DAYTON (OH) -- The Dayton Flyers won a hard-fought match over the
Duquesne Dukes on Friday evening with a 1-0 decision at Baujan Field. Jack Pearson scored off a Ryan Bauer corner kick in the second half to provide the only scoring as UD improves to 6-5-3 (2-1-2). The Dukes fall to 5-7-2 (1-4).
In an important home match to keep UD's hopes alive of qualifying for the A10 postseason tourney, Dayton needed three points on the night. That's exactly what they earned, but it didn't come easy.
The first half was marked by both sides attempting to establish control of the match, but that never happened as each team fought for possession and tried to dictate tempo to no avail. The two sides were evenly matched and the soccer on display demonstrated that.
The Flyers appeared to get more balls forward and into the offensive third of the field, but a lot of that success was due to long balls from the back. Like earlier matches, many of those ambitious lobs were turned away rather easily, but the service nonetheless kept the ball up front for longer stretches than Duquesne's attack. The Dukes sent fewer long balls and tried working the left side of the field where they have an obvious speed advantage. Sometimes that worked and sometimes UD made solid tackles at the right time to turn those chances away.
While each team was battling, the overall run of play was hit-and-miss as nothing extraordinary stood out -- except the fact that one goal would probably win the match.
By halftime, very little was solved and someone would have to step up in the final 45 minutes to put the game away. UD outshot Duquesne 6-5 in the first half while the Dukes earned a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.
The second half was much better for both teams, tactically, physically, and mentally. A greater sense of urgency took over players and the tackles or 50/50 balls were challenged at a high level. Dayton's young forwards also did a better job of shielding the ball after receiving service, allowing UD to maintain possession and look for an overlap or back-pass to a supporting midfielder.
The match wasn't chippy, but there were moments when each side felt they deserved a few more whistles. Overall, the referee did a solid job all night of letting the teams battle it out. Both sides continued to toss balls in the box hoping to find a free player able to knock it in the net, but the defenses were tough to crack and the game turned into a battle of wills: first mistake probably loses the match.
Dayton turned out to be the team making the right play at the right time. Ryan Bauer sent a corner kick to the near post in the 70th minute and Jack Pearson flicked a header inside the same post from 4 yards out to put the Flyers up 1-0. Ultimately, that goal would stick and prove to be the game-winner.
Over the last 20 minutes, both sides had chances to score. Dayton had a couple nice flurries inside the box, but shots were deflected near the goal line to keep the match at 1-0. In the latter moments of the game, Duquesne pushed forward and nearly tied things up on a blast from 25 yards out, but the shot was just wide. UD held tight defensively and kept their shape over the final five minutes to secure the much-needed conference win.
The Dukes were a gritty team, but didn't showcase a lot of individual skill. The left striker stood out as a player with breakaway speed -- something not seen that often on the men's side of college soccer. The Flyers couldn't afford to lose the match an though it was not a thing of beauty, they took care of business and made some strides in a few key areas.
The strikers did a better job of shielding the ball when they had possession, but they have yet to demonstrate an ability to dig balls out that don't land directly on their feet. The mids were in better form as well as they linked up a few times to move the ball forward on the grass. The defense earned a blank sheet to polish the evening off.
UD remains at Baujan Field for the final home match of the season on Sunday afternoon against St. Bonaventure. Once again, it's an opportunity to stay above .500 both on the season and inside the A10. Dayton needs to finish strong and prove they are a product that got better as the season progressed.
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