DAYTON (OH) — A goal in each half by visiting LaSalle pushed the Explorers past the Dayton Flyers 2-0 in the A10 opener for both schools Friday evening at Baujan Field. Unable to find the net once again, UD falls to 1-10-0 (0-1), while LaSalle improves to 3-6-1 (1-0).

With a 1-9 start to the season, the conference opener was a fresh opportunity for the Flyers to bury the disappointing non-league results and start with a clean sheet. The chance to showcase the lessons learned however were few and far between over the first 45 minutes.

Dayton created some possession in the minutes after kickoff, but the run of play slowly deteriorated as the match continued. While neither team was as sharp as a tack, Lasalle had fewer unforced errors and were more than happy to let Dayton be Dayton’s toughest opponent for long stretches.

Giveaways all over the field, long balls without purpose, and some shaky defending at times allowed LaSalle to look more polished than they probably were. It didn’t take long for the Explorers to cash in on UD’s mistakes.

After UD was dispossessed of the ball, LaSalle took it to the house from 40 yards out and slotted a ball to the lower right corner of the net against a charging Chris Najeway challenging out from his goal mouth. Down 1-0 early, Dayton still had most of the match to settle down and climb back into it. Unfortunately, the remainder of the first half was tough to watch for the 475 fans in attendance.

Much like a basketball team with 20 first half turnovers, UD had all sorts of trouble holding possession for extended stretches. Normal buildup from the back line to the mids and forwards was largely non-existent. LaSalle made quick work of long balls and each time the loss of possession put a cork in the Dayton offense.

Most of UD’s scoring chances were from scrums or long-range shots. The inability to get players on the same page hampered Dayton’s ability to link up for excellent pieces of combination soccer.

LaSalle wasn’t exactly running away with the match however and with just a pair of wins this season, both sides exposed their opponent’s shortcomings and those of their own team.

Halftime ended with UD holding an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal, while LaSalle led in corner kicks 2-0.

The second half produced better soccer for the Flyers, but with so much technical ground to cover, it was never enough to take over the match and assert themselves as they hoped. There were chances to tie the game, but a late Explorer goal stuck a fork in the eventual outcome.

Dayton had a couple strong scoring chances directly in front of the box in the middle of the second half — including one that was turned away with a diving save by Explorer GK John McCarthy — but the level of execution remained seriously problematic every time Dayton collected possession and tried to move into the offensive third.

Much of the frustration resulted from static movement off the ball, limiting the options on the field for players attempting to place service or develop a weak-side attack. The easy passes were oftentimes passed up for ambitious one vs. one play that resulted in more dispossession. With the forwards unable to grind out long balls or pin LaSalle into a defensive posture, Dayton did a lot of running but never got a lot done for all the sweat delivered.

Not that Dayton didn’t play hard. Many times UD hustled and showed an interest in the outcome, but the effort was all for not in far too many cases because the fundamentals were absent. Without the technical sharpness to backbone the sweat equity, things fell apart as opportunities developed to make something happen.

LaSalle added an insurance goal in the 81st minute with another dispossession and counter-attack on goal. This time, the Explorers finished from the right side with a well-struck shot to the far left post from 20 yards out. Up 2-0, the match ran its course of the last 10 minutes. Dayton hit the post in the final two minutes but never scratched, suffering their sixth shutout of the season.

At 1-10, the good news is there’s nowhere to go but up. The bad news is can it (and will it) happen by season end? Dayton’s offense is almost non-existent and the turnover of possession is biblical at times. Perhaps the best plan is to reduce the product to the least common denominator and concentrate on working the ball around as a team, limit passes to 10yds or less, and outlaw the long ball entirely. Whatever UD is doing has not worked. The definition of insanity is well documented and for better or worse, the makeup of this team is having trouble executing the prescribed gameplan.

UD remains home for a Sunday match against Fordham. Kickoff is 1pm.