Dayton soccer teams lead nation in combined win percentage

“There are a lot more smiles and joy this fall than maybe in some previous falls,” Golz said Wednesday. “We like to at least share a laugh together. We certainly are each other’s biggest fans. I’m rooting for their continued success. I know they’re rooting for us.”

The Dayton men (7-0-1), off to their best start since they opened the 2013 season with 10 straight victories, stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 victory against West Virginia (2-6-1) on Tuesday at Baujan Field.

“I thought we played exceptional in the first half which ended up being the difference in the game,” Currier said on DaytonFlyers.com. “I thought in the second half we stopped running and WVU did well pinning us in. The back four showed a lot of will though to seal the win for us. We knew it would be a difficult game for us since they made a deep run in the national tournament last season.”

Forster Ajago leads Dayton with five goals. Dayton is tied for second in the nation with 3.12 goals per game and is tied for third in goal differential (plus 20). It ranks 19th in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

Dayton plays another home game at 7 p.m. Saturday against George Mason.

The women’s team (10-1-1) won 2-1 at Massachusetts on Sunday and plays George Washington at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Baujan Field. UD has won seven straight games since losing 4-0 at home to Ohio State on Sept. 1.

Dayton is off to its best start since it opened the 2011 season with a 10-1 mark. The Flyers have eight shutouts.

“I think our team’s made a commitment across the board to defending well as a team,” Golz said. “That’s one thing that’s been consistent from game to game. We’ve defended well at each line of play and been able to produce a number of shutouts. On days when we maybe haven’t been in rhythm with our attack, our defense has come up to help us out and get us over the edge.”

Itala Gemelli leads the team with eight goals. Noel Blain and Diana Benigno each have three assists.

“I think this year we have a different dynamic,” Gemelli said. “We have a lot of freshmen that have come in and have changed the game for us. We’ve been really strong on set pieces too, which is different for us this year.”

Dayton has had two highlight-reel goals in recent games. Mia Perri’s long goal into the top right corner against George Mason ranked fifth on SportsCenter’s top-10 plays of the day on Sept. 23. Alicia Donley had another long goal from close to the sideline Sept. 18 against St. Bonaventure.

“Mia’s goal was an absolute rocket,” Gemelli said. “She always has a good shot. She’s a left-footed player. So her shot, I could see it from a mile away. I knew it was going straight in, and it was a beautiful hit. Alicia, oh my gosh, it was one of those shots where it was surprising because it was so far out and at a crazy angle, but it was a beautiful hit, too.”