PHILADELPHIA — Riding a three-game winning streak, the third-seeded La Salle women's soccer tram (10-5-4) visits No. 2 seed Dayton (10-6-3) on Wednesday in a 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Tournament semifinal game at Baujan Field, marking the Explorers' first semifinal appearance since 2023. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Paul Royal is in his 24th season as the head coach at La Salle. Royal is the program's all-time wins leader with 236. Royal has led the team to three Atlantic 10 Tournament championships (2012, 2013, 2017), four Atlantic 10 regular season championships (2011, 2012, 2014, 2017), and five NCAA Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017).

La Salle defeated Dayton 2–0 in their most recent meeting on October 2, 2026, at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio. The victory marked the Explorers' first road win against the Flyers since 2014 and handed Dayton its only Atlantic 10 loss in 2026. La Salle outshot Dayton 12-10 with a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. The Flyers had a 5-4 edge in corner kicks and saves. 

In the 1-0 quarterfinal win against Loyola Chicago, senior center back Rylee Henson, an A10 Defensive Player of the Year candidate, delivered the decisive moment for the Explorers, rising high from the edge of the six-yard box to head home a corner kick in the 65th minute for her second goal of the season. The dramatic game-winner marked the second goal of Henson's 61-game career. Henson is currently tied for second in the A10 with seven assists this season.

As of Nov. 8, La Salle leads the A10 with 41 goals and 53 assists. La Salle's 41 goals rank 24th in the NCAA, and the 53 assists are the fifth most in the NCAA. The Explorers' high-powered offense also ranks first in the A10 and 8th in the NCAA with 2.79 assists per game, first in the A10 and 12th in the NCAA with 135 total points, and first in the A10 and 17th in the nation with 7.11 points per game. 

Despite the high-powered offense, the Explorers have trailed in 12 of their 19 games this season, including the first six games of the season. La Salle is 3-5-4 in games they have trailed in.

Ella Cadigan has started in all 19 games with1,615 minutes played. She ranks first in the A10 and fifth in the NCAA with 11 assists. She recorded her league-leading 11th assist of the 2026 campaign in the quarterfinal win against Loyola Chicago. Cadigan also ranks first in the A10 and seventh in the NCAA with 0.58 assists per game. Cadigan set La Salle's new single-game program record with four assists in the 7-4 win against Howard on Sept. 6, 2026.

Justyce Hollenbach has cemented herself as one of the nation's premier offensive forces, leading the A10 and ranking 22nd in the NCAA with 30 total points (1.58 per game). She paces the conference and ranks 13th nationally with 14 total goals, while leading the league and ranking 16th in the NCAA with 2.11 shots on goal per game. Hollenbach was especially dominant in league action, leading the A10 with nine goals and 18 points during conference play.

Twice named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Shiloh Moore cemented herself at the top of the conference leaderboards during the regular season. She completely paced the freshman class, leading all A10 rookies in conference play in points (15) and assists (5)—finishing second overall in the league in both categories. She leads all A10 rookies with six assists (tied for fourth overall) and ranked second among rookies with six total goals (tied for seventh overall in A10), five of which came in league play. Moore has scored a goal against five different A10 opponents and recorded an assist against four.

In the last meeting against the Flyers on Oct. 2, Cadigan put La Salle on the board in the 20th minute with a shot into the bottom right corner that deflected off the post. Moore assisted on the give-and-go play just 24 seconds after subbing into the match. Just over two minutes later, Hollenbach doubled the lead with a left-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box. Henson picked up the assist on the midfield pass.

Dayton defeated La Salle 3-1 on Oct. 31, 2025, in the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship quarterfinals. Hollenbach scored the game's opening goal on a penalty kick in the 15th minute for the Explorers.