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Dayton and Sloo End in 1-1 2OT Draw
Dayton and Sloo End in 1-1 2OT Draw
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
09-29-2016
Smile Dayton and Sloo End in 1-1 2OT Draw

In a match that was moved up by 90 minutes to avoid potentially unsavory weather, the Dayton Flyers and St. Louis Billikens fought to a 1-1 2OT draw Thursday evening at Baujan Field. The UD women scored first, Sloo tied it up in the second half, and both squads missed terrific chances in extra time to snatch sudden victory. In the A10 season opener for both teams, Dayton now stands at 2-5-2 (0-0-1), while the Bills leave town 7-2-1 (0-0-1).

The match was an important litmus test for a Dayton team that struggled to do anything significant in the non-conference schedule -- let alone demonstrate a modest level of consistently good soccer. Conversely, St. Louis appeared to be an A10 title contender after their quick start to the year. Would Head Coach Mike Tucker's team be up to the challenge? The answer was a mixed bag.

Dayton felt Sloo's pressure early in the game and had a difficult time matching their physicality in the midfield. Long balls and high balls were especially problematic for the Flyers -- a circumstances that played itself out over 110 minutes. Still, UD did just enough to generate some push into the offensive half of the field to keep the Bills honest.

UD's first good scoring chance came on a ball knocked beyond the last Sloo defender that forward Alexis Kiehl ran onto. With the Billiken goalkeeper running out to challenge, Kiehl's flick to an empty net went just over the crossbar.

Caroline Mink put Dayton in a seldom-seen position in the 29th minute -- with a first half lead -- when she cut inside two defenders, stepped forward into the right corner of the goal box, and connected on a beautiful strike to the far post that gave the Flyers the 1-0 advantage. It was an individual piece of (unassisted) brilliance.

Feeling good about themselves, Dayton kept battling. The Bills were dangerous on offense however, helped in part by long stretches of domination in the middle third of the pitch as UD lacked the strength and quickness to win most of the loose balls. Sloo took advantage of their work ethic and transitioned those opportunities into offensive challenges running at the Flyer goal.

The UD back line didn't fold their tent however in spite of the pressure. Left fullback Nadia Pestell had her hands full and like most matches was conceding height and weight. But her speed made up for it most of the time and she did well to close gaps and tighten angles on her opposing mark.

Dayton managed to hold off the Billikens and protect the 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Sloo had a slight edge in first half stats -- 8-6 on shots and 3-1 on corner kicks.

St. Louis turned up the heat after the restart. They dominated the run of plays at times with more physical challenges and a better work ethic to 50/50 balls. With more possession came more chances on offense. The consistent pressure paid off for them in the 50th minute on a shot to the far left post from 15yds out that beat GK Kaelyn Johns. The goal was more or less surrendered several seconds earlier however on another half-hearted Flyer challenge in the midfield that gave away easy possession to the Bills. The mistake snowballed and the compounding of errors tied the match at 1-1.

Both sides battled back and forth of the rest of the second half. Dayton showed a bit more resolve to hang in there when things got tough, while Sloo was the moderately more talented and polished team overall -- better trapping, passing, field vision, and overall fundamentals. St. Louis seemed frustrated at times however with UD's unwillingness to make a game-breaking mistake that would cost them the match. Each team had their chances to win the game in regulation, but nothing found the back of the net. The best opportunities usually came on free kicks into the box.

Headed to OT, Dayton had to first solve the "two-goal conundrum" -- the mathematical death sentence for every match this season. The first task was to ensure Sloo didn't score again. That would guarantee a tie and something salvaged from all the sweat equity. Beyond that, UD needed to finish their chances in extra time.

They almost did.

Kiehl got beyond the last defender about 30yds out and dribbled into the goal box, forcing the Sloo goalkeeper to challenge and cut down the angle. With Billiken defenders on her side, she got off a shot but came up short as the goalkeeper made a strong save to protect an empty net and keep the matched knotted at 1-1.

St. Louis had several crosses in the box that should have been terminated as well, including a couple squibs that ran across the face of the goal mouth. Additional free kicks and corner kicks helped their chances, but the Flyer defense never made the costly mistake. The match would end deadlocked at 1-1.

Overall, St. Louis outshot UD 19-13 (7-4 on frame) and out-cornered the Flyers 6-3. Judging on soccer talent alone, the Bills were the better team. Dayton had to work much harder to play at the level the match eventually peaked at, but Dayton was also more resilient at times in spite of some personnel being asked to give more than their ceilings might allow. A few players seem to make a habit of mentally checking themselves out after about 20 minutes and disengaging from the play on the field.

The post-game takeaway is a mixed bag. Dayton earned a draw against an opponent that has more talent and a higher upside. In a season short on encouraging news, the fact that UD found a way to compete and keep the score down is small but meaningful progress -- especially in the A10 opener which is perfect spot in the schedule to reset the odometer and start a fresh page. The Flyers took a step forward on Thursday. Not a large one, but there was undeniable progress.

That said, the overall level of soccer remains fair during the best stretches and diabolical during the worst. Dayton still struggles with the basics of trapping, passing, one- and two-touch, spreading the field, work rate, physicality, speed....the list is long.

The Flyers ultimately find themselves in trouble during a match because it's death by 1,000 cuts: a poor effort to a loose ball in the midfield surrenders possession. The surrendered possession catches teammates out of position. Out of position, UD chases. Poor communication leads to too many defenders in certain areas and not enough in others. Unable to defend all the space, a ball is crossed in the box. A ball is not cleared up and away, but down and back into the middle of the field. An opponent collects the poor clear and takes a shot. In other words, Dayton struggles with on-field preventive maintenance for long stretches.

Beyond Pestell's strong performance, Alexis Kiehl did all she could up top to try to ignite UD's offense. To her credit, she hustles the entire match and challenges every back-pass just to keep defenders and goalkeepers honest. Whatever Kiehl's ceiling is, but tries to hit it every game. But too often she is without enough help and forced to do far too much. Some of that unfairly impacts her own game and it's unfair to judge some of her mistakes in the same sunlight..

Dayton returns to action on Sunday at George Mason.
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