DAYTON, Ohio – The La Salle women's soccer team saw its Atlantic 10 Tournament run come to an end Wednesday night, falling 3-1 to second-seeded Dayton in the conference semifinals on a rainy Wednesday night at Baujan Field.
The third-seeded Explorers finished the 2026 season with a 10-6-4 overall record, including a 6-2-2 mark in Atlantic 10 play, after reaching the conference semifinals for the first time since 2023.
Junior midfielder Ella Cadigan gave La Salle an early advantage, scoring just 67 seconds into the contest. The Atlantic 10 first team selection sent a corner kick into the box and found the back of the net to put the Explorers ahead 1-0. The goal marked Cadigan's third of the season and gave La Salle an early spark against the Flyers.
Dayton responded in the 10th minute, as Laney Smith leveled the score at 1-1. The Flyers continued to apply pressure and took their first lead in the 39th minute when Liv Grenda converted a penalty kick to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime.
La Salle looked to regroup after the break, creating several opportunities to pull even. Shiloh Moore tested Dayton goalkeeper Kasey Cannistraro with a shot in the 48th minute, while another attempt from Moore was saved in the 59th minute.
Dayton extended its lead just moments later, as Eva Schreiber scored in the 59th minute to make it 3-1. The Explorers continued to push forward in search of a response, but the Flyers held on through the final whistle to secure their place in the championship game.
La Salle finished with 14 shots, including seven on target, while junior goalkeeper Samantha Widnick recorded five saves. Dayton totaled 17 shots and eight shots on goal.
The loss brought an end to a strong season for the Explorers, who earned the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and advanced to the conference semifinals following a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Loyola Chicago.
