SPORTS
Wildcat Men’s Soccer Drops Heartbreaker to Dayton in A-10 Quarterfinals
Lucas Hauth celebrates after scoring the Wildcats first and only goal against Dayton.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Dayton scored with 13 seconds remaining in regulation and again with under a minute to play in the second overtime, to knock off Davidson, 2-1 (2ot), in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Atlantic 10 Men’s Soccer Tournament Sunday at Alumni Stadium.
The Wildcats, who recorded their highest finish in the standings since joining the A-10 in 2014, finish the season 9-7-2 overall, while the Flyers improve to 9-5-4.
Dayton will face third-seeded George Mason in the semifinals Friday in Saint Louis, Mo.
Davidson’s Lucas Hauth broke the scoreless tie in the 78th minute when he got a foot on Jordan Hill’s header off a Henry Howell free kick from the far side. For Hauth, it was his team-leading fifth score of the season.
At the 89:47 mark, the Wildcats were whistled for a foul at the top of the box, setting up Rok Taneski’s free kick that curled around the wall and caromed off the post and into the net.
After not many chances for either club in the extra sessions, the Flyers, a man down, were awarded another chance from the far side of the field with 49 seconds left.
Laurel Aug’s attempt got through the Wildcat defense and Elias Harryson poked in the golden goal.
Despite the setback, Davidson finished with a 17-13 advantage in shots, while both teams attempted seven corner kicks.
Postgame Comments from Head Coach Matt Spear
Dayton deserves credit for hanging in the game, scoring twice in the closing seconds and for earning their fifth straight win.
I am happy with our preparation, effort and overall performance. No regrets.
Some tough decisions did not go our way at critical moments, but I don’t believe that one call or one play determines a game because there are many other moments too.
The fact that all three goals were scored off free kicks underlines that the match was cagey as tournament play determines.
Lucas was in the right spot at the right time to convert the chance created from Henry’s corner and Jordan’s header across the face of the goal. It’s promising how many key goals freshmen have delivered this season.
The seniors, led by Jordan’s standard as a true warrior, have given a lot to this program. We are in a better situation in terms of record, culture, level of play and much more than when they arrived as freshmen.