DAYTON (OH) — The formula on Sunday afternoon for the Dayton Flyers was straightforward: win and you’re in. Head Coach Dennis Currier’s team put away Rhode Island 4-0 to advance to the A10 Tournament for the first time since 2009 with three first half goals to blow the match open. UD finishes the regular season at 11-5-1 (5-4-1) while the Rams fail to qualify and end their season at 4-11-3 (3-5-1).

Reminiscent of Friday evening against UMass, Dayton got off to a very good start with a strong work ethic both offensively and defensively. Blessed with more size in the back as well as up top at the forward positions, UD used their bigger frames to win loose balls and collect high-ball challenges into quality possession moving forward. Maik Schoonderwoerd once again saw playing time in the midfield rather than in the back line, allowing UD to throw another massive body into the offensive third of the field to cause problems for the opposition. With Abe Keller running off balls and Eddie Jones dictating pace near the center circle, the Flyers did well to control the tempo of the match in the opening minutes of play.

The hard work created several good scoring chances early on. Jones teamed up with Ryan Peterson on a great give-and-go in the 6th minute to put UD up 1-0. Peterson finished the slotted ball with a terrific shot to the lower post after getting behind the last Rhode Island defender.

Moving the ball better than they have for much of the season, UD continued to leverage the possession by creeping forward with one-touch passing, nifty flicks, and weak-side balls to teammates running into free space. The Rams continued to play an extremely high back line however, and UD nearly threaded balls behind their defense on several occasions, only to see the sideline referee raise the flag and whistle Dayton for being offside. Several attempts were extremely close however and the Rams continued to flirt with disaster.

UD capitalized in the 13th minute when Keller received a feed from Jones to finish inside the box to give UD a commanding 2-0 lead with well over an hour of soccer yet to play.

The through-balls and runs off the ball remained very good and UD found themselves with almost too much space at times, choosing to take long-range shots that were well off target. They continued to apply the clamps however and when URI did come away with the ball and attempt to move forward, the Flyers were organized defensively and never appeared to lose their shape.

With two assists to his credit, Jones called his own number in the 33rd minute when he unleashed a missile from 30 yards out on a free kick directly out from goal. The blast nearly broke the sound barrier and tucked just inside the upper corner of the left post to make the score 3-0.

Halftime stats favored UD in shots (10-8) and corner kicks (3-1). Most of Rhode Island’s chances were from distance and well off target.

The second half saw a progressive slide in the overall quality of play, and some of that was expected considering UD had sewn the match up in the first 45 minutes. Rhode Island upped their tempo and dug out more loose balls — mostly in the midfield — and generated just enough movement going forward to keep UD off balance. The match also turned chippy with each foul or disagreement resulting in exchanging words or dead-ball pushing and shoving. The referee had trouble at times calling the balls and strikes properly, making both sides more irritated — including the team benches.

The Flyers got a dose of speed and athleticism in both halfs from Daniel Berko and Andres Acevedo providing energy off the bench, enough to change the tenor of play and cause problems for the URI defense. Acevedo in particular continued to drive defenders crazy along the left touch line, swooping past with blazing runs or deft flicks that caught the URI back line flat-footed.

Goalkeeper Chris Froschauer made a highlight-reel diving save later in the second half after getting a mitt on a Ram shot from long distance that was pegged up the upper 90 of the far post. Working to protect a clean sheet and their second shutout of the weekend, UD did well near their own box to clear balls away or win tackles altogether. Schoonderwoerd retreated to help win high balls and throw his size around, while Jones used his broad shoulders in the midfield to keep URI a half step off their timing.

Dayton found the net for the only time of the second half when Schoonderwoerd found the end off a David Abidor free kick and nailed a perfect header to the far post from eight yards out to make the game 4-0 and round out the scoring.

UD answered the call and earned a much-needed result to punch their ticket to the A10 Tournament next week. With the conference in perhaps the most-competitive shape in nearly a decade, there will be no easy opponents as teams survive and advance. The pairings should be announced shortly and whomever comes out of the tourney alive and hoisting the hardware, it will be a well-deserved championship worthy of much respect from the soccer community around the country. The A10 has six 10-win teams heading into the league tourney. The last time six teams finished the entire season with 10 or more wins was 2004. Four A10 teams are ranked in the Top-26 of the NSCAA National Top-25 poll.