DAYTON — Top-seed Dayton faced adversity in its opening challenge of the postseason, persevering from an early first-half deficit to defeat No. 8 La Salle 3-1 in the Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship Quarterfinals on Friday night at Baujan Field.
The Flyers (14-3-2) advanced to the semifinals with the victory, where their opponent is yet to be determined. The eight-team tournament will be re-seeded following the conclusion of Saturday’s quarterfinal matches.
As the championship’s top seed, Dayton maintains home field advantage in each match it plays. The Flyers will host their semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
La Salle drew first blood in the win-or-go-home showdown, scoring the first goal of the entire championship. Senior forward Justyce Hollenbach gave the Explorers a 1-0 advantage by converting a penalty kick opportunity in the 15th minute.
Dayton evened the match before the break. Midfielder Liv Grenda scored from close range on a well-struck cross by teammate Laney Smith, sending the Flyers to halftime tied 1-1.
The Flyers continued to thrive with high-level passing. Redshirt sophomore forward Olivia Baca broke the tie in the 68th minute, putting away a perfectly placed cross from Molly Russell to push Dayton ahead 2-1.
Smith added the insurance goal about 10 minutes later, volleying a cross from Karli Ferguson into the bottom corner to give the Flyers a 3-1 advantage.
Dayton outshot La Salle 22-5 on Friday, forcing senior goalkeeper Batoul Reda to make just one save on the night. Explorers goalkeeper Mackenna Yaracs made six saves.
Smith paced the Flyers offensively, tallying a goal and an assist with seven total shots.