NEW ARTICLE: UD Outlasts St. Bonnie 1-0 In Double OT

DAYTON (OH) -- It took 103 minutes to find an answer, but the Dayton Flyers found the net in the second overtime of a scoreless match to get past St. Bonaventure 1-0 at Baujan Field. Victor Duru tattooed a ball from 15 yards out to the far left post to notch the game-winner as UD improves to 7-5-3 (3-1-2) while SBU drops to 8-7-0 (3-3-0). The Flyers are 4-1-2 in their last seven matches.

Dayton needed three points on the windy but mild Sunday afternoon to finish off the home portion of the 2010 schedule. The Bonnies -- ahead of UD in the A10 standings -- had thoughts of stealing a result on the road. Both teams left their best soccer in their respective dorm rooms however as the level of player suffered over two halfs and a pair of overtimes.

Over the first 15 minutes of the opening half, both teams knocked the ball back and forth but very little resulted from it. Maintaining possession was problematic as hospital balls fell short of their targets even when pressure was not there to force a poor touch. Very little spunk and energy kept the opening minutes on snooze as neither team looked ready to compete at a high effort level.

Dayton had a size advantage on most places of the field, but the extra beef didn't offer much in the way of sustained pressure on the ball or possession in the offense. As the half continued, each team had moments where counter-attacks looked promising, but long balls were often too long to run down. The Flyers' best scoring chance in the first 20 minutes came on a breakaway along the right side of the box, but the resulting shot hit the crossbar and the follow-up was off target at the far post.

The Bonnies pinched forward on defense and that caught Dayton offside on too many occasions (eight times on the afternoon) when UD moved forward. The timing was clearly off and too much ball-watching by the forwards made the Flyer attack sputter.

Defensively, UD was pretty solid and organized. The Bonnies were reluctant to pull the trigger and that made UD's job easier to defend and clear dangerous chances. The best opportunities came on corner kicks, but those balls in the box were turned away by both defensive units. Credit to Bonnie goalkeeper David Flynn who controlled his box in the air, coming out on crosses and picking off high balls with excellent instincts and confidence.

As the half ended, shots were even at four a piece while SBU edged UD in corner kicks 4-2.

With a forgettable first half, the second 45 minutes were a chance to regroup and show better form. It didn't happen.

For the most part, the Flyers were a mess. Noodled passes to teammates were picked off with ease and there was very little cohesiveness or team play. Fortunately, the Bonnies weren't any better and provided an equally un-inspired effort. There was solid hustle at times, but the hustle was misplaced or misguided.

As the second half continued, all 340 fans in attendance quickly figured out that one goal would decide things. In a match filled with too many unforced errors however, a 0-0 draw looked more and more probable as neither side did much of anything to distance themselves as the better team.

Each team missed a couple golden opportunities to score in the second half. St. Bonaventure had a cross in the box hit a teammate at his feet, but the scoring chance was blasted onto the roof of the UD Music Building. Goalkeeper Tyler Picard made a critical deflection on a flurry near the goal line as well. At the other end of the field, Dayton nearly put a header into the net after a quality cross from the right side, but the attempt sailed just over the crossbar.

After 90 minutes, the match remained scoreless. SBU out-shot UD 13-6 while corner kicks were 8-5 also in favor of the Bonnies.

The first overtime had little going for it, and so too the second. Victor Duru saved the day however with a collection and blast from the right side that found the far post in the 103rd minute -- an individual piece of timely brilliance. The goal gave Dayton the important 1-0 win and three important points in the A10 standings.

The Flyers needed to finish off the home portion of the schedule with a victory against an opponent they were capable of beating and they earned the result they were after. Getting there was pretty ugly however. Outside of the result, not much in the way of positive soccer will carry over into next weekend's matches however. First touches were poor, communication was off, timing was stuck in neutral, and there were few moments of urgency. It was not one specific issue but a multitude of problems that -- stacked on top of one another -- made for soccer that was difficult to win with. Judging by the quality of play, neither side deserved three points. That said, sometimes winning ugly is the only way to salvage the afternoon. The Bonnies were a young side like Dayton and fielded a host of first-year players. The soccer reflected that.

If nothing else, Dayton kept themselves in the running for an A10 tournament spot at the end of the season and remain on the positive side of .500. Over the last seven matches, the Flyers have lost just once. The team has discovered they are resilient, if not, stubborn. Even if the soccer has been tough to watch, the results could be a LOT worse all things considered. At the end of the day, results are what ultimately matter.

Dayton heads down I-75 to Xavier on Saturday for their only match of the weekend. They finish the season on the road at Fordham and LaSalle two weeks from now.