Nov. 7, 2010

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Richter scored for the fourth time this weekend in the 76th minute and the defense held on to the 1-0 score as the Explorers topped Dayton on Sunday to clinch a first-round bye in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Championship.

The regular season finale win capped an amazing turnaround for the Explorers, who turned a challenging start to the season into a second place finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team is now 8-2-1 in its last 11 games and finishes the conference's regular season at 6-2-1.

Richter got his 30th point of the season and his seventh game-winning goal in the team's fourth 1-0 win of the season, a perfect cap to this year's Senior Day game. Jeff Pio fed him a pass around the 25 yard mark and Richter dribbled to the right side, drilling a ground ball into the net from right to left.

The defense was once again a solid wall, limiting the visiting Flyers to nine shots overall and just one in the second stanza. Six of the Flyers' nine shots were on goal, but rookie keeper John McCarthy was up to the task again, saving all six shots and recording his seventh shutout of the season and his career.

The Explorers came sizzling out of the gate, firing 14 shots in the first half but Dayton keeper Tyler Picard kept the home squad off the board with seven saves. Richter broke down Picard in the 50th minute by getting the ball in the net, but was ruled offsides to keep the game scoreless until he punched again 25 minutes later for the game winner.

Besides a 21-9 advantage on shots, the Explorers also edged the Flyers 5-4 on corner kicks.

The official Atlantic 10 Tournament seedings and pairings will be announced on Monday, following a coaches' teleconference. Stay right here on GoExplorers.com for full information on the team in the tourney.