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MSOC: Flyers Top Oakland in PKs to Advance in NCAAs
MSOC: Flyers Top Oakland in PKs to Advance in NCAAs
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
11-19-2015
Smile MSOC: Flyers Top Oakland in PKs to Advance in NCAAs

As matches go, this one was one of the best. As storylines go, it was even better.

Dayton clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match in the second half and eventually survive two overtimes and a PK shootout to top the Oakland Grizzlies in NCAA First Round action at Baujan Field. Officially recorded as a tie, UD (13-5-4) outlasted Oakland (10-8-2) 4-3 in the PK phase -- never needing the bottom of the fifth frame to decide the outcome. Thursday night's tournament win was the first in program history, setting up a rematch with Ohio State this weekend.

The Flyers were looking to avenge a 2-0 defeat to Oakland early in the season, so the match was a great barometer of progress over the course of the season. From the opening minutes, all 1,150 raucous Flyer fans at Baujan Field knew they were in for a high-octane battle pitting two evenly-matched foes.

UD had the better play directly after kickoff, moving the ball around and leveraging their typical long-ball approach to find target forwards and put pressure on the opposing back line players. To their credit, Oakland was compact and organized in their defensive third, allowing them to win important tackles and counter-attack effectively. Utilizing their speed and quickness along the touch lines, the Grizzlies pushed forward along the flanks and eventually earned themselves a corner kick just minutes into the first half.

A near-post service resulted in a quality finish directly in front of the left post to put Oakland up 1-0 in the 8th minute. It wasn't the start Dayton wanted, but Oakland was opportunistic like most good teams are and ultimately capitalized on their first great scoring chance of the game.

UD settled in however and continued to battle. Consistent pressure in the offensive half of the field earned Dayton a bevy of scoring opportunities with dangerous crosses in the box, but the close calls never stuck a ball in the back of the net. Part of it was great defending by Oakland and part of it was bad luck on a few bounces inside the goal box.

The run of play continued at an extraordinarily high level for both sides. Ball touches and traps were on a yo-yo, passing was crisp, and runs off the ball were emphatic and purposeful. Dayton remained the better overall side, but the match was played at such a competitive level that nuance and small details were all that really separated the two teams.

Oakland took a huge step toward victory in the 23rd minute on a low curving shot to the far right post that beat GK Justin Saliba to put the Grizz up 2-0 and in firm control. Dayton conceded too much space just outside the goal box and Austin Ricci made the home team pay with a well-struck ball from distance.

Down two goals, the Flyers were in serious trouble. NCAA Tournament action yields few major comebacks as teams shove players behind the ball after generating a comfortable lead -- choosing to make it difficult for opposing sides to mount a big-time rally.

But that's not so easy to do against the nation's highest-scoring offense. Dayton still had 20 minutes to find the net in the first half and cut the deficit in half by intermission. It would be a huge morale boost to do just that.

UD continued to pound Oakland's goal box with shots and crosses over the last 15 minutes of the half, but nothing found the back of the net. Some balls floated just wide, while others were cleared off the goal line. The close calls gave the Flyers hope, but it was also a bit frustrating to work so hard without a reward.

Perfect timing finally happened just 10 seconds until halftime when Kennedy Nwabia climbed the ladder for a wicked header that tucked under the crossbar to trim the deficit to 2-1. The corner kick service from Anthony Keene started the sequence and may have ultimately won the match more than any other play because of the importance and timing of the score.

UD came out in the second half and once again applied high-ball pressure in Oakland's defensive half of the field. More long-ball service from the mids and back-line players forced Oakland defenders to turn their heads and chase. That allowed UD to run onto balls in open space and carve toward the goal box with solid dribble-drives.

Several scrums and loose balls in the mixer almost earned Dayton the tying goal, but Oakland seemed to always do just enough to clear danger away at the last second. The further along the second half continued however, the stronger the Flyers got.

The consistent high-ball pressure finally cashed in on a collect-and-shoot from directly in front of the box in the 72nd minute to even the score at 2-2. The comeback complete, the match subsequently turned into mortal combat as both teams tried everything they could to win the game in regulation.

UD had better and more numerous chances, but Oakland was extremely dangerous on quick counter-attacks down the flanks. Their speed was indeed a weapon, but UD did just enough to throw them off and shut down shooting lanes with a timely boot or shoulder tackle near the Flyer goal box.

With less than 20 seconds remaining in regulation, UD countered from midfield in a last-ditch effort to win the match and avoid overtime. A nifty set of triangle passing involving three Dayton players along the left side of the goal box freed Amass Amankona running directly toward the left post. His toe-poke was saved from point-blank range to keep Oakland alive and forced sudden death.

UD owned the first overtime and Amankona once again almost put things on ice, this time on a one-time volley inside the box after a quality cross found him lurking. The side-volley missed just wide at the right post. Oakland survived the first OT and stepped it up in the second OT as the Flyers seem to tire just a bit in the waning minutes. Nothing found the back of the net however and the match would get decided in a penalty kick shootout.

Oakland had first draw in the PK shootout and the teams exchanged clinical finishes to keep things perfect at 2-2 after two PK frames. Saliba then came up huge on a quality save to give the Flyers a small crack. Dayton continued to make their PKs and remain perfect. Down 4-3, Oakland needed a conversion to force a fifth frame but came up empty and the Flyers celebrated the comeback victory with a pile-on near the goal mouth.

Thursday's victory wasn't just a great comeback victory. It wasn't just UD's first-ever NCAA tournament win. More than any program milestone, it was Dayton's most energetic, complete, high-level performance of any match in the last four or five seasons. And they did it against an opponent that played at an equal level of effort and skill.

Amankona, the A10's Offensive and Midfield Player of the Year, was brilliant over 120 minutes, helping UD out-shoot Oakland 25-9 overall -- including seven shots himself. While shots on goal were absent at times, UD committed players forward all night and exhibited an effort level that was easily their season-best.

Midfielder James Haupt had perhaps the best match of his career, barnstorming the field with endless sprints and pressures to jumpstart UD's offense and give Head Coach Dennis Currier a physical presence everywhere on the pitch. Lalas Abubakar, Dillon Nino, Carlos Sendin, and Coleton Long were surgical on defense and rarely let dangerous loose balls get away from them. High-ball trapping and passing out of the back line was exceptional all night.

But the exceptional skills on display continued to the midfield where UD knocked the ball around with one-touch passing, great off-the-ball movement, and timely overlaps to stretch the field and pull a defender away from the ball. All 11 players were dialed in and kept possession extremely well without ever playing too conservative.

There are few victories more satisfying than winning the most-important match of the season when you were challenged to be your best and raised your level of play to compete at the highest level all season. The Grizzlies didn't lose the match. In fact, they were probably good enough to keep advancing in the NCAA tournament had they protected the 2-0 lead and survived the Flyers on the road.

UD moves on to the NCAA 2nd Round with a weekend match at Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Dayton 2-0 in the regular season. The winner advances to the Sweet-16.
__________________

Hot shooting hides a multitude of sins.
Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
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  #1  
By UDBrian on 11-21-2015, 03:05 PM
Great article Chris. You definitely made any sports fan wish they had seen the match!
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