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WSOC: Dayton and LaSalle Draw 1-1 2OT
WSOC: Dayton and LaSalle Draw 1-1 2OT
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
10-13-2016
Exclamation WSOC: Dayton and LaSalle Draw 1-1 2OT

Dayton scored off a terrific Libby Leedom goal in the first half, but surrendered a late second half goal and ultimately the chance at a home victory. After two overtimes, UD and LaSalle ended in a 1-1 draw Thursday evening at Baujan Field. Dayton's record now stands at 3-7-3 (1-2-2), while the Explorers leave town 3-7-3 (1-1-3).

The first minutes of the match were highly favorable for the Flyers as they dominated possession and the overall run of play. Quicker to the ball and more physical on loose-ball challenges, UD looked like a team ready to take a step forward in what's been a trying and frustrating 2016 season.

Much of the credit to UD's strong play came from MF Erin O'Malley. She used her size and strength to win 50/50 challenges and then shield defenders and maintain possession of the ball. With possession, O'Malley then set up teammates by passing out of congestion to open up the field for other players. LaSalle didn't have a good answer to combat her efforts.

Libby Leedom got the Flyers on the scoreboard in the 9th minute after a dribble-drive left to right across the top of the goal box. She unleashed a wicked strike from 22yds that found the upper 90 of the far right post to give Dayton the 1-0 lead. It was one of the best strikes of the season and Explorer GK Larisa Zambelli had no chance.

Up 1-0, the Flyers were in the seldom-seen position of playing with a lead. How they handled it over the remainder of the half would go a long to determining how the match would ultimately shake out. For the next 20 minutes, the results were encouraging.

The Flyers continued to battle for loose balls and push players forward in the offensive half of the field. Striker Alexis Kiehl was bottled up pretty good by a tough-minded and physical defender -- sometimes double- or triple-teamed to slow Kiehl down. Dayton had chances elsewhere to exploit open space and make LaSalle pay for dedicating so much attention to Kiehl, but Flyer teammates began to stumble in their form over the last 15 minutes of the half. The pace of pay slowed down, too many touches of the ball resulted in little room to move forward, and LaSalle stepped up their own play as well.

LaSalle chose to attack the Flyer goal box from distance, taking long-range shots that GK Kaelyn Johns made routine work of. Still, the Explorers slowly generated a better work ethic and by halftime the overall run of play had evened out.

First half stats were dominated by LaSalle with a 10-2 shot advantage, but much of that came from low-risk attempts well beyond the Flyer box. UD had better crosses directly inside the box -- though too many resulted in no shot attempts overall. Corner kicks were 2-0 LaSalle.

The second half opened up considerably. The Explorers stepped up their game while the Flyers took a step back. As the match wore on, UD's form started to unravel and get exposed defensively. LaSalle continued to apply consistent pressure in their attacking half of the field, tossing numerous balls in the box or electing to shoot from distance. The Flyers dodged several bullets, thanks in part to excellent perimeter defending by Sarah Byrne and Nadia Pestell. The Flyer mids and forwards were slow tracking back in defensive transition, forcing both of them to defend with numbers and spacing disadvantages. O'Malley and others were less effective in the second half at controlling possession near the center circle. Time and again Byrne and Pestell saved their teammates' bacon to keep the score 1-0.

Kiehl continued to struggle to shake herself loose in the Flyer offense. She needed someone else to step up and make a few plays -- perhaps even to knock another goal in the net because the run of play felt more and more like a 1-0 lead would not ultimately hold up.

Dayton's best chances to take a 2-0 advantage came towards the latter part of the second half. A weak-side cross to the right side opened up the entire goal mouth for Micayla Livingston, but her shot sailed wide left. Moments later Kiehl had a breakaway but pushed the ball left of the post as the goalkeeper exited to try and cut down the angle.

Over the last 10 minutes of regulation, the Flyers more or less fell apart in terms of form, pace, and spacing. LaSalle dominated in all areas and put relentless pressure on the Flyer defense to come up big and protect the 1-0 lead. A defense can only bend so much however and in the 86th minute they finally cracked. A cross in the box needed a Dayton clearance that didn't happen and LaSalle's Kristin Haugstad redirected the ball from 6yds that found the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1. It was a devastating goal for a UD team trying to earn a victory any way they could, but the writing was on the wall and the Explorers deserved the equalizer in lieu of their second half effort.

Second half stats were 12-12 in shots and 2-2 in corner kicks. Most attempts were not on frame however.

The teams played a pair of overtimes but neither side could tally the game-winner. Dayton out-shot LaSalle 7-2 over the 20 minutes of extra time, while corner kicks were 3-3. Both teams had their chances. UD's best opportunity came in the final minute when Kiehl scissor-cut a defender, beat a second player, and uncorked a shot from outside the box. The far post attempt looked like it had a chance but the goalkeeper was on her line.

To their credit, the back lines for both teams were stubborn all night and made life difficult for opposing forwards. When the match ended however, LaSalle looked like the fresher and more enthusiastic team while UD seemed out of gas.

Byrne had her best game of the season at right fullback. She was unflappable all match and won almost every battle when isolated with her defender. At other times, she mucked up LaSalle attacking chances when the Explorers had numbers and looked even more dangerous. Pestell did an equally credible job at left fullback and used her speed and closing ability to snuff out attacking players at the touch line and corner flags. While their efforts were outstanding, they needed help from their mids and forwards and too often didn't get it. The back-tracking on defense was problematic over the last 60 minutes of play and that put greater pressure on Abby Weigel, Byrne, and Pestell to come up big. Unable to win loose balls in the central third, the Flyer defenders were asked to do far too much. Johns was solid in goal and got to nearly everything she needed to.

It was a match where better team defending in the central third or better finishing by the offense may have been enough to win 1-0 or 2-1. Neither happened however. The Flyers let this victory slip away with too much passive-aggressive play in the second half and like most aggravating results this year it wasn't any one mistake but rather death by 1,000 cuts. There are shortcomings in ability in various places on the field and it's difficult to cover up those weaknesses for 110 minutes. With just three wins in 13 attempts this year, it's a team that must first learn to stop losing before it starts winning.

UD plays at Fordham on Sunday.
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