MORGANTOWN (WV) — Any sports fan will tell you that a good offense wins games but a good defense wins championships. While no championship was at stake in Friday’s NCAA 1st Round match between the Dayton Flyers and the Maryland Terrapins, it might as well have been. Judi Aschenbrener’s breakaway goal midway through the second half, UD’s only shot on goal the entire match, helped earn the Flyers an improbable 1-0 victory over ACC power Maryland at the Mountaineer Soccer Complex. In one of the most gritty defensive performances in the program’s history, Dayton turned away shot after shot, corner kick after corner kick, and 15-20 30yd throw-ins that peppered the UD penalty box. Maryland couldn’t find the net and the Flyers somehow turned their lone opportunity into the dramatic game winner. Like memories of Lake Placid, the Flyers overcame every stat in the boxscore and move on to the NCAA 2nd Round against Miami (OH) on Sunday. The RedHawks upset nationally-ranked West Virginia 1-0 on their home field by capitalizing on a penalty kick in the first half.

Dayton, who improves to 16-5 and ups their winning streak to an incredible 14 games, had their hands full all afternoon with the nationally respected Terps. Maryland entered the match at 10-6-2 and earned a victory over Clemson earlier in the year, but two losses in a row to end the season, both to Florida State, left question marks on their side. It was apparent after the first 10 minutes of Friday’s match however that the Terps would give the Flyers everything they could handle – and then some.

From the opening kickoff, Maryland controlled the match and won most of the loose balls in the midfield. Putting strong pressure on the Dayton goal, UM had dozens of balls in the Flyer penalty box but couldn’t put any of them away. More dangerous however were Maryland’s throw-ins as one Terp was the designated throw-in specialist and threw 15-20 laser beams over 30yds and right into the heart of the UD defense. As frustrating as a well struck corner kick, Dayton’s fate fell into the hands of the “Ministry of Defense”, the extremely gritty back line of Erin Showalter, Nina Diguardi, Sarah Walker, and Jen Simonetti who came up with game-saving plays every few minutes or so.

The Terps possessed blinding speed at all positions and could outrun anyone in a Flyer uniform if given the chance. But the Flyers tag-teamed on every occasion and provided just enough resistance to keep the speed from breaking loose and scoring a goal. Simonetti had her hands full with the Terapin left striker who could light the afterburners and make everyone look as though they were standing still. Simonetti adjusted her game however by giving her a little more space and forcing her to give up the ball in the second half – and it worked.

Meanwhile, Showalter, Diguardi, and Walker were fighting their own personal wars and each of them deserve their own story as well. Time and again Maryland broke free in the midfield and pressured the Dayton goal, but the back line or GK Steph Weisenfeld made the big play to keep things deadlocked at 0-0.

On the other side of the field, the Flyers had no offense going and finished the first half without a shot on goal or a corner kick. It didn’t get much better in the second half and UD looked surprised by Maryland’s incredible closing speed and physicality. But Dayton kept grinding and just a single break in Dayton’s favor could give the Flyers the lead and perhaps the improbable win.

Enter Judi Aschenbrener. Beth McHugh, one of the few players who stretched the Maryland defense with her speed up the sideline, turned the ball upfield on several occasions, but it was sophomore Shannon Kuhl who slipped a ball through a couple Terp defenders to a streaking Aschenbrener. Aschenbrener took the ball from 30yds out on the left side and headed toward the goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. The keeper charged but Aschenbrener hit a bullet just as the keeper went for the charging kicksave and blasted it in the net from 15yds out. One shot on goal for the Flyers. One goal. A 1-0 lead with 20 minutes to go.

The goal lifted Dayton’s energy but only time would tell if they had enough to hold onto the lead. Maryland continued to put pressure on the Dayton goal, and a few opportunities in the last 10 minutes were as good as any chance they had in the match. Like a broken record however, the Flyers turned away the Terps every time. Long throw-in after long throw-in, several free kicks, and a couple corner kicks were deflected or cleared away at the last second to keep Dayton ahead. As the clock wound down, the seconds seemed like minutes and Maryland put forth one last ditch effort by pulling the goalkeeper, but Dayton managed to send a couple long balls to the corner flag in the UM defensive end of the field to eat up time and win throw-ins. Almost beyond explanation, Dayton ran out the clock and pulled off one of the most dramatic victories in the program’s history with a defensive performance of a lifetime and capitalizing on their lone scoring chance of the match.

Showalter was rock solid as usual and kept the defense in tact throughout. Midfielder Tesia Kozlowski, the A-10 Newcomer of the Year, used her tall frame to cleared several critical head balls in the defensive third as the game fell under 10 minutes to play. But the Dayton back line as a unit deserves all the credit and did everything they were asked to do against an opponent that was faster, stronger, and even more skilled. The defense gave the offense a chance to win the match and Showalter, DiGuardi, Walker, and Simonetti collectively earn the UDPride Players of the Game.

Ironically enough, the Flyers will face Miami (OH) on Sunday for the right to go to the Sweet Sixteen. The RedHawks defeated Top-25 West Virginia 1-0 on a first half PK, leaving some folks a bit stunned at Sunday’s matchup of two Ohio teams who were penciled in to lose by most of the casual fans. Dayton defeated Miami 1-0 in the preseason and limited them to just one shot on goal and no corner kicks – and the shot on goal came when the two teams agreed to play an extra 15 minutes after regulation ended.

Stay tuned to the UD Womens Soccer forum for a game recap following Sunday’s match. Photos from the weekend will follow sometime early next week.

Editors Note:
The Flyers have turned into one gutty, stubborn, relentless group of players who just find a way to get it done. Not since a 6-0 loss to Stanford in September have the Flyers seen defeat, and if Coach Tucker’s postgame confidence is any indication, the Flyers like their chances on Sunday. Many uninformed fans counted this team out before the season began, but its time to count them in as the best Flyer womens soccer team ever, no matter what happens on Sunday at 1pm.