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UD Whips NKU 5-1 in Home Opener
UD Whips NKU 5-1 in Home Opener
Christopher M Rieman
Published by Chris R
09-06-2013
UD Whips NKU 5-1 in Home Opener

DAYTON (OH) -- Three first half scores and a pair after intermission surged the Flyers past visiting Northern Kentucky 5-1 Friday evening at Baujan Field. With a "Red-Out" supported by the students, 1756 in attendance enjoyed a workman-like effort as Dayton remains undefeated at 2-0-0. NKU falls to 0-1-1.

The match started well for the Flyers as they took firm control of possession and pushed players forward into the attacking half of the field. With a significant size advantage in the offense, Dayton did well to serve balls over the top, allowing the tall lumber act as targets while others made runs off the ball into open space down the flanks.

The early pressure paid off in the 9th minute freshman Brian Richards made a central run in the box after UD served a long ball out of the back. Richards took Amass Amankona's touch and flicked a ball over the charging Norse goalkeeper for the 1-0 Flyer lead. It was Richards' third goal in two games -- but he wasn't done.

Eight minutes later UD applied solid pressure on Norse goalkeeper AJ Fleak, forcing a poor clear. UD gained possession in the offensive half and quickly turned toward goal. Richards made another central run in the box as the ball went to the right side, putting him in perfect position to clean up a shot that caromed off the post. That made the score 2-0 in the 17th minute, but Richards' finish coincided with a collision with the goalkeeper, sending both players to the turf. Play was stopped and only after 10 minutes of attention and a soft cast was the Flyer scoring leader able to leave the pitch. The diagnosis is undetermined but it didn't look good.

Fortunately, the Flyers had other options up top including converted defender Maik Schoonderwoerd. He used his massive 6-6 frame to act as a target in the air or as a shielding forward with the ball at his feet.

Defensively, UD was solid in the back line over much of the first half, especially in one vs. one matchups as players chased after the ball. That said, NKU did well to create space in the attacking third and also sent excellent long balls to central runners directly in front of the box. While UD tightened up when they needed to, they provided too much cushion at times that allowed the Norse to knock the ball around. NKU never exploited the space with shots on goal however.

Up 3-0 at the half, shots were even at nine a piece. The Norse earned the only corner kick. Run of play favored Dayton 60/40.

With much of the heavy lifting complete, it wasn't too surprising that the second half lacked the punch of the first 45 minutes. NKU stepped up their play and did better to win and hold possession for longer stretches of play. The Flyers weren't as sharp in the midfield, as errant passes, unforced giveaways, or a few dispossessions kept the Flyers from running on all cylinders for about 30 minutes.

Loose marking helped NKU cut the lead to 3-1 in the 52nd minute on a nice spin-and-shoot from 18yds out that left Flyer GK Chris Froschauer defenseless.

It wasn't until senior Abe Keller connected on a beautiful free kick in the 78th minute that UD found their rhythm again. Keller's left-footed shot from the left corner of the box tucked inside the near post to make the score 4-1. Keller nearly connected a few minutes earlier on a nifty volley from about 35 yds that smacked the crossbar.

Schoonderwoerd finished off the scoring in the 90th minute by pressuring the Norse goalkeeper into a muff of the ball, toe-poking it out of the way and knocking it into an open net. It was another perfect example of forcing an opposing player into an uncomfortable play of the ball. Do that often enough and mistakes are made.

Overall, UD out-shot NKU 20-13, including 11-4 in the second half. NKU earned three corner kicks while UD took just one. The Flyer defense surrendered just three shots on goal, making Froschauer's job that much easier between the pipes. Conversely, 14 of UDs 20 shots were on frame.

Dayton's size and height advantage gave NKU a lot of trouble and was the difference in the match. Skill sets among both teams appeared to be solid, but UD had more options because of their ability play both on the ground or in the air.

Moving Schoonderwoerd into the offense gives the Flyers a huge target, similar in size and playing style to former Flyer and international professional Omar Jarun. If the back line can hold together, Head Coach Dennis Currier can continue to move the Dutch native around as needed, based on matchups or time and score.

Flyer speedster Andres Acevedo did not play.

UD plays Lipscomb on Sunday afternoon. The Bisons (that's how they choose to spell it) topped Eastern Illinois 3-1 in the opening match of the tournament. UD played EIU in the preseason -- winning 2-1.
__________________

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Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
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