Flyers soccer teams improving
By: Steve Miller – Staff Writer
After wrapping up competitive nonconference schedules, the Dayton men and women’s soccer teams kicked off its Atlantic 10 seasons over Oct. 2-4. The men downed Duquesne with a late goal Saturday night, while the women’s team knocked off both Saint Louis and George Mason to start 2-0 in the A-10.
The men’s team, who went 5-4-1 in nonconference play, traveled to Pittsburgh for their conference opener against the Duquesne Dukes.
Coming out of the half down 1-0, junior forward James Haupt hit the equalizer from 30 yards out in the 67th minute.
Senior defender Carlos Sendin drilled the game winner with a header in the 89th minute to send the Flyers home with a 2-1 victory and a 1-0 conference record.
The Flyers outshot the Dukes 32-9 in the contest, and had a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Dayton men play at Saint Louis Wednesday to continue A-10 play.
The women’s team kicked off conference play in Saint Louis last Thursday against the SLU Billikens. UD finished nonconference play with a 2-7 record.
Senior midfielder Nicole Waters notched the game’s lone goal—a lofted shot from the left side of the box to the far post of the goal in the 61st minute.
A solid defensive performance by the Flyers limited the Billikens to six shots on goal, and UD came home with a 1-0 victory.
At Baujan Field last Sunday, Dayton took on the George Mason Patriots, who were coming off a 5-0 routing of St. Bonaventure.
Sophomore forward Alexis Kiehl put the Flyers up early with a goal in the 18th minute, off an assist from Waters.
Waters also assisted senior forward Ashley Campbell in the 24th minute, extending Dayton’s lead to 2-0.
After Mason answered with a goal of their own, freshman midfielder Beth Kamphaus notched the first goal of her career, corralling a rebound off the post and hitting it past the keeper for Dayton’s third score of the day.
The Patriots answered minutes later to make the game 3-2 at the half.
Campbell scored the game’s final goal in the 63rd minute, padding the Flyers’ lead. Campbell’s second goal of the match was her sixth of the season.
Campbell is now tied for second on the all-time scoring list for Dayton women’s soccer, joining Karen Kazmaier on the list with 52 goals.
“I thought that we started well. We kept our shape in the attack well, and we were dangerous as could be,” head coach Mike Tucker said in a postgame video posted on Dayton Athletics’ official website. “Defensively, we were organized just enough to get by.”
“They played a little bit differently than I thought they would,” Tucker said of George Mason’s attack that had scored five goals in their previous game. “But we thought that if we could take away the flank play from them that it would take a big part of what they want to do.”
Flyer goalkeeper Kaelyn Johns only had to make two saves all game behind a solid defense.
The two consecutive A-10 victories come as a relief to the Flyers, who struggled through the nonconference part of their schedule.
“We’ll get better,” Tucker concluded. “And we’re starting to get a few more people healthy and a few more people we’re confident in putting in the match.”
UD women’s team continues Atlantic 10 play at home Thursday against Davidson.