The UD Men’s Soccer team wrapped up the regular season and A10 conference play on Saturday evening with an impressive 4-1 victory over Saint Louis at Baujan Field. The victory snapped SLU’s 12-game unbeaten streak as the Flyers improve to 10-2-3 (5-1-2). SLU falls to 7-3-7 (4-1-3). With the win, Dayton finishes in 2nd place while the Billikens finish 6th. George Mason — whom the Flyers did not play this year — win the A10 regular season title with a 6-1-1 record.

A lot was at stake on Saturday evening in a matchup that had seeding and A10 tourney hosting implications on the line. UD was protecting its #15 national ranking and vying for a Top-4 finish in the A10 that would guarantee some home field comfort in the upcoming A10 Tournament. The Billikens were unbeaten since mid-September and playing for the same considerations. As two of the best teams in the conference (Dayton and GMU did not meet this year to settle it on the field) over the last six weeks, it was an opportunity for UD and SLU to flex some muscle and take honors as potential favorites to earn the NCAA automatic bid by winning the tournament title. The Flyers were also keen on maintaining or improving their #17 RPI to bolster their chances for the program’s first-ever NCAA at-large berth should the Flyers stumble next week fail to secure the auto-bid. The Billikens, at #47 in the RPI, were likely out of contention for an at-large bid and had their sights set on carving out the easiest path to the auto bid.

The match wasted no time turning competitive as both teams came out with guns blazing, showcasing high-level quickness, assertiveness, and physicality that made for entertaining soccer. Dayton had the better run of play in the opening 10 minutes however, able to push forward with their patented fast-break offense to probe the touch lines for players running into free space. The combination play in tight spaces was very good and the back line did a nice job of jump-starting the attack with either service to the central third or long balls over the top. Dayton almost found the net on their first good look on frame, but hit the crossbar and were unable to poke in the ricochet before the Billiken goalkeeper snuffed out the danger. The Flyers continued to apply solid pressure however and forced the Bills into defending for extended stretches. Over the last 20 minutes of the half however, SLU slowly turned things around and found more long-term possession to develop an offense of their own. UD’s back line along with GK Dario Caetano were busy defending the repetitive Billiken attack and while they answered the challenge every time, creating possession to counter and move the ball out of their defensive half of the field proved more difficult than earlier in the game. Despite the run of play in the latter stages, the Flyers found the back of the net with another excellent counter-attacking sequence, resulting in a Ethan Sassine redirect off a Felix Buabeng cross inside the SLU goal box to put UD up 1-0 in the 39th minute. It was a big step forward to not only put Dayton out in front but also the timing right before the end of the first half. Dayton almost tacked on another goal in the waning moments but couldn’t finish the opportunity.

Dayton dominated first half stats in shots 10-1 and corner kicks 5-1. The Flyers had more looks at the net but the overall run of play remained relatively even. The stats were as much as credit to the Dayton defense closing gaps and limiting shots on goal as it was the dangerous UD attack that can strike at any moment.

The match felt like more goals were coming and the next strike would be the most important one of all — the difference between extending the lead to 2-0 or resetting the scoreboard at 1-1 is night and day in a game played at this elite level. Fortunately, Dayton once again answered the challenge when Joseph Melto Quiah bent a beautiful ball into the far corner of the net to provide some cushion and double the lead. Saint Louis would help the Flyers out in the 54th minute on a botched sequence inside their goal box that resulted in a failed clearance that rolled back into the net to put the Billikens down 3-0. It was the first time all season Saint Louis surrendered more than two goals in a match and with 35 minutes left to play, the mistake more or less put the match out of reach.

The Flyers weren’t finished however. Sassine earned the brace in the 67th minute on a terrific one-time finish from 12yds out to give UD the commanding 4-0 advantage. There were other scoring opportunities as well that almost found the back of the net, but Dayton had all the goals they needed and the only opponent left to dispatch was the game clock. SLU trimmed their deficit to 4-1 in the 72nd minute on a well-struck ball that hit the woodwork, but it was too little-too late despite some additional Billiken pressure in the final 10 minutes that resulted in a bevy of corner kicks the Flyers successfully defended. Once again, Caetano had a couple brilliant moments, but the defense of Geni Kenyane, Paul Yeboah, and Luis Bremaud were tremendous all night and the unsung heroes of the match. Freshman Andrew Armstrong was once again very good in the attack, finding his spots to shoot in tight spaces and make SLU’s defense uncomfortable. Head Coach Dennis Currier only used four players off the bench but Sassine was one of them and ultimately a great fit.

Second half stats favored UD in shots 10-7 while SLU edged UD 6-5 in corner kicks.

Saturday’s match was highly entertaining and showcased college soccer at its best with extreme levels of athleticism, agility, effort, and skills both individual and collective. There were times each squad moved the ball with such precision and grace it felt like a fine painting being brushed with the most delicate of touches and attention to detail. It was “big boy soccer” among a pair of teams fully capable of winning matches in the NCAA tournament and Dayton was once again up to the challenge just as they were against the likes of Indiana and West Virginia. The victory improved Dayton’s RPI to #9 in the latest update and should effectively guarantee the Flyers go dancing in a couple weeks even if they do not win the automatic bid from the A10. This would be the first time in program history UD earned an at-large bid (if needed) to secure their place in the postseason.

The Flyers will host a Quarterfinal match vs #7 Davidson on Friday, November 8th.

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