on the Musketeers’ sideline as Dean Ward enters his first season at the helm of the XU program. Ward spent five years under coach Golz in Dayton before taking the top job at Lenoir-Rhyne ahead of the 2022 season. Xavier, ranked 19th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, is led by Olivia Lawson with three goals and an assist, while goalkeeper Maria Galley has a 1.00 goals-against average.
SERIES MATERIAL
The Flyers are one of Dayton’s most frequently played opponents, leading the all-time series 26-10-4 since 1984. The last time the two faced each other, the Flyers and Musketeers played a 0-0 tie after two overtimes in Cincinnati on August 29, 2019. Between 2001 and 2012, UD won 14 games against XU.
FLYER FACTS
• Eric Golz is in his eighth season as head coach of the Flyers in 2024. His record in Dayton is 74-45-16 (.607) and his career win-loss record is 94-61-21 (.594) over 10 total seasons. Golz has the second most wins in the program, behind Mike Tucker, who had 313 wins in 22 seasons (1995-2016) in Dayton.
• First semester Liv Grenda received the Atlantic 10’s first Rookie of the Week award on August 19 after scoring her first collegiate goal in Dayton’s 2-1 win over Loyola Maryland on opening day.
• 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 won the A-10 Championship title 10 times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016). In 28 appearances in the A-10 tournament, UD has compiled a conference postseason championship record of 34-11-5.
• The Flyers finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 13-2-5 and a conference record of 7-0-3, finishing third in the regular season.
• Best returnees: Diana Benigno (Gr., MF), Noel Blain (Sr., F), Kyra Karfonta (Junior, Germany), Ella Raimondi (Jr., D/MF), Batoul Reda (Junior, Goalkeeper)
LAST TIME
Dayton earned a 4-0 win over Cleveland State on Wednesday in the Flyers’ home opener at Baujan Field, the first of three straight games played on the team’s friendly campus field. As a team, Dayton totaled 20 shots in the game, with 12 different players taking at least one shot. Of those 20 shots, 12 were on goal and the new juniors Aya Saiki and newbie Liv Grenda each had two shots on goal.
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