DAYTON (OH) — VCU is really good and the Dayton Flyers learned the hard way for approximately 75 minutes on a cold Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field, surrendering a first-half goal and suffering through a team-wide malaise. UD toughened up in the last 15 minutes of regulation to net the equalizer — with just three minutes remaining — and outplayed VCU in both overtimes to salvage a 1-1 tie and the #2 seed in the upcoming A10 Tournament. Dayton finishes the regular season at 13-4-1 (7-1-1), while VCU finishes 11-4-1 (6-2-1).

Brandishing a physical style and Big-10 conference size at several positions on the field, the Rams were the aggressors as the match kicked off. Dayton struggled mightily to win any loose balls, especially in the midfield where freshman All-Rookie contender Nicole Waters was absent with an injury after taking a knock on Friday night. Slower to the ball on nearly all challenges, the battle for 50/50s was a dominant exhibition by the new A10 members from Richmond, VA.

VCU also countered with a terrific defense and stymied the high-octane Flyer offense. Juliana Libertin couldn’t shake loose on the touch lines while Colleen Williams was double-, triple-, and sometimes quadruple-teamed on both her front and backside, limiting her ability to dish quickly to teammates running into free space. That said, UD almost got on the scoreboard in the early minutes, but a terrific kick-save at the near post by Ram GK Kristin Carden kept the match scoreless.

The lack of space was apparent as VCU controlled possession and knocked the ball around with solid triangle passing. Defensively, UD gave up far too much room between the goal boxes. On offense, the passing lanes never fully materialized because the VCU defenders used their physicality to push UD off their lines and prevent clean reception of service from the mids and fullbacks.

The lack of effort in the midfield to challenge for loose balls was a direct cause of the first goal of the match. Dayton got beat for a 50/50 challenge well into the VCU defense and the Rams made UD pay with a quality counter-attack that resulted in a long through-ball to the right flanks. An excellent cross at the end line was sent toward the Flyer near post. A couple touches later, VCU finished with a great shot to the far post from 12 yards out to put the Rams up 1-0 in the 13th minute. The bad news started with a poor challenge 75 yards away however and the inability to perform preventive maintenance forced UD into a set of circumstances that should have been avoided altogether.

The Flyers still had plenty of time to settle down and get to work. Unfortunately, the remaining 30 minutes of the first half was a half-hearted attempt at best. The Rams dominated in most phases including the important hustle category in the midfield that earned possession and kept UD from generating a consistent attack of their own.

Dayton had some chances on offense, but VCU’s back line was so stingy that UD took opportunities to shoot from long distance — beyond their comfort level and skill set. While UD generated shots, most were not quality shots and ended up spraying far wide or over the goal mouth.

Indicative of UD’s inability to get behind the VCU defense was an inability to generate a corner kick in the first half. UD outshot VCU 9-5 in the first 45 minutes, but most of those shots were not on frame.

The second half was an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Dayton needed an attitude change or the tenor of the match was unlikely to deviate — if the Flyers fell behind 2-0, the game was probably over because of VCU’s top-notch defending.

The first 30 minutes of the second half were slightly better but nowhere near the effort needed to overtake control of the run of play. VCU once again showed their physical side by frustrating the Flyer mids and forwards into bad touches or poor service. Like a swarm of bees, when Dayton attackers got the ball within an earshot of the VCU box, they were surrounded by defenders on all sides. The passing lanes were non-existent at times.

Freshman Ashley Campbell struggled to hold off her defenders and may have been suffering from the body blows of Friday night’s victory in a rain-soaked quagmire. Libertin put endless miles on the odometer but was mostly bottled up and couldn’t turn the corner. Even Williams never generated enough space between herself and the bevy of defenders glued to her shoulders; she rarely got a clean look inside the box. UD shots were once again from long-range and mostly ineffective.

The last 15 minutes of the second however were UD’s best effort in regulation play — and it had to be considering they were desperately trying to find the equalizer. A couple great chances directly in front of the box came and went as VCU cleared the danger away at the last second. Carden also made a couple great saves of her own to protect the lead.

With the clock winding down, UD needed someone to make a play — something nobody could answer for until sophomore Kelsey Smigel stepped up and won a critical physical challenge on the left side of the VCU box with three minutes remaining. A great power move got her around her defender and she held off the tackle just long enough to place an outstanding cross to the far post. Williams lined it up and knocked the header into the net to tie the match at 1-1 in dramatic fashion.

From that goal forward, Dayton shed their wallflower style of the prior 87 minutes and dominated the match in both overtimes. The Flyers out-shot the Rams 11-1 in extra time, including a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks. UD’s best chance to win on a golden goal came in the last three minutes when Libertin turned her shoulder and got around the last defender directly in front of the box from 10 yards out. Unfortunately, she tattooed the ball over the goalpost to let VCU off the hook. Nine times out of 10, she finishes that.

Sunday afternoon was a perfect example of stats belying the style and substance of the match. Dayton out-shot VCU by a whopping 35-8 margin, but only 13 were on frame and many of those were not especially dangerous. The Flyers did will late in the match to earn some timely corner kicks, finishing with a 7-2 advantage.

Overall, UD struggled mightily for 75 minutes and were outplayed where it mattered most — in the hustle department. The last 30 minutes of play were more indicative of the brand of soccer Flyer fans have turned accustomed to over the years. Still, UD was fortunate to salvage the tie given the late goal in the waning moments of regulation. VCU threw extra numbers in the back to prevent an equalizer but the Flyers solved the riddle.

Dayton’s back line did quite well all afternoon, but were let down by poor marking and a lack of physicality by their midfield counterparts, forcing them to defend too many VCU players with not enough help. Meghan Scharer was steady all game and senior Alysha Mallon was once again a beast. A terror on defense and UD’s closest thing to a star performer from whistle to whistle, Mallon’s effort and hustle all weekend were team highs and if there’s any justice in A10 soccer, she’ll find her name on the All-Conference list next week.

UD gained the #2 seed in the forthcoming A10 Tournament in Kingston, RI, next week — assuming the Frankenstorm does not alter the league’s plans. There’s a good chance these two teams may meet again. Dayton will need a much better effort and they will help their chances immensely if Waters is available in the midfield.