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Speedy Feet Lift UD Past Miami-OH 5-1 in Season Opener
Speedy Feet Lift UD Past Miami-OH 5-1 in Season Opener
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
08-23-2019
Smile Speedy Feet Lift UD Past Miami-OH 5-1 in Season Opener

The Dayton Flyers womens soccer team scored an early first-half goal and added four more tallies after halftime to run past the Miami RedHawks 5-1 in the season opener for both programs at Baujan Field. In a matchup of teams relying on underclassmen, UD leveraged young but enthusiastic speed along the flanks to get forward and create scoring chances, while former Flyer star and RedHawk Head Coach Courtney Sirmans' squad played a strong first half but struggled to keep up after intermission. UD improves to 1-0-0 (0-0-0) while MU falls to 0-1-0 (0-0-0).

Flyer Head Coach Eric Golz had an entire offseason to think about how to generate more offense as last year's team scored just 18 goals in 19 matches -- much of it spearheaded from the overlapping runs of defensive specialist Nadia Pestell. That formula was never a long-term plan and this year's team needed a better answer. But most options were first- and second-year players in the program.

It didn't take long to recognize the spring and summer improvement however as several Flyer frosh showcased their top-end speed to track down balls on the offensive half of the field and put pressure on the RedHawk back line. Alex Goins, Landy Mertz, and eventually Jessica Sheldon were all making their college debuts in the Flyer offense, but each of them added a sizeable chunk of athleticism and foot speed missing from last year's team. Senior Micayla Livingston provided the experience and leadership early on and together the Dayton offense was a step or two quicker when it needed to be.

A great through-ball from Livingston to Goins in front of the Miami goal box resulted in a calm and composed shot past RedHawk GK Lauren Parker to put the Flyers up 1-0 in the sixth minute.

Over the next 20 minutes, UD continued to generate the more dangerous run-of-play, pushing forward along the wings and utilizing the central midfield talents of Yaiza Navarro Leon -- another freshman -- to work out of tight spaces, push forward, and find open teammates waiting for service. Dayton earned a bevy of corner kicks over this stretch but couldn't capitalize to extend the early lead.

After 30 minutes however, Miami settled in and upped their play, turning the match into an evenly-played contest to the halftime whistle. The RedHawks nearly found an equalizer late in the half on a scrum deep inside the Flyer goal box, but GK Carly Becker bear-hugged the loose ball long enough to absorb the pile of bodies and snuff out the dangerous Miami scoring chance. UD also surrendered a couple free kicks well inside their defensive third, but the shots were either off target or turned away by the Dayton back line.

The Flyers took the 1-0 advantage into halftime but the match was still up for grabs and the next to team to score would likely end up the winning side. Stats favored UD in shots 8-5 and corner kicks 6-0.

The opening minutes of the 2nd half were unremarkable as both teams tried to figure out how to find some separation. Possession went back and forth for about 10 minutes without much getting accomplished, but that all changed in the 55th minute when senior Caroline Mink finished with a well-placed chip from the Miami goal box via Landy Mertz to make the score 2-0. While there was still time to fight back from a 2-0 deficit, the goal took a chunk of wind out of MU's sails and made their job exceedingly difficult.

Dayton more or less put an end to any RedHawk comeback hopes just four minutes later by putting themselves up 3-0 in the 59th minute. From there, the Flyers began asserting themselves on offense and putting consistent pressure on the MU back line. For long stretches, the RedHawks had trouble digging out from their defensive third. The scrambling to clear away danger eventually resulted in some obvious fatigue and as the second half continued, UD gained another half-step of quickness on loose balls in the offensive half of the field.

Goins' Flyer debut resulted in a second goal in the 77th minute to earn the brace, but Miami capitalized on a defensive miscue in the UD back line less than a minute later to cut the deficit to 4-1. Dayton responded just two minutes later after a speedy run down the left flank forced a Miami defender to foul inside the box. Defender Jordan Pauley went top shelf on the subsequent PK to make it 5-1 and finish off the scoring. The last 10 minutes were mostly uneventful.

Overall, UD outshot Miami 26-8 including a decisive 18-3 advantage in the second half -- though shots on goal were much closer (12-5). UD also dominated from the flags, earning 10 corners while yielding just one.

The biggest takeaway from Thursday's result was the pronounced addition of dynamic speed and athleticism on the field compared to one year ago -- most of it from first-year players. Goins, Mertz, Huber, and Sheldon might be the four fastest players on the roster (at least in terms of game speed rather than stopwatch speed). At the same time, Navarro-Leon was perhaps the most impressive Flyer of all in her debut. Unable to generate any sort of midfield presence in the last two seasons, Navarro-Leon demonstrated quick feet, change of direction, spatial awareness, tracking, solid passing, and a terrific ability to move away from the ball. She even tracked back and provided defensive support on a dangerous Miami counter-attack just in case. Midfield play was UD's most pressing need in 2019 and while Navarro-Leon is just 5'3'' and a first-year player, she plays more like 5'7'' and executed well enough to make her teammates better.

Livingston had a strong debut in her senior year opener as well, working the flanks with strong runs and occasionally cutting inside to dribble-drive directly on goal.

Golz ended up playing 22 players Thursday night -- usually unheard of at this level of soccer. The identity of the team however may ultimately require it; it's still probably a team without a bunch of All-Conference contenders, but there are enough bodies with solid work rates to throw energy at the opposition in the hope of wearing teams down. At least in the season opener, that worked out well.

Playing so many freshmen also brings inconsistency and uncertainty. Flyer fans should expect some rollercoaster moments this year. There will be some inexplicable gaffs that come with throwing first-year players on the pitch against seasoned 21-yr olds, but the payoff is likely worth the short-term indigestion because Golz now has some honest difference-makers to exploit. The coaching staff can and will live with some mistakes; fans must be prepared to do the same. Some days may feel like a step backwards, but there should be enough good days to provide a sense of security in the overall direction of the program. The Flyer offense should take a step forward this year. The defense? That remains to be seen.

UD travels to Urbana-Champaign, IL, on Sunday to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Kickoff is 2pm EDT.
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By jack72 on 08-23-2019, 09:04 AM
A great victory. Miami may stink, but we were not able to dominate anyone the last few years.
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