The UD Women’s Soccer team bounced back from a disappointing 3-0 loss on Sunday to #19 Xavier with a 9-0 thrashing over Mercyhurst University on Thursday evening. UD scored four goals in the first half and added another five after intermission to dominate every imaginable soccer metric in the contest. Noel Blain notched a hat trick and a helper, while Diana Benigno added a goal and three assists.  The Flyers improve to 3-1-0 while the Lakers fall to 0-4-0.

With three losses to start the season (2-6 @Duquesne, 0-2 @Niagara, 0-5 @Syracuse), Mercyhurst underwent an early baptism by fire while transitioning from a strong D-II program in years past to a D-I member of the NEC for 2024.  At 16-4-1 a year ago (D-II NCAA First Rd appearance), the whistle-stop tour continued as Baujan Field was stop number four on a seven-game road trip to start the season (NKU, Pitt, Marquette await).  The suffering continued as Dayton spared no expense welcoming the Erie, PA, program to the top division.

Flyer fans barely had time to settle into their seats before UD quickly found the net just three minutes after kickoff on a Jenna Hallbeck redirect inside the box that caught the Mercyhurst goalkeeper off guard. It was just the start Dayton wanted. Noel Blain and Ella Raimondi added a pair of additional goals over the next four minutes to put the Flyers up 3-0 just 6:42 into the first half.  The rout was on and the only question left was the final margin.

Blain found the net again in the 12th minute to complete the brace. With a 4-0 advantage so early in the game, Head Coach Eric Golz quickly summoned the bench to get other players some valuable experience on the field.  The last half hour was completely dominated by the Flyers, though the feet came off the gas pedals as minutes were spread around and substitutions rolled in and out of the UD bench.

UD dominated the halftime stats. Shots were 22-1 and corner kicks 9-0.  The Lakers were fortunate to surrender only four goals all things considered, but UD had some trouble putting those additional chances on frame.  Things would only get worse for Mercyhurst in the second half.

Perhaps UD would rest the starters and spend the last 45 minutes playing keep-away, but the game plan didn’t change much despite the numerous Flyer players seeing the field. UD pushed hard and owned nearly 100% of the run of play, never being threatened in the back line and making goalkeeper Batoul Reda’s day as easy as it gets.

Freshman Liv Grenda scored her fourth goal of the season in the 57th minute to put the Flyers up 5-0, followed by Blain earning her hat trick from an assist by Benigno. It got worse for the Lakers when Laney Smith added her second goal of the season to put Dayton up 7-0 in the 64th minute.  Dayton hit paydirt yet again just 52 seconds later on a Benigno goal from distance for the 8-0 advantage.  UD took the remaining air out of the match despite another 25 minutes yet to play.

Maddie Bowman missed a PK but Avery May scored in the 85th minute to finish the scoring and declare the patient dead.

Just how dominating were the Flyers on Thursday night? UD outshot MU 44-1 and out-cornered the Lakers 14-0.  Were it not for 25 Flyer shots not on frame (including the missed PK), the final result might have been much worse.  The nine goals were the most by a Dayton womens’s soccer team since 1993 when they put up 11 against St. Francis.  It’s  hard to judge progress in a matchup like this as the Lakers were at a significant size and speed disadvantage all night. Slower to the ball and not yet accustomed to the pace and physicality of D-I soccer, their other results prior to Thursday were largely carbon copies of struggle and opposing domination of the stat sheet.  Still, UD did precisely what they needed to do and several of the goals were quality strikes from distance or heady through-balls to players running directly into the Laker box.

Dayton travels to West Lafayette, IN, on Sunday for a 1pm kickoff against the Purdue Boilermakers. It will be UD’s first road match of the season.

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