WSOC: Flyers Pitch 1-0 Shutout Over Eastern Michigan

The Dayton Flyers women's soccer team secured their second win of the season and first shutout victory with a 1-0 decision over the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field. Freshman Laney Huber cleaned up a ball in front of the EMU goal box while GK Carly Becker saved a PK later in the match to preserve the result. UD improves to 2-5-1 (0-0-0) while EMU falls to 1-4-2 (0-0-0).

The Flyers were coming off a 5-2 defeat to RV-Louisville earlier in the week, a match that included an apathetic first half but spunky and assertiveness play after intermission. The parabolic trajectory of this year's team has been contingent upon avoiding gaffs in the defensive third while finishing chances in the opponent's goal box. Those narratives would once again be relevant against the EMU Eagles.

UD started well and didn't waste time getting players forward with space to maneuver, especially along the touch lines as seniors Micayla Livingston and Caroline Mink had space to run toward the flags. Movement off the ball within the central third of the pitch was better too -- perhaps as solid as its been in a couple weeks -- also from having the time and space to do something constructive. Before long, Dayton began pushing balls in the EMU goal box and flooding the area with red jerseys attempting to redirect the play into the back of the net.

It took a bit of a broken play, but hustle won out for the first (and only) goal of the match as Livingston challenged a bouncing ball in front of the net that resulted in a carom toward the left side. Laney Huber was in the neighborhood and collected the rebound for the neatly slotted ball past the Eagle goalkeeper who was now completely out of position. Just 11 minutes into the match, the Flyers were ahead 1-0 and looked poised to build on that lead.

The offense continued to generate a good push in the offensive half of the field. Yaiza Navarro-Leon did well to distribute to the outside mids from her central position to help maintain possession and allow her teammates to push forward with pace. Eventually, speedy frosh Jessica Sheldon was inserted along the left touch line and took no time to start beating her defensive mark again and again for superb crosses in the Eagle goal box. EMU GK Mabel Dunn came up big on a couple occasions to snatch or deflect the danger away, but in most cases UD failed to terminate those outstanding scoring opportunities into additional goals on the scoreboard.

The inefficiency on offense nearly cost the Flyers later on when UD was whistled in the box and surrendered an Eastern Michigan PK. Dayton GK Carly Becker guessed correctly however by diving to her right for the out-stretched save -- following it up moments later with another shot block from point-blank range on the PK rebound to preserve the 1-0 Flyer lead.

Averting disaster, UD once again tried to extend the lead on the other end but couldn't execute when necessary to put further distance on the Eagles. By halftime, the score remained 1-0 with Dayton owning a slim 9-8 shot advantage while corner kicks favored EMU 3-2.

The second 45 minutes were dominated in long stretches by the Flyers. The midfielders picked off several passes and used the possession to counter-attack with pace, while the outside strikers cherrypicked along the touch lines to stretch the field and create some additional gaps for their teammates to work through. By the 55th minute, the Flyers were doing everything they needed to run away with the match except put the ball in the back of the net. Additional shots, crosses, and free kicks peppered the EMU goal box and to their credit the Eagles came up big-time on a couple timely stops directly in front of their net. Still, UD had other chances to make it a 3-0 or 4-0 score and failed to execute with the poise and precision required to turn the lights out on the opponent.

The missed opportunities persisted through the remainder of the 2nd half until the Flyers switched tactics to hunker down defensively to preserve the one-goal lead in the waning minutes. EMU made a strong push in the final seven minutes in an attempt to find an equalizer, but Becker came out of her box when needed and the back line cleared balls away to eat into the dwindling game clock and snuff out the victory.

Overall, UD outshot EMU 16-3 in the second half to underscore their dominant play after halftime. Match shots ended 25-11 in favor of the Flyers but shots on goal were just a 10-7 advantage -- the storyline for much of the 2019 season thus far. Dayton has been out-shot on goal just once all year -- this past week at Louisville. Head Coach Eric Golz' squad is generating scoring chances on a consistent basis -- many of them quality opportunities -- but finishing in front of the net remains a work-in-progress. Some of the growing pains are a result of a freshmen-dominated attack that lacks experience in overcoming nerves and making the most of those scoring opportunities. Conventional wisdom suggest the goals will eventually materialize and it wouldn't be a bad time to make an appearance as A10 play begins next weekend.

In the meantime, Sunday afternoon's result was a much-needed victory in spite of EMU's poor record and middling technical ability. Dayton just needed a win of any kind at this point in the season after so many close calls and heartbreaking defeats. Nabbing the shutout in the process was an additional bonus considering Dayton has made a habit of gifting soft goals to the opposition this year. Becker's confidence should get a shot in the arm.

Golz tinkered with the starting lineup again and defender Jordan Pauley was back in action after a one-week hiatus (likely injury). Dayton is still looking for consistent play out of the midfield to support Navarro-Leon's efforts as a distributing midfielder. UD must find a couple more ball-winning ditch diggers in the central third over the next six weeks to compete against the top teams in the A10.

Until then, continue to watch the freshmen grow up in front of fans while hoping the back line can pitch a few more shutouts along the way.

UD opens A10 play at home vs George Mason next Sunday at 1pm at Baujan Field.