Wednesday, November 8
Davidson, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College
vs
University of Dayton
Photo by: Jeff Sochko/DavidsonPhotos.com
'Cats Face No. 6 Seed Dayton in A-10 Semis
11/7/2023 4:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
No. 4 Davidson Wildcats (10-4-1, 5-3 Atlantic 10)
Head Coach: Mike Babst (Boston College, 1999)
Career Record: 118-57-22 (11th season), Davidson Record: 31-34-10
No. 6 Dayton Flyers (6-6-6, 3-1-4 Atlantic 10)
Head Coach: Dennis Currier (Southern Miss. 1992)
Career Record: 366-168-70 (31st season), Dayton Record: 178-119-58
HISTORY
Last Meeting: T, 2-2 (10/20/21)
All-Time Series: Dayton leads, 2-3-1
GAME INFORMATION
Date | Time: November 8, 2023 | 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C.
Site: Alumni Stadium
Live Stats: DavidsonWildcats.com
Watch: ESPN+
Promotion: BLACK OUT / 125 free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches at halftime
DAVIDSON, N.C. – For the first time since 2010, the Davidson men's soccer team will play in a conference tournament semifinal. The Wildcats are set to host No. 6 seed Dayton Wednesday night at Alumni Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Last Meeting
Davidson and Dayton have not met for over two years with the last meeting coming on Oct. 20 of the 2021 season. That match ended in a 2-2 draw after both teams scored a goal during each half during regular time before going scoreless in the two overtime periods. Seven 'Cats who are on the current roster saw action in that contest.
State of the 'Cats
Davidson entered the A-10 tournament on its first losing streak of the season but quickly put an end to it by knocking off fifth-seeded Duquesne last Friday. The Wildcats struck first when Denis Krioutchenkov bullied his way through two defenders to score the opening goal of the game in the 11th minute. Duquesne equalized before halftime in the 37th minute, and that tie stood until the 78th minute. In clutch time, Vincent Bennage got his first game-winning goal of the season on a header shot to ultimately give the Wildcats the win.
Forwards Flying High
Both Krioutchenkov and Bennage continue to prove why they're one of the most lethal front lines in the A-10. Friday marked the 11th game this season where at least one of the Wisconsin natives scored. In four games, both have scored, and at least one of them has scored in seven of the last eight games.
Krioutchenkov ranks tied for third in the league in goals with eight on the season, and Bennage is tied for fourth with seven. The duo also ranks fifth and sixth in points as Bennage has 19 and Krioutchenkov sits with 18.
Next-Man-Up Mentality
In Friday night's quarterfinal, the 'Cats found themselves without captain defender Nicholas Cavallo after he exited with an injury in the 8th minute. Junior defender Sai Tummala entered the game and made an immediate impact. The Tucker, Ga., native came into the contest with only 103 minutes played all year but saw 82 minutes of action against Duquesne and recorded both assists in the game. On the first goal, Tummala launched a pass down into the defensive zone from the midfield before Krioutchenkov slammed it home. Then in the 78th minute, Tummala trailed an attack by Ben Minikel-Lacocque before sending a deflected shot on the first touch over to Bennage for the game-winner.
About the Flyers
Dayton enters the semifinals with an even 6-6-6 record and has not lost a game since Sept. 23. Since that loss, a 1-0 decision at Saint Joseph's, the Flyers are 4-0-5 in their last nine games.
In the quarterfinals, Dayton knocked off No. 3 seed Loyola Chicago on penalty kicks after the two teams ended regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in a 2-2 tie. The Flyers found themselves down twice in the game after the Ramblers scored first in the 30th minute. From there, the game had three goals in a span of seven minutes where the Flyers equalized in the 52nd minute. Then Loyola went back ahead in the 54th minute before Dayton tied the game once more in the 59th minute.
Fast forward to Wednesday night's semifinal, and the matchup shapes up as one that will feature the conference's top offense squaring off with the A-10's top defense. Dayton is tied for second in Division I soccer in shots per game, averaging 18.56 per contest. They have accumulated a total of 334 shots on the year which is 74 shots better than the next-ranked team. On top of that, the Flyers are tied for the league lead in goals with 31 for an average of just over two per game.
Individually, Dayton has four players in the top-10 of the conference in total shots, led by Kenji Mboma Dem who is second in the league with 59 attempts. Four Flyers have 10 or more points as well as four or more goals. Joseph Melto Quiah leads the team in points with 13 after recording four goals and five assists. Sidike Jabateh leads Dayton in goals with six on the year, which is tied for fifth-most in the Atlantic 10.
