NEW ARTICLE: Western Michigan Slips Past Dayton 2-1

DAYTON (OH) -- Two second half goals paced the Western Michigan Broncos past the Dayton Flyers 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in front of 496 fans at Baujan Field. Dayton cut the deficit in half but could get no closer in the final 10 minutes as the Flyers fall to 1-2 on the season, while WMU improves to 2-1.

Sunny skies and mild temperatures made for perfect soccer weather, but the soccer itself was anything but perfect over 90 minutes, much less the first half. Shortly after kickoff, both sides took turns trying to gain control of the match, but sustained run-of-play was largely non-existent as the ball traded dance partners without a purpose.

Both teams suffered from a poor use of the midfield in the first 30 minutes, choosing instead to lob balls from the back line to the strikers in a failed attempt to play extremely direct. Most of the long balls were easy pick-offs, resulting in more long balls in the other direction. The long-ball strategy was hampered in part by midfielders failing to provide adequate runs to the ball to offer assistance in moving possession forward. Lacking options, the fullbacks blasted balls forward and crossed fingers.

The Broncos chose to work the right flank for latter part of the first half, but UD's defense was rarely challenged inside the box. The Flyer offense sent a bevy of long balls to attacking players Evan McCreary, Nate Dombrowski, and Jordan Beckett, but most of the service turned into 50/50 scrambles and nothing more.

The Flyers outshot the Broncos 8-5 in the first half, while corner kicks were three a piece.

Intermission solved very little and the level of play failed to take a positive step forward to start the second half, though both sides were giving solid efforts from a hustle standpoint. The crutch for both teams was a severe lack of patience.

WMU would score first in the 50th minute when Kai Mendes was left unmarked at the back of the six yard line and cleaned up a flick to the far post for the easy one-touch past goalkeeper Tyler Picard.

Looking to re-group and tally the equalizer, the Flyers continued to prefer the long ball, neglecting to establish sustained possession by working the ball on the ground. The frustration was apparent; teammates were unable to link up and move the ball into the offensive half of the field in a meaningful way.

A giveaway in the defensive third of the pitch turned against Dayton in the 80th minute as WMU capitalized on the counter-attack for a seemingly untouchable 2-0 lead. Dayton would score less than a minute later on McCreary's header in front of the Bronco net to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Flyers scrambled in the last 10 minutes to tie the match, including a corner kick in the final seconds that looked promising, but couldn't find the back of the net. The loss was just the second at Baujan Field since 2006. Dayton out-shot WMU 15-12 and finished with a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.

Dayton is still searching for an identity as players work to understand their roles on the team. With so many newcomers forced to play starter minutes in the midfield and up top at striker, getting the fresh faces to play both hard and intelligent should remain a critical point of emphasis as the season continues.

For most of Sunday afternoon's match, the effort was there but the sweat lacked a shared purpose everyone could take credit for. The Flyers abandoned the ground game entirely and much of that fell on the shoulders of the wandering midfielders. Without a conduit to transition from defense to offense, 30-yard service to talented but inexperienced strikers by the Flyer back line proved ambitious at best. The Broncos were not a strong side. Winners of just six matches a year ago, none of their players showcased top-flight skills or looked dangerous on every touch. It was a match even an inexperienced Flyer club probably should have won, but the growing pains will continue until Dayton abandons the Hail Mary on every strike of the ball. Fans shouldn't be disappointed, but rather mindful of the process.

That process is a difficult thing for the UD coaching staff to develop as young players break bad habits and learn to adjust to the speed of play at the college level. Head Coach Dennis Currier loves a quick-strike offense, but the ground work (pun intended) must be there to set the table for it. As the game slows down in the players' heads, their pace will quicken, allowing for that extra bit of time to gain possession and work the ball on the grass.

UD travels to Madison, WI, next weekend for matches against UW-Milwaukee and the host Badgers.