Dayton women’s soccer is on top again.
With Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Xavier on Senior Night, the Flyers successfully completed their first-ever undefeated regular season, going 14-0-5 overall and 10-0-1 in Atlantic 10 play. A crowd of 917 fans came out to see their team take the A-10 title for the first time since 2004, which preserved the nation’s longest win streak and broke the school record with 14 shutouts.
Dayton came out on fire and didn’t let up. Led by senior Lauren MacCormick and sophomore Emily Kenyon, the Flyers were able to outshoot Xavier 19-0 in the first 45 minutes alone. MacCormick tallied the first goal in the 15th minute off the leg of junior Kelly Blumenschein for her eighth goal of the season.
Stellar play from the supporting cast helped Dayton put away the Musketeers. Kenyon fired a goal in the 60th minute to put the Flyers up 2-0. Then, four minutes later, sophomore Kelsey Owen provided a little insurance as she ripped a shot past the Xavier goalie in the 64th minute.
Dayton currently owns the nation’s longest unbeaten streak, and looks forward to a first round bye in the A-10 Tournament next weekend (Nov. 5-8) as the No. 1 seed in Charlotte, N.C. The Flyers’ first match will be at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Rams in top 3
Heading into the last game of the season, Fordham and St. Bonaventure split the season matchup, each coming out victorious on one occasion as both were deadlocked in the conference standings. The third and final game of the season series was played at St. Bonaventure on Sunday, with Fordham coming out on top.
With the win, the Rams ended their regular season at 8-11-1 overall, and 7-4-0 in the A-10, while the Bonnies ended their season at 10-10 overall and 7-4 in conference play. By virtue of the win, Fordham edged out the tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed at the A-10 Championship, with St. Bonaventure settling for the No. 4 seed.
The Rams got a late first half goal by sophomore Katherine Wah, as well as a score from senior Leah Loguidice in the second half to earn a 2-0 victory.
The Bonnies continued their recent scoring troubles, managing just 10 shots on goal through the entire game and failing to score. If it continues, it could spell an early exit from the A-10 Tournament next week.
Fordham matches up with No. 6 Massachusetts next week, while St. Bonaventure will take on No. 5 Saint Louis.
Champs battle to tie
The two-time defending conference champion and No. 24 ranked Charlotte 49ers (15-2-2, 9-0-2 A-10) tied Saint Louis, 0-0, to extend their unbeaten streak against A-10 competition to 26 games. The Billikens (7-8-4, 4-4-3 A-10) managed to hold the high-powered 49ers offense in check Friday night, preserving their chance to compete in the A-10 Tournament.
Defense and goalkeeping was clearly on display, with neither team managing more than 20 total shots, many of which were off-target.
While the tie extended Charlotte’s unbeaten streak, it unfortunately cost it a fourth straight A-10 title, as Dayton went on to claim that honor Saturday.
Going into the tournament, the 49ers bring a 13-game unbeaten streak and sits as the No. 2 overall seed with a bye in the first round. The Billikens hold the No. 5 seed as they take on No. 4 seeded St. Bonaventure. Charlotte is hosting the A-10 Tournament which will be played at Transamerica Field, beginning Nov. 5.
Michael Wood can be reached at [email protected].
