The University of Dayton Flyers womens soccer team opened the 2000 season with a loss Sunday afternoon at newly-renovated Baujan Field, falling to Evansville 2-1 before a partisan crowd of 1,227 UD supporters. The Purple Aces improve to 2-0 (0-0) while the Flyers drop to 0-1 (0-0).

In what can be described as a continuation of last year’s thrilling series between the Flyers and Aces, Mick Lyon’s Evansville team came out looking for a little payback after dropping both games in 1999 in dramatic fashion. The Aces and Flyers took turns controlling play early in the game as both teams played a lot of long balls from the back to the strikers camping deep in opposing territory. Play was not sloppy, but both squads were tentative at piecing together some clean soccer in the midfield. While continuity had yet to develop, both sides had opportunities to cash in and make the most of their situation. And so it happened on a corner kick that Evansville scored first, as the ball got loose inside the penalty box and found its way into the net for a 1-0 Evansville advantage.

Dayton standout Missy Gregg was the prime assignment for Aces defender Krista McKendree, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. McKendree harassed Gregg from the opening kickoff, grabbing, pulling, and tugging to keep the Flyer scoring machine in check. For the most part, it worked. Gregg had a couple scoring chances midway through the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net.

As the first half came to a close, Dayton had control of the game but not the scoreboard, and soon enough the first frame ended for the Flyers with a 1-0 deficit. Unfortunately, it was Evansville who came out blazing guns as the second half commenced.

Evansville took control of the second half — and control of the game — by effectively seizing the midfield. While the Flyers were moving the ball from fullbacks to strikers, the Aces used their midfielders as a conduit for their offensive an defensive transitions, making Dayton’s job that much harder than it could have been. Because of this, Evansville began winning a majority of the 50/50 balls, especially high balls off of free kicks and set pieces. As soon as the Flyers moved the ball down the field, an Evansville player headed the ball in the other direction and a counter-attack followed. When the counter-attacks occurred, the Flyer midfield got caught out of position, forcing the defenders to thwart several breakaways that started as early as the midfield stripe.

Missy Gregg had a great opportunity to open the second half as she cut loose off a long ball sent from the Flyer defense and went to the goalmouth with only the goalkeeper to beat. Gregg’s low, hard shot from her right foot (she’s a lefty) was a strong effort but couldn’t sneak by for a Flyer goal.

The Aces scored their second goal much like the first, off a corner kick in lieu of a defensive breakdown. The ball squirted through the middle of the box to the weak side where an Evansville player was wide open to blast it in the net from 8yds out.

Down 2-0 with a little over 30 minutes remaining, the Flyers began playing with a sense of urgency everyone was waiting for. Fruition finally came with five minutes left in the game as Sarah Walker collected a ball on the right side and crossed it in the goalmouth, where Showtime Gregg tattooed it off her forehead and into the back of the net. It was a play eerily familiar to the one that beat the Aces in last year’s NCAA Tournament. A couple more scoring chances followed this time, but time ran out before the Flyers could nab an equalizer and repeat last year’s heroics.

While the Flyers lost the home opener and midfield play looked shaky, Dayton fans got their first glimpse at what promises to be an iron-clad defensive line in the years to come. Freshmen Erin Showalter (Brunswick) and Beth McHugh (Medina) started the game for Head Coach Mike Tucker and played as well as rookies can be expected to. Showalter demonstrated a nice ability to make strong decisions in the back without panicking or wasting possession of the ball, while McHugh picked off no fewer than three passes by anticipating the play, coming up from behind, and intercepting the ball before it reach its target. Both players are strong and quick, which is good news in light of the players they replaced to graduation.

Among the other newcomers, Judi Aschenbrener — a two-time HS All-American from Bay HS — played up front with Gregg but didn’t see enough of the ball to make a lasting impression either way. Aschenbrener showed off her speed on a couple occasions and may be the fastest on the team along with Sarah Walker and Liz Brown. Kara Kenney had some nice touches in the midfield and more good things are expected from her. Walk-on Erin Skladany played quite a bit and held her own quite nicely. The same goes for walk-on Clare Quinter.

The Flyers have a week to prepare before heading to South Carolina for the Nike Clemson Invitational. Dayton faces the sixth-ranked Clemson Tigers in the first match, then follow it up with a contest against the Auburn Tigers. Clemson recently defeated #14 UCLA 1-0. With stiff competition ahead, the coaching staff has plenty to work on, and nobody likes to lose a game to open the season. But as much potential as this team has, an early loss may work to Mike Tucker’s advantage; it’s a clear indication that the Flyers cannot win on high school press clippings alone and must go for the jugular for all 90 minutes. Talent-wise, the Flyers have a lot of it. Size and speed is at nearly every position. The key areas will lie in midfield play and the winning of loose balls. Shore these up and Dayton has enough depth to hold their own with nearly anyone. It will take a few games for things to synchronize, and everyone is aiming for the Atlantic-10 conference schedule, but it will be interesting to see the maturation process as the non-conference portion of the schedule continues to unfold. It looks good on paper, but it’s a little more difficult than that.