This year, Dayton (11-7, 6-2) won its last six matches to earn the No. 3 seed. It plays No. 6 seed La Salle (8-8-1, 4-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday in the quarterfinals at Baujan Field.
“We’ve been very good at home,” Dayton coach Dennis Currier said. “We’re (8-1) at home and have a great streak going. It was very important to get one of those seeds.”
Dayton beat La Salle 2-0 last season. The teams have not played this season. The winner will play No. 2 seed Virginia Commonwealth (7-7-2, 6-1-1) or No. 7 seed George Mason (4-12-1, 3-5) in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Nov. 15 at Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y. Dayton seeks its first tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth since 2015.
“At this stage, everyone is very gritty,” Currier said. “Every game could be your last game. We’re expecting (La Salle) to come in here very prepared and it to be a competitive matchup. It’s going to be one of those nail-biters. I hope we can continue what we’re doing.”
Dayton leads the A-10 and ranks 23rd in the nation in goals per game (2.1). Jonas Fjeldberg scored 10 goals in the regular season and also leads the team with nine assists. Kingsford Adjel and Toluwalase Oladeinbo each scored eight goals.
“Offensively, we’ve been very explosive,” Currier said. “We stayed the course and got a little healthy toward the end of the season, and everyone is clicking on all cylinders. We had a great win down in Saint Louis (2-1 on Oct. 19), and that really sparked our team. We’ve been playing well since that time.”
Football: Dayton senior tight end Adam Trautman received an invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl at practice Wednesday.
Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, visited UD’s practice to personally deliver the invitation, and coach Rick Chamberlin brought Trautman before the team after practice to tell him the news. The Senior Bowl will take place Jan. 25 in Mobile, Ala.
Trautman has been receiving NFL Draft buzz all season. Earlier this season, he became Dayton's all-time leading receiver. This season, he has 52 catches for 688 yards and 11 touchdowns.
According to UD, Trautman will be the first Flyer to play in the Senior Bowl since 1972. The five Flyers who have played in the game are: tight end Fred Dugan (1958); linebacker Email Karas (1959); center Bob DeMarco (1961); center Leo Dillon (1971); and running back Gary Kosins (1972).
Men's basketball: UD announced Tuesday the season opener Saturday against Indiana State has sold out. That means four games have sold out. As of Wednesday, there were 50 tickets left for the second game of the season against Charleston Southern on Nov. 16.
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