Flyers Fall Short Against Spartans 2-1

DAYTON (OH) -- Dayton surrendered a goal in each half to fall behind 2-0, and a late rally came up short as the Flyers fell 2-1 to Michigan State Sunday afternoon on a hot and steamy Baujan Field. UD falls to 2-2 while the Spartans improve to 3-0-1.

The first half was one of the more competitive and entertaining in recent memory as both sides took turns gaining possession and connecting numerous passes together. At other times, the passing was suspect and each side presented the other with excellent chances to take the miscues and counter-attack on offense. While things ran hot and cold for both sides, each team gave the other all they could handle and the competitiveness was excellent.

After settling in, the Flyers did a credible job of controlling tempo and maintaining possession in the middle third of the field. Michigan State never made it easy however as their physical presence and modest speed advantage helped the Spartans counter UD's good run of play with equal amounts of solid soccer.

The Flyers were most dangerous when shuffling the play through the midfield presence of Nicole Waters. Her first touch of the ball and ability to switch the play to the weak side of the pitch helped open up space for UD's offense. Unfortunately, the Flyer midfield got little help up top from the strikers -- who spent much of the afternoon ball-watching when things looked ripe for picking. The Spartan defense did a nice job of being physically tough on loose balls to make UD's job difficult.

The first 15 minutes favored the Flyers 55% to 45% against a squad that tied nationally-ranked San Diego State on Friday evening, but another defensive miscue in the back line cost UD a goal in the 19th minute. Sarah Senoyuit was dispossessed in the back line as the last defender, resulting in a well-struck chip over GK Elizabeth James to put MSU up 1-0.

Undeterred, UD continued to battle. It wasn't flawless soccer by any means; in fact it was downright error-filled at times with poor passes in the defensive half of the field that were easily picked off for dangerous counters. In between all of that however, the Flyers demonstrated just as many solid passes and runs off the ball, opening up the field for attacking players moving forward. Things always seemed to bottleneck as UD reached the MSU goal box however -- much of that do to a lack of physicality at times by UD's taller attacking players. When UD had chances to score, they were unable to put shots on frame.

Nonetheless, the Flyers ended the half by out-shooting MSU 6-3. The Spartans took the only corner kick.

The first five minutes of the second half were decent, but UD fell into a malaise over the next 20 minutes that would ultimately cost them the eventual Spartan game-winner. MSU took advantage in the 54th minute by beating the outside defensive presence of Dayton, turning the corner on the baseline, and connecting with a teammate directly in front of the goal box for the 2-0 lead. The goal sucked some of the spunk out of UD's legs and as the second half wore on, the Flyers had a more difficult time connecting passes together -- usually from unforced errors of their own doing.

The last 15 minutes of the match were in much better form however as UD got forward with more space and time to put pressure on MSU's back line. Juliana Libertin had trouble all day turning the corner against the Spartans' outside defenders, but the runs were nonetheless beneficial and helped stretch the field for teammates filling in behind her.

As the Flyers got within goal-scoring distance, decent shot selection never fully materialized. Dayton tried shooting from long distance but sprayed most of those attempts beyond the goal box. In other cases, UD had opportunities inside the box on a few critical scrums, but some players seemed more hesitant than others to get physical and run over a few tackling dummies.

The persistence did pay off in the 80th minute when Campbell collected a cross in the box and struck a ball off the post that pin-balled into the net to cut the deficit to 2-1. From there, UD played their best 10 minutes of the second half and largely dominated. With the clock as their second enemy, UD did well to generate a couple great half-chances and one or two full chances around the MSU box, helped in part by a bevy of late corner kicks. Michigan State's back line was organized all afternoon however and rarely made the kind of gaff that would cost them a result. Time expired before the Flyers could equalize and send the match to extra time.

UD out-shot MSU 18-7, but shots on goal were tied at three a piece, underscoring just how even the match was. The Flyers suffered from a lack of poise in scoring position, choosing to go for the spectacular shot rather than making the extra pass or run off the ball.

It was a tale of two matches. In spots, the Flyers were extremely clean and purposeful. Players were good teammates and while the execution was not always there, the tactics made a lot of sense. In other instances, the speed of play, effort, and first touch let them down. Some players had the magic sauce all afternoon, while others didn't.

After four matches, it's clear that the solid play of Nicole Waters in the midfield is here to stay. Her first touches are clean, her vision excellent, and her willingness to hip-check is locked and loaded. Defender Meghan Scharer -- while often undersized and lacking Emily Kenyon-esque recovery speed -- battled in the back line all day and did well against more naturally-gifted players. GK Elizabeth James did just enough to be solid -- both goals against were largely unstoppable. James made one save all afternoon, yet the Flyer back line surrendered two goals. Minus the two gaffs, the defense played well. But UD cannot continue to be so charitable by gift-wrapping goals on the scoreboard.

Sophomore Ashley Campbell must win more balls as a target striker, or the coaching staff may choose to look elsewhere for the kind of motor they require in the attack. She has all the tools to be a superstar, but they serve her no purpose without a willingness to grind for 90 minutes. Junior Kelsey Smigel sped up the run of play in limited minutes and might be an option next week. Senior Juliana Libertin turned over the odometer as usual, but needed help elsewhere on the field -- especially in the MSU goal box. UD is still searching for offensive-minded headhunters to finish chances and roll out bodybags for strewn defenders. The Flyers are generating scoring opportunities but at the high-major D-I level, an opportunity is usually nothing more than a chance to create a chance. The challenge is finding that harmonious balance between poise and a sense of urgency.

The schedule gets no easier. UD travels to Knoxville next Friday for a match against Tennessee, before wrapping up the weekend on Sunday afternoon at Kentucky.