First Half Scoring Flurry Helps UD Downs Canisius 5-0

DAYTON (OH) -- Half of the opening 45 minutes were in the books and both teams were knocking the ball back and forth. Three minutes later, the rout was on.

Dayton scored four times in the first half -- including three goals in 2:39 -- to fly past the Canisius Golden Griffins 5-0 on a cold, blustery afternoon at Baujan Field. UD evens its overall record at 4-4-1 while Canisius remains winless at 0-7-1.

Dayton and Canisius opened the match with several minutes of back-and-forth play as each side tried to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the other. The Flyers showed more speed and better ability to win loose balls in the midfield however, and that helped UD command more possession as the half continued.

Canisius had trouble clearing balls out of their box over the next 10 minutes and UD continued to push forward and redirect balls into the mixer. With a combination of ground balls and long balls, UD began out-muscling the Griffins up top for possession moving forward. The Griffs also suffered from poor communication and shape in the back line, making Dayton's effort on offense that much more compelling.

After 23 minutes however, the match remained scoreless. The Griffs had some solid tactics when they earned possession, but lacked the speed of play to contain Dayton defensively when they lost the ball. The first half continued to play out rather conventionally until the Flyers went on a scoring binge that put the game completely on ice.

First to score was Jordan Beckett in the mixer with a re-directed cleanup shot past Griffs goalkeeper Luke Seymour for the 1-0 Dayton advantage in the 24th minute. Seymour came out of the goal mouth to challenge a loose ball and never recovered, leaving only defenders protecting the net.

One minute later, the Flyers struck again when Canisius was whistled for an illegal touch of the hands by Seymour in the box as a teammate toe-poked the ball back to him for a clear. Picking the ball up inadvertently awarded Dayton a rare free kick from six yards out. The indirect kick was played to the middle of the box where Alex Winrich cleaned it up for the 2-0 lead.

Just 90 seconds later sophomore Ryan Bauer made the score 3-0 on a blast from 10 yards out that hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced inside the goal line. In a span of 2:30, Beckett, Winrich, and Bauer turned a 0-0 match into a laugher.

The Flyers weren't done however. Four minutes later Tommy Watkins tallied his first of two goals on the afternoon with a header off a corner kick. The half ended with Dayton up 4-0. First half stats were 18-7 in shots and 4-2 in corner kicks -- both Flyer advantages.

The second half lacked the excitement of the first half, but some of that had to be expected considering the match was all but decided. Players had little desire to break a fibula or collarbone with a stupid tackle with the game already decided, but the Flyers remained vigilant and kept Canisius from mounting a sustained attack in the second half.

The Griffins made things more competitive in the final 45 minutes however, despite the Dayton back line ultimately pitching the shutout. They earned more possession and did just enough with the ball at their feet to put a few quality services in the Flyer box. Goalkeeper Tyler Picard made quick work of the high balls however and picked them off easily.

For UD's talent advantage, a second half goal would make the Flyers feel good about out-playing Canisius on the scoreboard for both halfs. Watkins collected his second goal of the match in the 78th minute on another header from eight yards out. The assist went to Aubrey Kebonnetse for the well-driven ball to the near post.

The five goals were the most of the season for the Dayton offense. UD out-shot Canisius 26-17 and held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.

The solid offensive effort was a nice reward for the players after dropping a 1-0 decision to Oakland earlier in the week. That said, the Golden Griffins were a very weak side and their winless record might remain so for much of the season (Canisius has three winning seasons since 1965, losing is what they do well). What they had in solid tactics and vision, they lacked in ball-winning ability and work ethic. It's hard to tell how much we learned about the Flyers after this one.

Dayton hits the road next weekend for matches at Rhode Island and UMass.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.