'Cats Look to Advance in Tight A-10 Field

The Atlantic 10 men's soccer standings shuffled until they couldn't shuffle any more, with teams moving up and down until the final regular-season day, and that sets the stage for an eight-team postseason tournament that figures to be eventful and, perhaps, unpredictable as well.

It all starts Friday with the top four seeds hosting first-round games, including the No. 4 Davidson Wildcats welcoming No. 5 Duquesne to Alumni Stadium for a 7 p.m. match.

With only six points separating top-seeded VCU and No. 8 Fordham, it's a tight field, and Davidson feels it has as good a chance as any to hoist the hardware.

"I think all eight teams come in thinking they have a shot," says Davidson coach Mike Babst, in his fifth year leading the Wildcats. "For our guys, at our best, we've just had confidence, personality and aggressiveness with the ball. That's what we expect to see Friday, to get it back to where we're at our best, but it's also fun for our guys, so they're not feeling any pressure and they're just trusting each other."

One of three teams to finish with 15 A-10 points, the Wildcats enter 9-4-1 overall and 5-3 against A-10 foes. They're hosting an A-10 postseason game for the first time since 2018, and they're meeting a familiar opponent, having topped Duquesne 2-1 on the same field last month. The Dukes (8-6-3, 4-2-2) present a challenge, led by 11-goal threat Ask Ekeland.

Babst likes the depth of this Davidson team, and with overtime now in play, that could matter even more.

Offensively, dynamic forwards Vincent Bennage and Denis Krioutchenkov lead the way. They have combined for 33 points, the third-best, two-teammate total in the A-10.

The two grew up in Wisconsin and even played for the same club, but always on different FC Wisconsin teams. Now together, they've thrived in red and black.

Bennage, a junior, has scored six goals and assisted on five more this season, while Krioutchenkov, a sophomore, has scored seven goals with two assists.

"It makes so much sense that they would complement each other really well," says Babst. "They've grown a lot in kind of recognizing and anticipating when you can make plays, the speed you need to play at. Vinny is so quick and powerful, can play with either foot. He has the ability to receive a ball in tight space and then separate from pressure. Denis is strong, he's fast, he can strike a ball as well as anybody. Using his athleticism with his anticipation is where he just keeps getting better."

Alonzo Clarke (3 goals) and Luke Bryant (2) have also scored multiple goals.

Defensively, senior goalkeeper Lou Liedtka sets the tone. He's the A-10 leader with a .829 goals-against average and a .792 saves percentage. But Babst also points to a collective effort all over the field in keeping opposing teams at bay. The back line is full of experience with seniors Trey Gardiner and Nicholas Cavallo having combined for nearly 10,000 minutes in a Davidson uniform.

Davidson has outscored its opponents 22-12.

"Obviously, Lou has been just a great game manager and has come up with saves when we've needed them," he says. "We've got a lot of veteran players in the back who have started a ton of games. I think they've learned over the years when you can't shut down, how you have to anticipate danger. You take the season as a whole, they've been pretty great."

For more on the Davidson-Duquesne matchup, click here.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Vincent Bennage

Luke Bryant

Nicholas Cavallo

Alonzo Clarke

Trey Gardiner

Denis Krioutchenkov

Lou Liedtka

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