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WSOC: VCU Rallies To Defeat Dayton 2-1
WSOC: VCU Rallies To Defeat Dayton 2-1
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
10-09-2022
Question WSOC: VCU Rallies To Defeat Dayton 2-1

Audrey Steiert's header put the Flyers up 1-0 in the second half, but the VCU Rams answered with two goals to knock off Dayton 2-1 in a critical A10 match between two teams attempting to keep pace with the front-running Saint Louis Billikens. UD falls to 12-2-1 (6-1-0) while VCU improves to 6-1-7 (4-0-2).

In a match narrative that would eventually run counter to the stat sheet, the Rams and Flyers kicked off at Baujan Field under sunny skies and fair October temperatures looking to be crowned "team most likely to challenge SLU" for the 2022 A10 crown. While VCU's record was less stellar than Dayton's, they owned a tie to #2 Virginia and win over #12 Pittsburgh earlier in the year to illustrate their ceiling and grab UD's attention. As the match got underway, the Rams were certainly attention-getting.

Utilizing quicker play, fewer touches on the ball, and faster feet, the Rams attacked early and gained control of possession in the opening 10 minutes of play. The Flyers -- somewhat accustomed to slow starts this year -- eventually settled in however and started pushing back with some offense of their own. Still, it was VCU dictating the run of play with additional physicality and more speed at more positions on the field to gobble up loose balls and counter against the Flyer defense.

VCU forced the Flyers to bunker defensively for large stretches of the first half, helped in part by very poor UD passing that was picked off with relative ease that was eventually served back into the Dayton goal box. At times, the only feet UD found were the feet of unmarked VCU players ready and willing to accept the charity in the UD defensive third. As frustrating as the overall run of play was however, it was Dayton creating the two most dangerous goal-scoring opportunities of the first half.

Itala Gemelli had a great opportunity mid-way through the first half but hit the post on a redirect inside the VCU goal box. A similar opportunity was squandered a few moments later when the Flyers nearly poked the ball in the net on a scrum directly in front of the goal line.

As the match continued, those missed scoring chances felt like opportunities wasted as goals were going to be difficult to find against the stingy Ram defense.

As the first half wrapped up, a scoreless tie felt like a small victory for the Flyers as they overcame a half where they were outplayed both technically and physically, and were it not for some excellent defending and goalkeeping could have easily been down 1-0. Stats favored the Flyers in shots 9-6 and corner kicks 3-0 but the stats belied the overall gamesmanship on display.

The good news was UD had the wind at their backs in the second half and along with the restart would have an opportunity to refocus on the most important keys to the game -- work rate and speed of play.

Dayton stepped up and put forward a better second half both in creating more possession and generating additional scoring chances inside the VCU goal box. VCU never fully relinquished their overall grip however -- mostly due to their decisive advantage in individual foot speed and runs off the ball. While UD required three, four, or five touches to get the ball to dangerous spots on the field, VCU managed the same progress in just one or two touches and that kept the Flyers from asserting control for extended periods. Dayton had to work harder to keep the match scoreless and was a matter of "if and now when" in terms of VCU finding the back of the net.

The entire tenor changed (briefly) however in the 52nd minute when Audrey Steiert redirected Natalie Hegg's free kick with a perfect header to the back of the net to put the Flyers up 1-0. With the goal, UD was suddenly the team being chased -- at least on the scoreboard. On the restart however, VCU once again earned loads of possession and did well to exploit the touch lines with their fast feet for crosses inside the Flyer goal box. With a half hour left to play, it felt like Dayton's one-goal lead would not hold and the Flyers would have to score again in order to put away the Rams for good.

That premonition materialized in the 70th minute when VCU tied the match at 1-1 after sending a high ball into the box that GK Batoul Reda couldn't handle, resulting in a redirect into the net. Perhaps Reda could have done better on the challenge, but the damage had largely been done long before as UD's loose marking left Ram players wide open to push the ball forward with precision passing and dribble-drives.

At 1-1, the next goal would likely win the match. Dayton had some chances to take the lead on various balls played into the VCU goal box, but Ram defenders were physical and difficult to get around for open shot opportunities. VCU kept their foot on the gas pedal and continued to use their speedy play to do damage down the flanks and in other open spaces where UD was slow to react. They eventually took the lead in the 80th minute on a similar circumstance to their first goal by rushing past defenders with speedier feet to manufacture a good open look at the net without much resistance.

Down 2-1 with 10 minutes remaining, Dayton had some chances in and around the VCU goal box. In most cases however they were half-chances. A handful of late corner kicks also gave the Flyers an opportunity to salvage a tie but they were turned away and the Rams held on for the road victory.

UD outshot VCU 11-4 in the second half -- including 4-1 on corner kicks -- but the boxscore wholly understated the overall run of play and legitimate dangerousness of the two teams on Sunday. VCU had an easier time dictating their game plan and forcing UD into compromising situations, while the Flyers were more ragged and living on the edge in key stretches. In summary, a goal or two felt destined for VCU while scoring of any kind felt opportunistic at most for the Flyers. It's a match storyline that went far deeper than the stats, but that's not to say UD didn't have a chance to get the victory. Rather than squandering the 1-0 lead however, the Rams earned the win with better overall play over a longer stretch of minutes.

Dayton must regroup quickly as they host #12 Saint Louis on Sunday October 16th.
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