A late first half score and three more atfer intermission propelled the Dayton Flyers to their third victory in a row and third straight shutout as they leveled IUPUI 4-0 to even the season record at 3-3-0. Alex Torda recorded a pair of goals and one assist while Ben Murray added one of each. The Jaguars fall to 4-2-0.

As well as the Flyers ended the match, it began with a lot of suspect play that left no indication of the pending turnaround in the second half. The Flyers were a full second off the pace when they needed to pick up the tempo and find players while they were open, particularly outside players working the touchlines for early service. Overall play was more predictable than it should have been and though UD had more possession, much of it generated scoring chances that were mediocre at best. A lack of overlaps and two-man combo play flattened the attack and allowed the Jaguars to step up rather easily as they read the Dayton build-up.

IUPUI had trouble generating a lot of offense of any kind, but the chances they had were defended well by the UD back line — a back line that played extremely well all afternoon. The Jaguars sent some long balls forward and managed to tote a few balls to the corner flags, but dangerous balls in the box were few and far between.

With UD struggling to hold their shape in the offensive third of the field, all the hustle to win loose balls and gain possession were getting them nowhere. The Flyers finally solved the IUPUI defense in the 42nd minute when freshman Alex Torda sent a cross from the right endline to the far post for fellow classmate Ben Murray to polish off a diving kick from 5yds out. The goal not only put the Flyers ahead 1-0, it jumpstarted the offense that carried over into the entire second half.

At halftime, Dayton owned a 5-1 shot advantage and earned the only two corner kicks.

The second half was all Dayton after the teams regained their legs from intermission. Playing more direct but keeping the ball on the ground more often, the Flyers attacked through the IUPUI defense time and again on excellent runs that generated equally good service at the feet. Running straight on goal, UD forced IUPUI into damage control mode as they turned away chances that were now coming one after another. As UD asserted itself offensively, the match grew more physical and a nasty collision near the bleachers rattled the cage of Caleb Lindemann that he never completely shook off.

Dayton’s pressure on the offensive half of the field paid off in the 63rd minute when senior Antti Arst converted a terrific diving header off a cross from Ryan Handbury to give UD some breathing room. Alex Torda added UD’s third goal in the 76th minute after a flurry in front of the box left a ball sitting just in front of the goal line. Jaguar goalkeeper Drew Deffner stopped the challenge but not before it rolled just over the line to put them down 3-0. Torda would add a second goal in the 85th minute with a quality shot from 15yds out after getting past a couple defenders.

Up 4-0, UD generated a couple more scoring opportunities before the match ended but more importantly kept their shape defensively to preserve the shutout. The Flyers wrapped things up with a decisive 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. Senior Nick Tarkany went the distance and was rarely challenged.