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Buckeyes Ground Flyers 1-0
Buckeyes Ground Flyers 1-0
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
09-04-2010
Buckeyes Ground Flyers 1-0

DAYTON (OH) -- The Ohio State Buckeyes capitalized on a follow-up in the penalty box early in the second half to up-end the Dayton Flyers 1-0 Friday evening at Baujan Field. Dayton falls to 3-2 while the Bucks improve to 3-1-1.

The first 10 minutes of the match were extremely problematic for the Flyers as Ohio State used their Big-10 size and speed to push UD around and pinch the home team into their own defensive third. Unable to clear balls or gain adequate possession, Dayton had trouble digging out of their own end. Ohio State used that pressure to attack direct on goal and force Flyer mids and defenders to make sliding tackles at the last second to stop dangerous scoring chances -- and when those chances were stopped, many resulted in Buckeye corner kicks.

The physicality of Ohio State continued to be a major concern through much of the first half. The Flyers surrendered about 25lbs at every position and it showed. Instead of countering with better speed of play and instincts however, Dayton more or less took their lumps with little resistance.

Over the first 30 minutes, UD couldn't win any goal kicks in the midfield -- either their own or those by OSU. Playing against a strong wind for the entire first half, Dayton managed to battle against the elements just enough however to keep the match scoreless.

They got some help from a friendly crossbar midway through the half when OSU hit the iron on a free kick from 23 yards out. Other OSU scoring chances were turned away at the last second, thanks in part to junior defensive wiz Kathleen Beljan cleaning up all kinds of Flyer mistakes.

Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, Dayton finally found their legs and some much-needed attitude, getting forward with some good space to challenge the goal. Colleen Williams had a great opportunity in front of the box while freshman Juliana Libertin cut against the grain for a well-struck shot at the near post. Neither scoring chance hit paydirt however and the match remained scoreless at halftime.

OSU led in first half shots 13-5 and corner kicks 5-2, stats indicative of the overall run of play.

The second half was a chance for a fresh start, but UD surrendered the game-winner just four minutes after the restart when goalkeeper Catherine Boone had trouble corralling a free kick on goal. The ball squirted out in front of the box where Cassie Dickerson knocked in the gimme for the 1-0 Buckeye lead.

Dayton remained on their heels over the next 20 minutes, but gaining some offensive prowess was a methodical step in the right direction over this period of the match. Williams did her best to play target forward up top, but had little help and was on her own island at times. Without another option at forward to dig balls out, all of the service went in Williams' direction, making UD's attack very predictable. It also hampered Williams' ability to get loose because defenders were draped over her like a cheap suit.

The Flyer midfield let the forwards down for much of the first 30 minutes of the second half as they were muscled off the ball and battling for possession with extended toe-pokes rather than forearm shivers to an opponent's ribcage. Other players getting forward did an equally poor job of winning balls. If the balls weren't directly at their feet, the effort to win it or steal it away entirely seemed half-baked.

The final 15-20 minutes were UD's best soccer of the evening. Much of that credit goes to Libertin's efforts along the right side. Her work ethic, quickness, and ability to create meaningful separation with dynamic foot skills helped ease the defensive stranglehold Williams suffered from over on the left side. A handful of very good scoring chances materialized for the Flyers and for several moments it appeared Dayton might cash in on the equalizer, but OSU maintained their shape and used their beef to hold on for the shutout.

For the match, OSU outshot Dayton 19-11 and had a 7-4 edge in corners. With the loss, Dayton probably needs to win the A10 tournament title to make the NCAA tourney now. With losses to Colorado College and Ohio State -- the two toughest foes from an RPI standpoint on the schedule -- there aren't any more headline-grabbing wins left to earn. The Flyers should be favored in every game left on the schedule.

The storyline mimics the last BCS team Dayton played at Baujan Field -- Virginia Tech in last year's NCAA 2nd Round. Squads such as Va Tech and OSU continue to pose size issues for the Flyers and that was true once again on Friday. When surrendering height and weight however, smaller players must use their quickness to speed up the play and compensate. That did not happen and it's becoming more and more difficult to make it happen as BCS-sized players continue to showcase the entire package of size and speed. Nevertheless, work ethic in the midfield was a sore spot for 70 minutes. Once the mids decided to push back, the match was fairly even in the last 20 minutes. For the first 70 minutes however, the crowd of 1,452 (third largest ever) sat on their hands waiting for excitement that never came. Other players working up top must also dish out a better work rate to win loose balls. Attacking players want all the glory, but only the truly dedicated ones approach ball-winning as the precursor to everything else.

Williams was terrific and did everything any reasonable fan could possibly ask of a star forward to do when three defenders were on her everywhere she went. But she needs help and others must step up quickly to take all of the tactical burden off her shoulders. She must remain a focal point, but not the only focus.

Beljan was equally tough all night in the back line and was the perfect case study in how a smaller player can compensate with quickness and good soccer IQ to out-wit big strikers with strong skills. Her greatness is in the fine details.

Libertin continues to get better every match. She just needs to play and play a lot.

The Flyers travel to Oakland for a 3pm Sunday kickoff, looking to bounce back and apply Friday's lessons in a big way.
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