DAYTON (OH) — Two first half goals along with some excellent defensive work by goalkeeper Tyler Picard helped pace the Dayton Flyers to a 3-1 victory over the LaSalle Explorers at Baujan Field. Dayton remains in sole possession of first place in the A10 and finishes the home schedule unbeaten for the second straight season. The Flyers have their sights set on a consensus national Top-25 ranking next week as they improve to 11-2-2 (5-0-1). LaSalle drops to 2-10-3 (1-4-0).

Dayton looked like the stronger side early on despite LaSalle’s willingness to keep a bevy of players behind the ball and a strong headwind to make the first half more difficult. In the midfield, Ben Murray gave a strong effort in the opening minutes to help win loose balls and find open teammates for movement forward in the attacking half of the field. While the mids overall did a nice job, the Flyer forwards including Alex Torda and Florian DeCamps had trouble finding space to receive service. And when they did, the touches were just off enough to provide the Explorers an opportunity to clear the ball out of danger.

As the half wore on however, UD’s consistent pressure began to find more holes in LaSalle’s back line. There were no holes in the dike to run through, but chipping away at LU’s resistance provided the annoyance UD needed to generate tactical advantages offensively.

The Explorers countered with some decent work when they needed it. They placed several balls in the Flyer box that kept Tyler Picard honest with his line. When LaSalle did put shots on frame, Picard was in position every time to put a stop to things.

Despite the blustery conditions, UD did well against it. Like so many matches this season, UD’s scoring came about from persistent pressure over long stretches rather than individual brilliance. A good example of that came on UD’s first score in the 21st minute when Torda knocked a header into the net after a nice long ball from Ryan Handbury in the back line. The pass gave Jeff Popella room up top to cross a ball from the endline. Torda ran onto the cross after beating several Explorer defenders to the ball to give UD a 1-0 lead. Crosses such as this have become Flyer staples over the last several weeks. As the number of chances go up the necessity to finish every one of them becomes less critical.

UD added a much-needed second goal in the 35th minute when senior Joe Olwig cleaned up a corner kick in the LaSalle penalty box for the 2-0 advantage. The Flyers had a couple more opportunities to extend the lead before the half but couldn’t convert. UD was also caught offsides when buildup looked promising, mostly due to strikers jogging back and losing focus. After 45 minutes, shots on goal favored UD 8-6. UD also took the lone corner kick — the same one that resulted in the first score.

The second frame became more of a match as LaSalle stepped things up. The surge was reminiscent of Friday’s match against Fordham when the Rams came out and dominated play. On Sunday, the Explorers took command for a solid 25 minutes as UD had all sorts of trouble clearing away dangerous chances in the back and holding onto possession going forward. LaSalle also did a much better job of linking passes between teammates, something that proved far more difficult in the first half. Strong play past midfield earned LaSalle several crosses in the Flyer box. Perhaps their best chance of the afternoon came on a rocket from 20yds out that hit the far left post and bounced back into play. From closer in, Picard came up big in goal by staying on his line and making dangerous stops look routine.

Torda would add his second goal of the match in the 74th minute off another cross — this time from Sonny Renner. The side volley from 8yds out beat the goalkeeper to the low right corner for the 3-0 Flyer lead. It was a satisfying goal because LaSalle had a significant run of play up to that point and had opportunities to cut the lead in half.

With DeCamps and Isaac Kissi and others resting on the bench, new faces earned playing time to salt the match away. Ryan Richter finally put LaSalle on the scoreboard in the 86th minute on a nifty flick header that tucked just inside the far right post to make the final score 3-1.

Final match stats favored UD on shots (13-11) and corner kicks (6-4). As fans saw on Friday evening, there were large stretches of well-executed soccer and extended periods of disorganization against LaSalle. The Flyers continue to win however — even when they aren’t at their best for a full 90 minutes. Only good teams master this art and UD is showing why they have what it takes to win in many different ways.

Head Coach Dennis Currier’s team has perhaps the most important stretch of the season remaining. In first place with their destiny in their own hands, winning out ensures UD their first outright conference regular season title in nearly 10 seasons. The remaining three matches (Temple, St. Joseph’s, Xavier) are all on the road however and just a couple slip-ups could mean the difference between receiving an important bye in the A10 Tourney quarterfinals and being asked to win three matches in three days. There are also significant NCAA at-large hopes on the line. With a national ranking all but guaranteed next week, teams will be gunning for the Flyers. It’s a perfect opportunity to show everyone the ranking is well-deserved and that Dayton knows how to finish strong when their destiny is in focus.