On Friday evening, the Flyer women's soccer team played a tough match against the Richmond Spiders.

The game, which was dominated by defense, ended in a 0-0 tie after the second overtime. Both teams had many scoring opportunities but could not capitalize on any of the chances.

It became a showdown between goalkeepers, as Flyer goalie Niki Reed earned 7 saves and the Richmond goalie had 8, in a 110-minute match. The scoreless tie is Dayton's first since 1991, when the Flyers tied Notre Dame 0-0, and only the fourth scoreless tie in the history of the Flyer women's soccer program.

UD approached the game like any other, as Assistant Coach Khettry explained that '[we] have not seen them [Richmond] this year ' we will be doing what we want to and we do not worry about the other team. We make adjustments at halftime if necessary.'

Head Coach Mike Tucker was very frustrated after the game and stated that his team adjusted formations back and forth with Richmond, made three or four personnel changes, but in the end 'coaches didn't matter a thing', in this defensive showdown.

The tie makes the upcoming games for the Flyers even more important as they head into their final week of Atlantic 10 matches prior to the conference tournament.

The tournament will be held at Baujan Field, Nov. 3-6.

Following the last two conference games, UD will travel to Austin, Texas to challenge the Longhorns in a match of perennial powerhouses. In the coming week, UD will hit the road to play St. Bonaventure and Fordham. The Flyers will hope to notch a pair of critical conference victories against the squads, both teams having overall records of below .500.

At this time late in the season, every game becomes even more crucial, because, according to Khettry.

'Not everyone plays everyone, so there could be a log jam tie at the top' said Khettry. Then various tie breakers would come into play, so really every game counts, no matter who you are playing.'

Many teams are fighting for a spot in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Only six teams go to the tournament, and the top two will have a bye in the first round. For many of these other teams, knocking off a tough squad like Dayton could reshuffle standings enough for them to get in the tournament. The tie does not hinder UD's quest for a berth in the tournament, as they stand third in the league, but it greatly affects their chances to earn a bye as one of the top two teams.

Both Saint Louis and Rhode Island are undefeated in A-10 play so far.

The Flyers dropped Sunday's contest against Charlotte by a score of 1-0 on senior day.