Dayton's Perfect Record Ends; Tie GW 0-0 2OT

DAYTON (OH) -- The Dayton Flyers fell from the pedestal as the last remaining undefeated and untied men's soccer program in Division-I, drawing with George Washington in a scoreless tie Friday evening at Baujan Field. The A10 opener for both squads, UD's record is now 10-0-1 (0-0-1), while the Colonels reset at 3-6-1 (0-0-1).

Head Coach Dennis Currier's team learned some valuable lessons in last week's dramatic 2OT victory over Incarnate Word, at least fans assumed. A deficient work ethic, speed of play, and lack of assertiveness cost the Flyers a chance to put their best foot forward against a strong opponent. Fortunately, UD survived. Against GW however, many of the same bugaboos cropped up and eventually caught up with them.

The opening minutes of the first half were spent mostly in the Flyer defensive half of the field as UD took their time utilizing patient ball possession in the back line. Swinging the ball from strong side to weak side, UD looked for opportunities to move the ball forward. Mids and forwards were rarely open however and that forced the Flyer fullbacks to swing possession once again to the other side of the field. At other times, they had no choice but to play the ball back to GK Chris Froschauer. Whether sitting back and playing keep-away was the game plan or not, it prevented UD from doing much of anything in the offensive half of the field -- nevermind the offensive third.

As the half continued, UD had trouble linking up with teammates when they did manage to push forward, oftentimes losing the ball on poor first touches or errant passes that were easily picked off by GW players. More than that however, Dayton had trouble using their distinct size advantage to push the Colonels around. Instead, GW was the more aggressive side when 50/50 balls were ripe for exploitation.

Dayton's best scoring chances of the first half came on set pieces either at the corner flag or in the field of play. To GW's credit however, they defended well and made a concerted effort to put extra numbers behind the ball at all times. The Flyers did not respond well to the congested field and runs off the ball were few and far between. UD had more possession which meant their hands were on the steering wheel, but they never pulled the car out beyond the driveway.

Scoring chances in the run of play over the first 45 minutes were infrequent at best. Only when long balls or corner kicks were sent into the box did the goalkeepers have to earn their keep.

First half stats favored UD in shots 9-3 and corner kicks 4-2.

The second half was much like the first in terms of scoring chances. Dayton once again had the better opportunities to put a goal on the scoreboard. Abe Keller rifled a knuckleball from 35 yards out that forced a diving save by Colonel GK Luke Farrell, and a bevy of free kicks and corners were taken over the course of the last 45 minutes of regulation. Unfortunately, no one in a Flyer uniform could redirect one into the net -- somewhat of a rarity this season as set pieces are a team strength.

Over the last 25 minutes of regulation, GW stepped up their pressure and gained more confidence in their quest to post the big upset over the #19 team in this week's NSCAA Top-25. UD became lethargic and stopped challenging in the midfield, losing possession in bunches with timid tackling, mediocre hustle, or even worse -- ball-watching. Maik Schoonderwoerd hardly touched the ball all night at striker -- part poor service, part good defending, part inadequate play off the ball. Others had similar trouble in their attempts to solve the pesky GW defense. Like Incarnate Word, GW began to dominate in the air and win possession with a chance to get forward offensively. Fortunately, GW's offense wasn't especially dangerous and Dayton's back line did a solid job all night of cleaning up the dangerous garbage.

It was a different situation in the UD midfield and forward positions however. Nothing clicked and outside of free kicks in the box, there were few legitimate scoring chances inside 25 yards.

The Flyers appeared to go ahead 1-0 in the latter stages of the second half when a ball squirted through GW's back line and Dayton finished to an open net. But the goal was disallowed -- apparently for being offside.

GW appeared resigned to playing for a tie in the last 10 minutes of regulation, stalling when they could to eat up the clock.

A flurry of corner kicks in the waning moments of regulation gave UD a chance to pull off a dramatic finish, but no one could finish. A chance in the last 10 seconds was easily cleared by a GW defender guarding the far post.

Second half stats were once again in favor of UD, with shots 10-3 and corner kicks 5-1.

Dayton was out-shot 4-2 and out-cornered 3-1 in the two 10-minute overtimes. Each side had a couple decent half-chances in extra time, but there was never much quality offense of any kind -- by either team -- over 110 minutes. Dayton managed just six shots on goal all evening.

GW is not a very strong team and their record accurately reflects their overall talent level. The Flyers had a huge size advantage and with the home field, should have had little trouble generating the kind of motivation needed to substantiate their national ranking. Too many hangups from last week however were apparent once again on Friday evening. It doesn't matter how big and strong and individually-talented you are -- a lackluster work ethic and unwillingness to exert a physically-dominating posture will even the odds against all but the worst teams in college soccer.

The Flyers are missing their mojo right now and outside the play of the back line, the last two matches have been downright lethargic. As resonating as the record and national ranking is, the Flyers aren't good enough to win (yet) by going through the motions. Perhaps there will come a time when that will be the case, but we're not there yet.

The biggest step forward will come when the Flyers find a permanent solution in the central midfield -- someone that can dominate physically, gobble up loose balls, and has the kind of first touch to open up the field in the blink of an eye. Senior Eddie Jones -- back on the field after sitting for several weeks nursing an injury -- provides some physicality in the middle and could step in and reclaim his starting job as the season continues.

UD returns to Baujan Field on Sunday afternoon for a 1pm match against Fordham.