Dramatic Ending Lifts Flyers over #19 Boston U 2-1 in 2OT

[Chris R]

http://www.udpride.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21355

Huge win tonight. Dayton had to have this one. It took a near heart attack to get there, but we got the result we wanted and that's the most important thing. I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty ANY day.

Fans need to realize that Boston U.'s back line was better than just good. They were spectacular at times. Its not often UD runs into a team where they can mark players out of a game 1 vs. 1 against the likes of Willy, Libertin, Smigel, et all. Not that Lethal Weapon 3 didn't make their back line work up a frothy sweat tonight. It was just a real treat to see great players countered by other great players, without the need for gimmicks and other hokey game plans. As good as our attackers are, Boston U.'s defense is probably on par, which is why our dangerous scoring chances were relatively few. The true soccer fans appreciate player battles like this.

The middle 75-80 minutes tonight were full of Miami Hurricane malaise. It' a credit to our back line that they held things together in spite of the large possession disparity for big stretches. The UD back line had their own share of suspect touches at times, but they were just not receiving much defensive help from the mids. There remains a huge swath of real estate we're giving up between the mids and backs. I'm not sure how to solve it other than to find the right combination of players that can keep a high energy level. There's a few players making their case to get on the field, while a few are making a good case to get off it.

Libertin must have run 10 miles tonight. She's gotta be a whipped puppy. At times she just got no help. She'd work her tail off to run down a ball, then 2-3 defenders would converge on her because no UD teammates were running into space to create a passing lane. With the standing around, Boston defenders risked very little in converging like flies on her. You gotta be a buddy on the field and provide options to your teammate.

I thought Waters and Campbell made some strides tonight. Waters was huge late in the match when we needed someone to spark some energy in the midfield. That effort says to me, "I wanna play, coach."

It wasn't a Rembrandt, but we danced until the last song. Sometimes you have to win matches like these where you aren't necessarily playing well, but you are battling to just sort of hang in there and capitalize on an important chance. We did that. Sometimes we just need to work smarter, not harder. Sometimes we need to work harder.

But that's for practice to iron out. Let's just savor the victory for now. This is a long journey and there will be twists and turns. Tonight, we did what Dayton has made a tradition of doing -- finding a way. And that counts for a lot once you stop devouring every small detail. Someone had to earn the corner, someone had to take the corner and find a noggin, someone had to redirect it, someone had to finish it. That just didnt happen on its own.

[ud69]

What a perfect night for soccer!. All 2700+ got to enjoy a great match.

As was noted above, thought the defensive marking by the Terriers on our front line was outstanding. They pressured our forwards with both defensive and physical pressure. Did not think BU was especially dangerous up top, but did an excellent job of playing the ball up the field - using the full width.

Individual observations -

Libertin covered a lot of ground. She made lots of runs down the right side, then hustled back deep into the defensive third to help out. Other than once or twice, however, she could never really shake her mark - props to BU for that. She gets my vote for player of the match.

Willie got lots of attention by at least two defenders. She felt she should have got a call or two, and maybe she should have, but she took a dive or two trying to get those calls as well. Still, it was her deflected shot that set up the winning corner.

Emery was hot and cold. Would like to see a more sustained effort from her.

Smigel only played 47 minutes. Had good legs late. Almost had a goal on a perfect set-up in the first half, but an outstanding stop by the keeper thwarted the attempt.

Melchert made all the routine plays in goal. She should have been able to parry away the one goal. Got a hand on it, but was unable to push it over the bar. Goal kicks, for the most part (except for one bad pop up), were decent.

Mallon played well. Covered a lot of field all night long.

Don't have a lot to say about Klinefelter and Scharar. That's a compliment when you are a defender and nobody notices - that means you're doing a good job.

Keller had a tough night - with several suspect clears. Coach had to pull her to settle things down a bit. She got back in late when Mallon ran out of gas.

Garcia played well in the middle. Ran out of gas late as did nearly everyone else. There were a lot of players running on fumes at the end.

Senoyuit was decent at central defense. She is ok within system, but things get scary when she has to mark one on one.

Kresja gets an incomplete - only played 5 minutes.

Campbell showing promise - and of course got the game winner. She is a frosh up top - going against some seasoned defenders tonight. Not easy for any rookie. She'll learn.

Chilton showed good wheels in limited minutes.

Waters was the most impressive of the newcomers. She was the one player on the field that had gas in the tank at the end. She dominated the midfield in the second ot. Without her play in extra time, I doubt we get any chance for the winner. Her passing at times was a bit off, but that should improve as she gets more minutes on the field.

Bottom line - we got the "W" we needed. Overall, the most suspect part of the team - the defense - showed improvement from the Miami match. Need to keep that on an upward trajectory. The offense will take care of itself. Hope to see more of Waters in the midfield.

Northwestern on Sunday. No letdowns are allowed. A loss against the Wildcats would negate tonight's great win.