DAYTON (OH) — In a battle for first place in the A10, the Dayton Flyers capitalized on a penalty kick in the 30th minute to outlast the Saint Louis Billikens 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field. Jeff Popella’s goal lifts the Flyers to 11-4-1 (6-1) and in sole possession of first place with two conference matches left. The Billikens fall to 10-6 (6-2).

In a match that was highly contested from start to finish, both teams traded jabs in the opening minutes to get a feel for the opposition and field conditions. With Baujan Field showing signs of wear, much of the action turned into an aerial game — and that suited the Flyers tremendously due to their height advantage all over the pitch. Still, St. Louis had some quality play early on to seize some of the flow and force the Flyers to work hard defensively.

Neither side could piece together a long run of passing however and the flow was largely congested like a game of pinball. Credit goes to the defenses for making life miserable for the opposing midfielders and forwards. Space was at a premium in the entire first half, so getting forward with pace and finding teammates running free rarely happened.

Dayton countered in the 29th minute with a ball played forward along the left side of the box, resulting in a favorable whistle that gave Popella a PK he subsequently polished off. Heading toward goal from 12 yards out, it appeared the UD attacking player touched the ball a bit too far ahead before getting fouled, losing his attacking advantage. The referee saw it differently and felt Dayton was in a clear scoring posture with the ball at the feet as St. Louis made contact. The hustle nonetheless paid off and put the Flyers up 1-0. Given the way the match was unfolding, the goal felt like a game-winner considering the lack of quality offense in the run of play. St. Louis Head Coach Dan Donigan didn’t like the call and got tossed with a pair of yellows before play re-started.

Halftime stats slightly favored Dayton 4-3 in shots on goal, while corner kicks were 2-0.

The second half was much like the first. Very little ball control and team possession meant both teams were forced to look for quick counters on offense. Even that remained exceedingly difficult given the solid back lines on each side of the ball. As the second half wore on however, the Flyers began taking control of the midfield and that’s what ultimately preserved the important victory. As the play remained in the air, the Flyers used their significant size advantage to win high balls time after time. Nearly everywhere on the field, UD had several inches on SLU players, allowing Dennis Currier’s squad to out-jump the Bills for critical 50/50 balls. St. Louis never solved the problem and the Flyers seemed content to win headers and knock the ball forward without over-committing and getting burned on defense.

The Bills ended the match with perhaps their best play of the afternoon, putting solid pressure on the Flyer goal in the final 15 minutes. Several corner kicks and crosses in the box proved extremely dangerous, including a few scrums in the mixer that UD managed to clear away at the last second. Over the final 10 minutes, Dayton hung on with terrific hustle. It wasn’t pretty, but the great effort to clear balls and win possession — even briefly — in the midfield was enough to slow St. Louis down and keep them off the scoreboard.

Much of that credit goes to Ben Murray. He battled relentlessly in the middle third all day and saved the Flyers from having to defend deep in their own end on several occasions. His effort rubbed off on others and the lunch pail mentality ended up being the real game-winner.

Final stats favored SLU in shots (11-8) and corner kicks (5-4). The Flyers had just three shots on goal.

It was a highly competitive match between two sides that were destined for a double overtime tie had the PK not materialized. Defense ruled the day and the lack of quality scoring chances made for some frustration. The teams were evenly matched but Dayton had the clear advantage in the air. St. Louis had 19 players under six feet tall on their roster. Dayton has just five. You can’t coach height.

Dayton will almost certainly be forced to play the snowed-out match against St. Bonaventure, probably before the next scheduled match against Xavier next weekend. The scenario is simple: if Dayton wins out, they win the 2009 A10 regular season title and secure the #1 seed in the A10 Tournament. If they stumble, Fordham is sitting at 5-1-1 in the conference and could sneak up and capture the crown. Dayton and Fordham do not play each other this season. St. Bonaventure is 6-2 and with a win over Dayton, would leapfrog the Flyers based on the head-to-head tie-breaker. Dayton could end up finishing first or as low as third or fourth.