The #2 seed UD Men’s Soccer team hosted #5 seed Fordham on Wednesday evening in the 2024 A10 Tournament semifinals, pitching a 2-0 shutout to reach the A10 title game in consecutive seasons.  A goal in each half did the damage as UD’s record improves to 12-2-3 while the Rams’ season comes to an end at 8-5-5.  Dayton advances to the A10 Championship against #6 seed Saint Louis at Baujan Field on Sunday November 17th. The Billikens upset top-seeded George Mason 2-1 in the other semifinal, leaving UD as the highest remaining seed and subsequent home field advantage. Head Coach Dennis Currier’s squad is looking to win back-to-back A10 Tourney titles for the first time in program history.

Fordham had everyone’s attention despite Dayton being the overwhelming favorite as the Rams out-gunned the Flyers 4-2 on October 12th to pin the only conference loss on the Red and Blue all season. Dayton dominated the first matchup in shots (33-9) but couldn’t finish with efficiency in the surprising defeat at Baujan Field.  Things had to change in the rematch and with a far bigger prize at stake, a strong first half start would go a long way to delivering some payback.

Dayton got what they wanted and wasted no time doing it.

The first half was a strong start for the Flyers as they quickly took possession of the ball and dictated the run of play.  Moving forward with combo play in tight spaces that often led to longer balls down the flanks, Fordham had no choice but to chase and defend in the early minutes.  The good Dayton posture paid off in the 5th minute when Hjalti Sigurdsson put a head on a Martin Bakken corner kick, climbing the ladder and burying it into the back of the net to give UD the early 1-0 lead.  It was just the beginning Dayton hoped for to take some pressure off being the heavy favorite on home soil, and it allowed them to demonstrate some poise and patience as the first half continued.  The next 15 minutes remained in the Flyers’ favor, once again controlling possession as the defensive back line swung the ball from touch line to touch line in search of open spaces to attack upfield.  Fordham’s best moments came in transition, helped in part by some sloppy Dayton touches that got sloppier as the first half soldiered on.  When UD found feet, played quickly and assertively, and maintained firm control of the ball, there was little the Rams could do but keep the run of play in front of them.  When the ball squibbed away from Dayton however — especially in the middle third of the pitch — Fordham did their best with those opportunities to counter quickly along the perimeter to catch the Flyers napping.  The remaining 20 minutes of the first half were a bit frustrating as UD clearly showcased better talent and dangerous attacking, but small mishaps often bogged down the momentum and turned would-be chances into half-chances that were often off target or snuffed out entirely.  The Rams had a couple chances to challenge inside the UD goal box, but Currier’s back line once again proved themselves up to the challenge and turned away everything in their vicinity.  Dayton goalkeeper Dario Caetano had one excellent first half save to protect the 1-0 lead going into halftime.

First half stats favored UD in shots 16-3 and corner kicks 4-0, but most of those scoring chances resulted in shots that were not on frame and posed little danger.

While UD was the better side, the slim 1-0 lead still felt somewhat precarious — especially since Fordham was fully capable of putting goals on the scoreboard (evidenced by their 4-2 victory over the Flyers earlier in the season).  The next goal would dictate the remainder of the match by shifting things to either a 2-0 UD lead and in firm command, or a 1-1 tie with a sprint to the finish.  As the second half commenced, the Rams elevated their play and found more space to carry forward with pace and force the Dayton back line to defend around the goal box and corner flags.  Additional shaky touches in the middle third continued to thwart UD’s efforts to push the run of play in the opposite direction.  A light drizzle began to fall on Baujan Field that made the natural grass slippery, a drizzle that eventually turned into a steady rain over the remaining 25 minutes of the match. With the conditions affecting play, avoiding mistakes would prove to be just as critical as making dynamic plays.  Dayton hit the crossbar mid-way through the second half and got some help from the weather in the 69th minute when Ethan Sassine’s shot from 18yds found the mitts of Fordham GK Carter Abbott but squibbed out of his hands and into the net for the 2-0 Flyer lead. It was some much-needed insurance; Sassine’s shot was well-struck and head-high, but directly at the goalkeeper and should have been snuffed out.

Players started slipping from the wet conditions and steady rain, but neither side cashed in on major gaffs over the remaining 20 minutes of play.  Three or four additional crosses in the Ram goal box were nearly redirected in, but the timing was just off and the score remained 2-0.  Fordham continued to press and by doing so started collecting yellow cards from late challenges, hard fouls, and habitual dissent. All told they snagged seven yellows and one red card while the Flyers were whistled for only one — a subject of deep disagreement by the Fordham coaching staff all evening.  Their frustration boiled over later in the half when an apparent Flyer handball in the box was not called — a no-call that looked questionable.   Dayton’s defense did the dirty work over the last 10 minutes to preserve the shutout victory and punch UD’s ticket to the A10 Finals.

Second half stats underscored the better soccer from the Rams as UD outshot FU just 14-10 including 2-1 from the corner flags.  With shots on goal just 6-5, Dayton’s inability to put balls on target kept the match relatively tight, but it was still good enough to earn some payback from the defeat to Fordham in the regular season.  The match was more about Dayton’s defense than it was the Top-10 scoring offense. The Flyer back line was superlative all night and while busier than usual never allowed the Rams to get a clean look at the goal mouth and stick one past Caetano.

Dayton is one win away from the automatic NCAA bid representing the A10 and must get past the Billikens to accomplish that goal.  The Flyers topped the Bills 4-1 a couple weeks ago to end their 12-game unbeaten streak. At #6 in the RPI, the Flyers are shoo-ins for an NCAA tournament invite should they stumble in the A10 Finals, while SLU likely needs the automatic bid with an RPI of #35. Fellow A10 member UMass (RPI #22) is on the NCAA bubble but could also hear their named called when the bracket is unveiled next week. George Mason (#40) is likely out of contention.

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