UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
WSOC: Dayton Tackles Fordham 3-1
WSOC: Dayton Tackles Fordham 3-1
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
10-18-2015
Smile WSOC: Dayton Tackles Fordham 3-1

The Dayton Flyers scrapped and clawed their way to a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon over second place Fordham, halting a two-game slide and earning Head Coach Mike Tucker his #300 coaching victory -- all at UD. Dayton improves to 6-9-0 (4-2-0) while the Rams fall to 10-5-0 (4-2-0)

The Flyers came out with a sense of urgency fans haven't seen of late, pushing forward and winning loose balls all over the pitch. It didn't take long for Fordham to lean back on their heels and feel threatened inside their goal mouth as UD did exceptionally well in the opening minutes to make runs off the ball and attack the free space.

It only took three minutes to punish Fordham for their complacency as Nicole Waters chipped a perfect ball over the top of the Ram back line as Ashley Campbell slipped past on a well-timed run. Campbell half-volleyed the chip from 25yds out to an open net as Ram GK Megan Fitzgerald left the goal mouth to challenge. Perfect pass, perfect finish. And a perfect way to start the game against one of the current contenders in the league.

The Flyer offense continued to apply pressure and it wasn't long until the Canadian seniors teamed up again, two-timing a slotted ball past the last Fordham defender to Alexis Kiehl making a run behind the back side of the play. Kiehl collected the feed and calmly placed it in the back of the net to put Dayton up 2-0 just 10 minutes into the match.

It was the kind of start to a match fans have been waiting for all season and with the luxury of front-running for one of the few times all year, the Flyers were tasked with managing a lead and building off the quick start.

The next 15 minutes continued to produce quality scoring chances as the Rams remained flat in the back line and had trouble dealing with long balls over the top or slotted passes between defenders. Waters controlled the midfield and provided exemplary distribution throughout the course of the half, finding players in open space with clever touches, dinks, and through-balls that caught Fordham unprepared. With stronger finishing inside the box, UD might have extended the lead.

Erin O'Malley swapped positions with Libby Leedom, returning to her more natural midfield position from her first two seasons, while Leedom made her debut in the Flyer back line. The switch seemed to help, though the data sample of one match is too small to make any long-term predictions. Still, O'Malley seemed more comfortable with her touches higher up in the Flyer shape, while Leedom gave Dayton a welcomed dose of high-ball defense with numerous headers cleared off her head.

The last 15 minutes of the first half evened out and the overall run of play flat-lined. The Rams had a couple excellent scoring chances, but UD did enough to clear away the most dangerous stuff and hold on for the 2-0 halftime lead.

First half shots were even at 8-8 while corner kicks favored UD 3-2.

The second half began much like the first half ended -- both sides trying to exert control. Fordham eventually generated persistent moments of offensive punch over the next 10 minutes, pinning UD back into a defensive posture that was, at times, difficult to escape. The Dayton forwards and outside mids struggled at winning defensive clearances 40yds from goal, allowing the Rams to push back and put another dangerous ball in the box. Without the 50/50 winners, UD had to do more dirty work inside the box to keep the score 2-0.

Fordham was rewarded for their persistence in the 65th minute when they cleaned up a ball in the box to make the score 2-1. The Flyers missed an important 50/50 tackle in the open field, resulting in another ball in the box. A couple poor clearance attempts did the rest of the damage.

The match was tight again and up for grabs. The Flyers took another 10-12 minutes to find their legs and recover from the lost shape in the defensive half. Once they found it however, UD turned the momentum around and tightened the screw. Waters was once again the conduit for everything significant in the offense, putting numerous passes in the running paths of teammates in dangerous scoring position. Several second half corner kicks also gave UD a chance to push the lead to a two-score game once again, but the season-long frustration of lackluster corner-kick execution continued to yield nothing in the back of the net.

Waters and Campbell teamed up again in the 87th minute however, and it was a carbon copy of the prior two goals. Waters slipped a perfectly-weighted ball past the Fordham back line and Campbell ran into the pass and finished with excellent composure to put UD up 3-1 and end the suspense for good.

Match shot totals were 16-15 in Fordham's favor, while corner kicks were dominated by UD 7-2.

The victory notched Mike Tucker's 300th career coaching win -- all at UD. He becomes the 19th D-I coach to reach 300 wins and is 12th in career winning percentage.

Getting him to the milestone on Sunday afternoon was the fantastic play of Waters. Her overall toughness, ball-winning, and distribution were as good as they've been all season. Campbell and Kiehl finished their chances, while Leedom provided a lift in the back line with at least 8-10 quality head-ball clearances over the course of the match. There's a good chance UD will keep O'Malley in the midfield and Leedom in the back line as the season continues, though it remains to be seen if it helps UD's defensive prowess long-term. If nothing else, the Flyers were not hurt by the position switch on Sunday, so there's optimism it may develop into something the coaching staff can build on.

The win was UD's best result of the season and kept UD firmly in the hunt for an A10 Tournament berth.

The Flyers travel to Rhode Island for 7pm match on Oct. 22nd.
__________________

Hot shooting hides a multitude of sins.
Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
Article Tools
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:34 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.