Marycrest Wins ‘Battle of the Dorms’ as Flyers Tie Purdue
Photo via: Carson Caprella, Flyer News
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton Women’s Soccer team faced off against Purdue University on Sept. 4 at Baujan Field in what was the second annual “Battle of the Dorms” student competition.
The competition was held between all UD freshman students who attended the game. Each student in attendance reported which dorm they were staying in, and at halftime, the dorm with the most students won the competition. This year, the winner was Marycrest, which had 50 of the 104 students at the match.
Michelle Hwang, the marketing and games operations lead for the Women’s Soccer team, came up with the idea for the competition and stated that it “started as a creative concept born from the question of how can we make game days feel more than just a sporting event, and how can we build lasting fan engagement and strengthen Flyer spirit?”
Although this year the event saw an overall dip in attendance compared to the 2024 event (which had 183 first-year check-ins), Hwang noted that other factors may have played into this, most notably that this year the event was going on at the same time as the NFL’s kickoff game.
“Initiatives like Battle of the Dorms are just one piece of our broader strategy to elevate the fan experience at all UD home games,” Hwang stated, “we’re constantly exploring creative and innovative ways to build Flyer pride, boost fan engagement, and create a true ‘home advantage’ for our student athletes. At the end of the day, our goal is to foster a game day culture that’s loud, proud, and deeply rooted in the Flyer community. Whether it’s themed games, giveaways, or student competitions, we’re working to ensure that attending a UD game is more than just taking a seat in the stands; it’s an experience that makes every fan feel like they’re part of something bigger.”
The fans in attendance did indeed provide a home advantage for the Flyers, as the atmosphere helped the team battle to an action-packed scoreless tie between Dayton and the Boilermakers.
The marquee moment of the match came in the 18th minute as, after a collision in the box between Flyers senior goalkeeper Batoul Reda and Purdue’s Irene Campo resulted in a Boilermakers penalty kick, Reda came up with the stop to keep Purdue off the scoreboard.
Plenty more chances would come for both sides, but in the end, it was Reda who was the story of the match, as her six-save day was enough for her fourth clean sheet of the season. The match would end in a 0-0 tie, moving Dayton’s record to 2-2-2.
“This is only the second year of Battle of the Dorms,” Hwang said, “but we’re already seeing it evolve into something special. We’re committed to growing into a lasting tradition, one that first-year students can look forward to and upperclassmen can remember as a highlight of their own campus experience.”
Photos via: Carson Caprella, Flyer News