But even with things going haywire, the defending Atlantic 10 tournament champions drew on experience and reverted to the form they flashed a year earlier.
“We dug ourselves a big hole and went back to basics and what got us there last year, which was hard work,” Currier said.
The Flyers’ diligence paid off with their first A-10 regular-season crown since 2000. They closed with 13 wins in 14 games to climb to No. 21 in the national poll and will take a 13-4-1 record into the league tourney at Kingston, R.I., this weekend with a bid to the NCAA tourney on the line.
“This team is a group of winners,” said Currier, who is in his fifth year. “It’s my first full recruiting class, and it’s really great to see how they’ve grown. ... They’ve put Dayton on the map.”
Kissi, the team’s leading scorer, has been out with a shoulder injury and is questionable for the A-10 tourney, but the Flyers have plenty of weapons on offense. Senior Jeff Popella, a Carroll product, scored both goals in a title-clinching 2-1 overtime defeat of St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Popella was named A-10 soccer player of the week.
“It feels really good to be part of it,” he said of the title run. “Last year, we were in good position and stumbled across the finish line. ... This year, we were able to finish strong.”
The Flyers reached the NCAA tournament for the first time last year by winning the A-10 tourney. And while they may have done enough already to earn an at-large bid, Currier doesn’t want his team to put its fate in the hands of the selection committee.
“We’re going in with the thought that we have to win (the A-10 tourney),” he said. “Our winning percentage is really high. They look at what you do at the end of the season, and we’re 13-1 for our last 14 games. All those factors will help us, but you just don’t know.”
Boone in SI
Katherine Boone, the freshman goalkeeper for the undefeated women’s soccer team, is featured in Faces in the Crowd in this week’s Sports Illustrated. The Kirkland, Wash., native was named A-10 defensive player of the year.
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