Dayton Men’s Soccer Sets Sights on A-10 Crown

This story was originally published in the Flyer News September 2025 Digital Edition

Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor

DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton men’s soccer team has been on a historic rise the past two seasons, as they have captured back-to-back Atlantic 10 Tournament titles and made the program's first Sweet 16 appearance in 2024. Now looking to build on the precedent that the teams before them set, the 2025 Dayton Flyers are midway through their season with a 2-1-5 record early into conference play.

The season started out slowly for the Flyers, as they tied three of their first four games, with their sole win being a 4-0 victory over No. 20 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Flyers would suffer their first loss to No. 12 University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 4-3, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

But despite the slow start to the season, the Flyers are starting to regain the momentum from the past few years with a 3-1 win over Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 opener, followed up by two 0-0 draws, one of which was against Atlantic 10 rival VCU, who was receiving votes in the polls at the time of the matchup. 

I spoke to Felix Buabeng, a junior forward from Accra, Ghana. He shared that “Last season was historic, and the momentum we carried then was incredible compared to where we are now. This season, we’re putting in a lot of work to raise our level, stay consistent, and get back to that same energy so we can finish strong.” 

Due to a last-minute schedule change, the Flyers' matchup with Virginia was canceled, leaving only seven matches left on the schedule. They will continue conference play when Davidson College visits Baujan Field on Sept. 27. 

As things stand, the Flyers are holding onto a tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 standings with four points, tied with Fordham and just above Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis and Duquesne, who each have three points. 

The Flyers are right in the hunt for the regular-season crown, something the program has not accomplished since the 2020 season. “Winning the regular-season title this year would mean so much to us. It’s been five years since that trophy has been at home, and for this group—especially since we may not have the same depth as last year—it would be really special to bring it back and make our mark,” Buabeng explained. 

It is going to be a tough path ahead for the Flyers as they face some of their strongest opponents remaining on the road. They will travel to Hermann Stadium to take on the No. 8 Saint Louis Billikens on Oct. 4 and then turn around and head to the Bronx, New York, to take on the Fordham Rams on Oct. 8. 

And while the conference crown is one of the goals, it is not the only one. Marking a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history is also on the minds of the Flyers’ players. 

“Right now, our mentality is to approach every conference game with the goal of winning and to put even more focus on our RPI games. We’ve had a number of ties and fewer wins than we would like, so the team is determined to push harder in the second half of the season,” stated Buabeng.

The RPI stands for the “Rating Percentage Index” and is a formula that the NCAA Selection Committee values highly when it comes to making their decisions for at-large bids and seeding of the NCAA Tournament. 

With just seven games left on the schedule, six of which are conference matchups, every matchup ahead has a postseason feel to it. The Flyers will need to close out the season on a strong note in order to position themselves for a conference title and a shot at the NCAA Tournament.