DAYTON (OH) -- After falling behind in a match for the second time this weekend, the Dayton Flyers overcame another poor start for a 2-1 victory over Oakland (MI) Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field. Freshman Kelsey Smigel scored the first goal and assisted on the second as Dayton improves to 10-1-0 (1-0). The Golden Grizz fall to 2-8-0. With the non-conference schedule complete, the Flyers focus on the A10 slate for the remainder of the season.
After a poor showing (albeit narrow 2-1 victory) over
Xavier Friday evening, Dayton had a chance to return to form that properly reflects their #18 national ranking. The first half was largely a repeat of the 90 minutes fans witnessed against the Musketeers however as UD's legs were stuck in concrete.
Over the first 10 minutes, Oakland slowly gained more possession and displayed far more confidence with the ball at their feet. Willing to knock the ball around and play keep-away, the Flyers chased the ball and had very little possession of their own. When UD managed to collect the ball, they quickly lost it to poor passing or energetic tackling by the Golden Grizz.
While the start was a repeat from Friday, so too was the first goal surrendered in the match. A well-placed shot to the lower far post caught the Dayton defense out of shape including goalkeeper Katherine Boone. The real mistake came in the middle of the field however when the Flyers allowed an Oakland player to dribble unimpeded for 25 yards into the box. That penetration set up the score to put Oakland ahead 1-0 in the 17th minute.
Another humbling wake-up call now on the scoreboard, Dayton would once again have to fight from behind to earn the result they were looking for.
Much of the final 30 minutes of the first half were equally uninspiring. The Flyers did not need to be technically great -- and they weren't -- but better hustle and urgency would have flipped the cadence of the match and put UD in a position to succeed.
Ironically, the Flyers managed two quality bits of soccer during the first half fog, both resulting in goals.
First up was a long ball from Kelsey Miller to Kelsey Smigel running up top and heading toward the box with just a single defender on her shoulder. Smigel corralled the chip, beat her mark, and danced around the charging Oakland goalkeeper for the open-net put-away from 12 yards out.
With the match now tied at 1-1 in the 35th minute, UD made intermission far more palatable for themselves. Fortunately they weren't done. Smigel threaded a short ball in between two defenders directly in front of the box and found Colleen Williams behind the last defender. The elementary (but composed) put-away inside the far post gave UD a 2-1 lead just two minutes before halftime.
Halftime stats favored UD 8-2 in shots and 3-1 on corner kicks.
The Flyer coaches had to feel relatively good about the halftime result considering Oakland outplayed Dayton for long stretches. Converting on their two best scoring chances, UD salvaged what was an otherwise disappointing half of soccer.
This is where the storyline takes a turn that only true soccer fans appreciate: the second half product was immeasurably better than the first 45 minutes despite the fact that Dayton never found the net and kept the match closer than it should have been.
The credit for the turnaround fell 100% on the play of freshman Allison Klinefelter and her gritty back line play on the right side. Before her shot of adrenaline, Friday's saviors of Juliana Libertin, Emily Kenyon, and Alexis Garcia were the only highlights of the first half. Klinefelter stuck her nose in tackles, picked off passes to her mark, out-muscled defenders for possession, and kept Oakland from serving balls down the flank or getting forward entirely.
That energy slowly bled over into her teammates. Libertin once again put another half of quality soccer and did yeoman work along the offensive flanks to run at defenders and stretch the field. Oakland never really solved the matchup with Libertin and Head Coach
Mike Tucker moved her from side to side to take further advantage.
As the second half continued, the soccer was no better technically, but it didn't have to be. Dayton's sudden willingness to take interest in the match was more than enough to give the Flyers the better run of play for long stretches. While first half passes that missed their target were conceded completely, those same passes were fought for and won back in the last half of play. On effort alone, Dayton looked like a different team.
The final 20 minutes of the match were largely played in Oakland's defensive half of the field. The Flyer back line held up well and did a better job of winning balls in the air to keep the ball locked in Oakland's end of the field. The Grizzlies had a couple dangerous chances in the UD box, but couldn't capitalize. Kenyon once again showed her wheels by running down a breakaway and tackling at the end line to prevent a cross in the box. Kenyon conceded the corner kick but otherwise had the best individual moment of the entire match.
Oakland lost their legs as the second half wound down. Unable to get the ball upfield, UD continued to win loose balls with timely step-ups and tackles. A couple excellent scoring chances came and went. The team struggled to switch fields and find players early in their runs. Passes were oftentimes weak and lacked accuracy. But little of that mattered from a competitive standpoint as the Flyers dug down deep and fought for the ball on all parts of the field. It was a second half that lacked scoring, but a half that was fought for rather than air-mailed in. It was the best half of the weekend by far.
UD outshot Oakland 16-1 in the second half. Corner kicks were 3-2 in favor of Dayton.
As a unit, the Flyers are not in the form they were just 10 days ago -- certainly not the form of a nationally-ranked squad that's 10-1 on the season. Dayton gave up just five shots all weekend, yet two of them were soft goals from casual defending and poor retreating from the mids and forwards. If the effort is there, the technical aspects of UD's gamesmanship typically works itself out during the rough patches. Without a commitment to playing hard for 90 minutes however, the Flyers are looking at two or three conferences losses to teams that -- on paper -- lack the talent to win but carry the will to compete.
Sometimes the mark of a great team is knowing how to win when not in the best form. That said, Dayton will be favorites in every match before the NCAA tournament. In many cases, the heavy favorite. Now is their chance to play like the best team in the league.
The Flyers get next weekend off before heading to road matches at
LaSalle and
Fordham. The Explorers have not been scored upon this season -- the only remaining team in the country with a .000 GAA. The layoff couldn't come at a more perfect time. Hopefully it will serve as a chance to re-fuel the engine and put the pedal down. Right now, the Flyers are coasting a little too much.
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