DAYTON (OH) — Baujan Field was as hot as an oven, but that didn’t stop the Dayton Flyers from remaining undefeated as they outlasted Lipscomb University 2-0 Sunday afternoon in a competitive, hard-fought match. A goal in each half paced the Flyers and solid defense limited opposing chances as UD improves to 3-0 on the season. Lipscomb drops their first match and falls to 2-1.

Once again, the Flyers got off to a good start in the opening minutes of play. Just five minutes after kickoff, senior Abe Keller redirected a cross in the box with a well-struck cleanup header to give Dayton the early 1-0 cushion. From there, the match heated up — literally — as both sides took turns swapping possession and quality build-up in the baking late-summer sunshine.

Neither team dominated the run of play however. Each side traded movement going forward, but nice defensive stops started the process in the other direction. The two sides were evenly matched, but Dayton’s size advantage was once again a pivotal X-factor throughout the remainder of the game.

Lipscomb did well to link up in the midfield, finding soft spots just beyond the center circle to dribble into and dish to teammates also pushing forward. As the run of play reached the goal box however, UD’s back line stiffened up and yielded few quality scoring opportunities. The Bisons had chances, but they were half-chances and, at times, the result of broken plays.

The same could be said for Dayton’s offense however. For the remainder of the first half the Flyers found similar trouble developing clean looks at the net. Lipscomb’s defense closed passing lanes and tightened up their marks. In the air, the Flyers were unable to capitalize on set pieces to the head of their taller strikers.

First half stats were indicative of the tightly-contested match: Lipscomb owned a 6-4 advantage in shots and 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.

The second half conditions were even hotter and more challenging to overcome. While Lipscomb went six deep off the bench however to help combat the elements and insert fresh bodies, Dayton chose to roll with the starters, substituting just three times overall.

Lipscomb played in a better flow after the restart and got more players forward. At times, it seemed like their persistence would eventually pay of with an equalizing goal, but UD did well in the last 25 yards to close the passing lanes and defend one vs. one.

Offensively, the Flyers lacked some energy mid-way through the second half. Part of it was the heat and another part was a lack of passing. Too many times, certain players chose to beat two or three defenders on their own — or hold the ball for far too long — resulting in a needless turnover of possession.

The match ultimately came down to Dayton’s more opportunistic moments and once again Keller was involved. A free kick from 28yds on the right side gave him a chance to throw a ball into the mixer. When it was all over, the ball was in the upper corner of the far post and gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute. It looked like a cross that ended up a goal — and the Lipscomb GK did not play it well — but it was a clean strike nonetheless and forced the opponent into a mistake.

With a bit of insurance on the scoreboard, Dayton did enough over the last 30 minutes to salt the match away. Maik Schoonderwoerd nearly made it 3-0 in the later stages after getting behind the back line, but his shot was tipped wide of the far post by the goalkeeper. Lipscomb’s best chance came in the waning moments as Flyer GK Chris Froschauer was forced to dive for a ball headed toward the far post. Fortunately the ball sailed wide.

For the match, Lipscomb out-shot UD 12-10 while the Flyers won the corner kick battle 4-2.

Defender Christopher Lenning was named Tournament MVP, a well-deserved choice considering all of the thankless work he performed in the back line this weekend. Other Flyers on the All-Tourney team include Schoonderwoerd, Keller, and Amass Amankona.

A successful weekend with a pair of victories in the back pocket, UD is away from Baujan Field for the next three matches against Western Illinois, Detroit, and Ohio State. The weak schedule simply doesn’t allow for mulligans this year, so the Flyers are tasked with figuring out a way to return home for the Sep. 22nd match against IUPUI with a perfect 6-0 record.