Aug. 12, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Dayton has been selected to claim the Atlantic 10 women's soccer title in voting conducted by the league's head coaches.

The Flyers posted a 15-6-1 overall record and advanced to the finals of the 2008 A-10 Championship before falling to two-time defending champion Charlotte, 1-0. Ranked No. 27 in the preseason by TopDrawerSoccer.com, UD is led by senior forward Mandi Bäck, a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection who has scored 29 career goals.

Vying to become just the second program in conference history and first since Massachusetts (1993-95) to capture three consecutive league titles, Charlotte, picked second in the A-10 coaches' poll, is led by senior midfielder Hailey Beam and junior forward Whitney Weinraub.

Named the 2008 A-10 Midfielder of the Year and twice selected the Championship's Most Outstanding Player, Beam led the league in goals (17), assists (13) and points (47) a year ago and was recently named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List. Weinraub garnered Offensive Player of the Year distinction after amassing 34 points on 12 goals and 10 assists last season.

Saint Louis is picked third, followed by Fordham, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Richmond, La Salle, Duquesne, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, Massachusetts, Temple and Xavier.

The six-team A-10 Women's Soccer Championship will be held Nov. 5-8 at Transamerica Field on the campus of UNC Charlotte.

2009 Predicted Order Of Finish (2008 A-10/Overall record in parentheses)
1. Dayton (8-2-1/15-6-1)
2. Charlotte (11-0-0/18-4-1)
3. Saint Louis (6-4-1/11-6-4)
4. Fordham (8-2-1/12-6-2)
5. Rhode Island (3-8-0/7-12-1)
6. St. Bonaventure (6-4-1/11-8-1)
7. Richmond (4-7-0/10-9-1)
8. La Salle (5-4-2/9-8-3)
9. Duquesne (5-4-2/7-7-4)
10. George Washington (4-7-0/8-11-0)
11. Saint Joseph's (3-4-4/8-7-4)
12. Massachusetts (3-7-1/6-9-3)
13. Temple (2-6-3/5-10-4)
14. Xavier (0-9-2/1-16-2)