Men's Soccer | November 8, 2019

PHILADELPHIA – The sixth-seeded La Salle University men's soccer team will head to Ohio this weekend to take on third-seeded Dayton in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the semifinals at Fordham on Friday, Nov. 15, with the finals set for Nov. 17.
 
LA SALLE IN THE A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP

• The Explorers are 4-9 all-time in the Atlantic 10 Championship. This will be La Salle's 10th A-10 tournament appearance and first since 2016, with the others coming in 1996, 1997, 2004 and five straight from 2010-2014.
• La Salle's last A-10 tournament appearance was as a No. 3 seed in 2016, resulting in a 3-1 defeat to No. 6 seed Rhode Island in the quarterfinals.
• The last time La Salle and Dayton met in the A-10 tournament was the 2013 quarterfinals, the last time La Salle advanced. No. 4 La Salle moved past No. 5 Dayton, 1-1 (3-2 on penalty kicks). The two teams also met in the 1997 title game, a 1-0 win for Dayton.
• La Salle has made five semifinal appearances (1996, 1997, 2010, 2011, 2013) and two finals appearances (1997, 2010).

LAST TIME OUT

• The Explorers punched their ticket to the A-10 Championship with a 2-0 shutout win at St. Bonaventure in the regular season finale.
• Sophomore Nigel Buckley scored the opening goal in the 12th minute and senior Pat McCarthy, who assisted on the first goal, tallied a penalty kick goal in the 78th minute to seal the deal.
• The La Salle defense held the Bonnies to just one shot on goal to give freshman goalkeeper Carlos Mora the clean sheet.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

• La Salle has exceeded all expectations this season after being picked 13th in the A-10 preseason coaches' poll.
• At 8-8-1 overall, the Explorers have five more wins than last season, while they won four more league games than a year ago with a 4-4 A-10 record.
• Pat McCarthy and Nigel Buckley ended the regular season in the top 10 in the Atlantic 10 with five goals apiece, tied for seventh in the league.
• McCarthy is also tied for fourth in the conference with two game-winning goals. Sophomore Omari Cotterell is top 10 in shots (43) and shots on goal (18) and Carlos Mora is seventh in the league with three shutouts.

McCARTHY AND MORA HONORED

• Both Pat McCarthy and Carlos Mora were recognized by the Philadelphia Soccer Six on Monday for their performances in the win at St. Bonaventure.
• McCarthy was named Player of the Week for the second time this year after a three-point game, while Mora took Rookie of the Week after posting his third shutout of the season.

SCOUTING DAYTON

• The Flyers enter the Atlantic 10 as one of the hottest teams in the league, having won their final six games of the regular season.
• Dayton is 11-7 overall and finished A-10 play 6-2 for third place in the standings. The Flyers are 8-1 at home, including a 2-1 win over George Washington in their regular season finale.
• The Flyers have the top three goal scorers in the A-10 in Jonas Fjeldberg (10), Kingsford Adjei (8) and Toluwalase Oladeinbo (8). Fjeldberg also leads the league in points with 29, while Adjei is second with 20.
• Federico Barrios has anchored the Flyers in goal with a 1.05 goals against average and a .783 save percentage to go with six shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY

• 10/17/18: @Dayton | Flyers 2, Explorers 0
• 10/19/16: @La Salle | Explorers 1, Flyers 0
• 10/17/15: @Dayton | Flyers 5, Explorers 0
• 11/7/14: @La Salle | Explorers 1, Flyers 0
• 11/14/13: @Dayton | #4 Explorers 1, #5 Flyers 1 (LAS adv. 3-2 on PK's)
• 11/3/13: @La Salle | Flyers 3, Explorers 2
• 10/7/11: @Dayton | Explorers 2, Flyers 0
• 11/7/10: @La Salle | Explorers 1, Flyers 0 

A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

• 2016: QF - #6 Rhode Island 3, #3 La Salle 1
• 2014: QF - #2 Saint Louis 3, #7 La Salle 1
• 2013: QF - #4 La Salle 1, #5 Dayton 1 (LAS adv. 3-2 on PK's); SF - #1 Saint Louis 2, #4 La Salle 1
• 2012: QF - #2 Saint Louis 3, #7 La Salle 1
• 2011: RD1 - #5 La Salle 2, #4 Temple 0; SF - #2 George Washington 2, #5 La Salle 1 (2OT)
• 2010: SF - #2 La Salle 2, #5 Saint Louis 0; F - #6 Xavier 2, #2 La Salle 0
• 2004: RD1 – #3 Temple 1, #6 La Salle 0
• 1997: SF - #3 La Salle 3, #2 Xavier 2 (2OT); F - #4 Dayton 1, #3 La Salle 0
• 1996: SF - #3 Fordham 4, #2 La Salle 3