Things to Note
Head Coach: Mike Babst (Boston College, 1999)
Career Record: 118-57-22 (11th season), Davidson Record: 31-34-10
No. 6 Dayton Flyers (6-6-6, 3-1-4 Atlantic 10)
Head Coach: Dennis Currier (Southern Miss. 1992)
Career Record: 366-168-70 (31st season), Dayton Record: 178-119-58
HISTORY
Last Meeting: T, 2-2 (10/20/21)
All-Time Series: Dayton leads, 2-3-1
GAME INFORMATION
Date | Time: November 8, 2023 | 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C.
Site: Alumni Stadium
Live Stats: DavidsonWildcats.com
Watch: ESPN+
Promotion: BLACK OUT / 125 free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches at halftime
DAVIDSON, N.C. – For the first time since 2010, the Davidson men's soccer team will play in a conference tournament semifinal. The Wildcats are set to host No. 6 seed Dayton Wednesday night at Alumni Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Last Meeting
Davidson and Dayton have not met for over two years with the last meeting coming on Oct. 20 of the 2021 season. That match ended in a 2-2 draw after both teams scored a goal during each half during regular time before going scoreless in the two overtime periods. Seven 'Cats who are on the current roster saw action in that contest.
State of the 'Cats
Davidson entered the A-10 tournament on its first losing streak of the season but quickly put an end to it by knocking off fifth-seeded Duquesne last Friday. The Wildcats struck first when Denis Krioutchenkov bullied his way through two defenders to score the opening goal of the game in the 11th minute. Duquesne equalized before halftime in the 37th minute, and that tie stood until the 78th minute. In clutch time, Vincent Bennage got his first game-winning goal of the season on a header shot to ultimately give the Wildcats the win.
Forwards Flying High
Both Krioutchenkov and Bennage continue to prove why they're one of the most lethal front lines in the A-10. Friday marked the 11th game this season where at least one of the Wisconsin natives scored. In four games, both have scored, and at least one of them has scored in seven of the last eight games.
Krioutchenkov ranks tied for third in the league in goals with eight on the season, and Bennage is tied for fourth with seven. The duo also ranks fifth and sixth in points as Bennage has 19 and Krioutchenkov sits with 18.
Next-Man-Up Mentality
In Friday night's quarterfinal, the 'Cats found themselves without captain defender Nicholas Cavallo after he exited with an injury in the 8th minute. Junior defender Sai Tummala entered the game and made an immediate impact. The Tucker, Ga., native came into the contest with only 103 minutes played all year but saw 82 minutes of action against Duquesne and recorded both assists in the game. On the first goal, Tummala launched a pass down into the defensive zone from the midfield before Krioutchenkov slammed it home. Then in the 78th minute, Tummala trailed an attack by Ben Minikel-Lacocque before sending a deflected shot on the first touch over to Bennage for the game-winner.
About the Flyers
Dayton enters the semifinals with an even 6-6-6 record and has not lost a game since Sept. 23. Since that loss, a 1-0 decision at Saint Joseph's, the Flyers are 4-0-5 in their last nine games.
In the quarterfinals, Dayton knocked off No. 3 seed Loyola Chicago on penalty kicks after the two teams ended regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in a 2-2 tie. The Flyers found themselves down twice in the game after the Ramblers scored first in the 30th minute. From there, the game had three goals in a span of seven minutes where the Flyers equalized in the 52nd minute. Then Loyola went back ahead in the 54th minute before Dayton tied the game once more in the 59th minute.
Fast forward to Wednesday night's semifinal, and the matchup shapes up as one that will feature the conference's top offense squaring off with the A-10's top defense. Dayton is tied for second in Division I soccer in shots per game, averaging 18.56 per contest. They have accumulated a total of 334 shots on the year which is 74 shots better than the next-ranked team. On top of that, the Flyers are tied for the league lead in goals with 31 for an average of just over two per game.
Individually, Dayton has four players in the top-10 of the conference in total shots, led by Kenji Mboma Dem who is second in the league with 59 attempts. Four Flyers have 10 or more points as well as four or more goals. Joseph Melto Quiah leads the team in points with 13 after recording four goals and five assists. Sidike Jabateh leads Dayton in goals with six on the year, which is tied for fifth-most in the Atlantic 10.
Things to Note
- In the all-time series, Davidson is 0-2-1 in meetings with Dayton at Alumni Stadium
- Dayton is 0-4-3 on the road this season.
- The Flyers have made the A-10 Tournament 12 straight seasons. The last time they missed the postseason was in 2011.
- In the last five postseasons the Flyers are 4-4-1 and have made it past the semifinals once (2019).
Players Mentioned
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