There’s no better time to grab the Flyer red sweater, toss the family into the station wagon, and head toward campus. The “Weekend of Reckoning” is only a couple days away and it consists of several pivotal matches that will likely determine conference champions when everything is said and done. The biggest contests involve UD mens and womens soccer, and UD football. It’s quite simply the best weekend in recent memory and Flyer fans are gearing up.

Head Coach Mike Tucker’s womens soccer team is getting ready for the two biggest games of the year when UMass and Rhode Island come to town. The Minutewomen, 9-5 (5-1), are tied with Dayton for second place in the A-10, while the Rams, 13-1-1 (4-1-1) sit just a half-game back. While the Flyers are currently tied with Xavier, 9-6 (6-1), at the top of the conference, Dayton owns the tie-break advantage over the Muskies in lieu of a 4-0 win earlier in the season. Only LaSalle, 11-3 (4-2), is left in the A-10 title chase as the Explorers beat the Flyers 2-0 a couple weeks ago and own the crucial tie-break advantage over Dayton if it should come to it.

For Dayton, the scenario is extremely simple: win out and they win the A-10 regular season title for the third straight year, while another conference loss probably means second place. Wins over UMass and Rhode Island will virtually eliminate those teams from contention. The only remaining conference game on the schedule, GW 3-3 (4-11), is out of title contention.

Because conference teams traveling to Ohio play Dayton and Xavier on the same trip, the Muskies’ and Flyers’ final four games are against the same teams paired on the same weekends. By Monday, at least two of the four teams will be on the outside looking in.

The Flyers face UMass and Rhode Island in the friendly confines of Baujan Field and the weather forecast calls for very mild temperatures and no rain. Ticket demand for both games is expected to be extremely heavy, especially Friday night against UMass (7:30pm), so arrive early and help make Baujan Field the toughest field in the A-10.

For the Flyer men, the weekend scenario is similar. Head Coach Dave Schureck’s club sits in second place in the conference, trailing only nationally-ranked Rhode Island, 10-3-1 (5-0), while UMass sits in third place at 8-4-2 (4-0-1). While the women are at home however, the men must take their act on the road. Two weekend victories probably means an Altantic-10 title for the Flyers, while a single loss means Dayton must hang on for a birth in the 4-team postseason conference tournament. The Flyers have yet to win a match this year against a marquee opponent, but there’s no better time to put it on the line and make a statement. In recent matches, URI and Dayton have played common opponents to similar scores, including overtime wins over cellar-dweller Temple.

Dayton has the speed, quickness — and most importantly — scoring punch to return home with the regular season title all but wrapped up.

On the gridiron, Mike Kelly’s Flyers return to conference action this weekend with a pivotal match against PFL rival Drake on Homecoming weekend. The Bulldogs, 5-1 (2-0) sit atop the conference while the Flyers, 5-2 (1-0) are in second place. Everyone else in the PFL has at least a loss meaning Saturday’s Homecoming game at Welcome Stadium will put one team in the driver’s seat for a conference title. The Flyers are gunning for their 6th PFL title in eights seasons. The Bulldogs have been perennial PFL second-place finishers to the Flyers in recent years but have also been Dayton’s arch nemesis and toughest opponent.