UD Blanks Alabama A&M 3-0

DAYTON (OH) -- The University of Dayton men's soccer team got on the positive side of .500 for the first time this year after beating Alabama A&M 3-0 Wednesday night at Baujan Field. One first half goal was all it took, but a pair of second half insurance tallies put an exclamation point on a well played game. The Flyers improve to 4-3-1, while A&M falls to 2-8-1.

Fans reading the final score might assume it was a cakewalk against an overmatched foe, but each side displayed quality soccer over 90 minutes. As things got started, AAMU looked the sharpest side, knocking the ball around with ease and showing a great deal of patience when the Flyers provided resistance in the defensive half of the field. The strategy for A&M was to place target players 30yds out and utilize them as gimbals for distribution for others moving forward. The plan worked well and caught UD out of position or a step slow in the first 15 minutes of play.

While UD prefers to attack quickly and play long balls forward, the Bulldogs were methodical in everything they did, choosing not to put shots on goal unless the opportunities were a sure thing. That left UD goalkeeper Josh Lavallee largely unchallenged despite A&M's pressure in the offensive half.

Dayton got forward as well, but the chances were mostly ambushes attempting to catch the Bulldogs napping. Central defender Samadu Mutumba did a nice job for Alabama A&M, keeping things organized when UD looked most dangerous.

A single act of brilliance was the only significant difference in the run of play over the first half. Defender Randy Dennis made a great overlapping run on the right side and crossed a ball near the end line that reached the six yard box. The ball rolled out toward the 18yd line where Ben Murray tattooed a rocket that kissed off the left post and into the net for the 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Aside from this, not much separated either side. While they went about it in completely different ways, UD and AAMU played high level soccer that was entertaining.

At the half, the Bulldogs held a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal and 3-1 edge in corner kicks.

The second half turned more in UD's favor as Head Coach Dennis Currier's squad picked up the pace and began winning possession in the midfield. Also to their credit, UD worked the ball from the back line and moved forward rather than booting punts and hoping to win possession.

As UD gained possession, they also moved forward with more space to create scoring chances. After dodging a bullet when A&M nailed the post on a shot from long range and botched the gimme follow-up, the Flyers grabbed control of the match for good. Evan McCreary had a nice set of touches in the 64th minute to free himself on the left side and blast a shot to the far post for the 2-0 Dayton lead. Just 12 minutes later, Alex Torda knocked one home directly in front of goal after a pair of headers found the far post. With the 3-0 lead, A&M ran out of gas -- if not in effort than in execution.

By match end, UD won the battle of shots 19-18 while corner kicks were three a piece. The Bulldogs could have generated more shots had they elected to pull the trigger, but were extremely diligent inside the offensive half of the field. While A&M's record was not impressive, their overall level of play was one of the better demonstrations all year by an opponent at Baujan Field. The well-coached squad were steeped in fundamentals and had good speed and athletic ability. What they didn't have was a couple instances of individual brilliance and that was the difference. All three of UD's goals were high caliber pieces of work and the Flyers looked sharp in most phases from start to finish. The fact that they won 3-0 is a commendation of their finishing because UD finished their best chances. While the match generated nearly 40 shots, few of them were dangerous.

Dayton has some momentum on their side after four straight victories. While wins over BGSU, Wright State, SIU-Edwardsville, and Alabama A&M will not impress the NCAA tournament committee, fighting back from a 0-3-1 start to the season is a victory by itself -- no matter the competition. The Flyers finish up the non-conference portion of the schedule next week with a road match at Canisius.