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WSOC: Big Second Half as Flyers Roll 6-0 over GW
WSOC: Big Second Half as Flyers Roll 6-0 over GW
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
09-29-2022
Smile WSOC: Big Second Half as Flyers Roll 6-0 over GW

The Dayton Flyers women's soccer team took a 1-0 lead into halftime, regrouped, and exploded for five goals after intermission to blitz the George Washington Colonels 6-0 on Thursday night at Baujan Field. Dayton remains unblemished in the A10 with a 5-0-0 record and improves to 11-1-1 overall. GWU falls to 3-3-5 (0-3-2).

Looking to keep pace with Saint Louis atop the A10 standings as the only schools with a perfect record in conference play, Dayton jumped out of the gates with an immediate grip on the overall run of play soon after the match started. Pushing forward on the touch lines with service to Jess Sheldon, or working the ball through the middle alley by finding the feet of Diana Benigno, UD controlled the ball and forced the Colonels to do some early chasing. The tempo was frustrating at times however because UD failed to take advantage of their better technical skills and speed on the perimeter by playing fast on and off the ball. The methodical play allowed GW enough time to put numbers behind the ball in their defensive third to make things more difficult than they needed to be. When UD sent the ball forward, it was rarely with numbers to back it up, leaving individual players without the support they needed to overwhelm the GW back line.

The Colonels countered with quick turnarounds of errant Flyer passes and in a few cases almost turned the charity into something meaningful. The UD back line did enough to get out of those jams however and return the ball to their mids and forwards further upfield.

While UD had chances to score much earlier, Laney Huber finally put the Flyers ahead in the 20th minute after collecting service from Alicia Donley, juking the charging GWU goalkeeper, and slotting a ball to an open net for the early 1-0 advantage. Both the service and finish were clinical and suggested more goals were to come.

The last 25 minutes of the first half were lethargic however -- less in terms of execution and more in terms of speed of play. The Flyers had moments to capitalize and put GW into defensive trouble, but chose instead to knock the ball around casually and methodically without gashing those opportunities and making the opponent pay dearly for loose marking. Dayton was conceding too much respect and as a result their own performance was suffering for it.

Dayton almost paid the price with five minutes remaining in the first half after some sloppy passing in the defensive third, but goalkeeper Batoul Reda made a terrific diving save to her left post to keep the ball out of the net and eventually preserve the 1-0 advantage at halftime.

First half stats were 8-6 in shots in favor of the Flyers, while GW earned the lone corner kick.

The second half restart was important for both teams; Dayton looking for a chance to extend the lead and put some distance on GW, while GW attempting to tie the match and potentially steal a result on the road.

More Flyer intensity, pursuit, and speed of play was self-evident soon after the second half kickoff -- and it completely changed the remainder of the match by turning it into a snowballing of success. Instead of measuring the pace of play with a sun dial, UD turned up the juice and began playing more direct and with greater numbers pushing forward. Almost immediately, GW succumbed to the pressure and had trouble hanging with their marks both on and off the ball.

Jess Sheldon almost made it 2-0 on a shot inside the left corner of the goal box but missed wide. Itala Gemelli made up for it in the 54th minute however on a similar sequence, this time finishing to the back of the net to put UD up 2-0.

The rout was about to begin.

Dayton scored three more goals in a span of just seven minutes to put the Colonels out of their misery. Sheldon finished inside the box on a similar ball she missed earlier to put UD up 3-0 in the 57th minute, followed by Diana Benigno in the 60th minute on a shot that may have taken a slight deflection from distance. Huber earned her brace just a minute later on a stabbing poke of the ball from 10yds out that trickled past the goalkeeper and into the net. That score put UD up 5-0 but the goals were a strict byproduct of the greater urgency and speed of play after intermission. The team was collectively angrier, more assertive, and less willing to fumble the ball around with useless possession that had no legitimate intentions.

Mia Perri added the final Flyer goal in the 75th minute -- a goal much like two prior goals where Gemelli and Sheldon got loose at the far post and had an open look the net. Head Coach Eric Golz substituted liberally over the last 15 minutes including a goalkeeper change as Madelyn Dewey replaced Reda to see the match to the final whistle and help preserve the shutout.

Second half stats underlined the 180-degree swing of the match as UD outshot GW 13-3 and out-cornered them 5-0.

The match was a case study in UD's recent malaise of unwillingness to grab another gear and make opposing teams uncomfortable -- at least in the first half. Second halves of late have also been shaky as performances at Davidson and UMass (while both victories) felt like the team got hit with horse tranquilizers between halftime and the second half restart. Not tonight however. The Flyers showcased that additional gear fans have been begging to see. Even had the goals not materialized, the overall pace, pressure, and urgency in the run of play was the kind of soccer that can dominate a lot of teams left on the schedule. More than that however, the players appeared to have fun playing the up-tempo, swarming soccer in spite of the effort it takes to play it. It's a bar UD can and should reach more often based on the talent at hand, but the commitment must be there moving forward to ensure Thursday evening's second half was a sign of things to come and not just an aberration.

Dayton hits the road for a tough, pivotal match at Loyola Chicago on Sunday afternoon.
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