Men’s Soccer Explodes For Six Goals Against St. Bonaventure

By: Ethan Swierczewski – Staff Writer

The Dayton men’s soccer team waited a week for the chance to bounce back from their road loss at George Washington. They didn’t waste their opportunity. The Flyers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on their way to a 6-1 thumping of St. Bonaventure at Baujan Field on Saturday night.

The first half featured an onslaught of scoring opportunities for the Flyers, controlling the momentum early and inflicting their offensive will on the flustered Bonnies. The scoring opened when midfielder Alvaro Navarro buried a ball in the back of the net on a cross from fellow midfielder Jonas Fjeldberg less than 20 minutes into the game. Fjeldberg was involved in three of the Flyers’ first four goals and finished with a game-high three assists.

“Against [George Washington], we didn’t take advantage of our chances,” said Fjeldberg. “We had a lot of chances that would’ve allowed us to win that game. [Tonight], we focused a lot on finishing our chances and keeping the door shut.”

The Flyers’ dominating play went unmatched by the Bonnies, who were visibly frustrated, for much of the game. Less than a minute after St. Bonaventure broke the shutout with their one and only goal, Flyers’ forward Trey Marchino streaked down the field and netted a rebounding ball for Dayton’s sixth goal of the night.

“We came out with more energy tonight than our last home game,” head coach Dennis Currier said about his team’s convincing performance. “The combination of the players in the first 20 minutes and the way they really connected well with each other led to a few goals early.”
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He elaborated on the Flyers’ ability to dominate possession of the ball and control the game’s tempo.

“Most A-10 games are going to be a little bit more rugged and played more direct,” he said. “We’ve worked on second-balls. A lot of the teams we’re playing are playing more in the air, so we’re trying to win that initial ball, get it down on the ground as quick as we can, and play our more possession style.”

The Flyers improve to 6-6-2 overall and 3-1-0 in Atlantic 10 conference play. Their next contest is Oct. 18 at Saint Louis. The men hope to carry the momentum of this affirming victory with them on the road.

“We’ve struggled on the road all season, and [the game] is against a very good opponent in Saint Louis,” Currier said. “For this upcoming game, the most important thing is scoring in the first 15 minutes. When you’re on the road, scoring early means you’re not chasing the game. That’s our biggest goal.”

Capitalizing on their scoring opportunities and controlling ball possession like they did against St. Bonaventure will be priorities for the Flyers as they move forward.
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Photo Courtesy of Erik Schelkun/Dayton Athletics