All it takes is one clean strike. The Rhode Island Rams found out the hard way Sunday afternoon as Flyer junior Megan McKnight tattooed a loose ball from 35yds out in the middle of the second half that found the upper-90 of the far post for the lone score of the game. Dayton improves to 13-4 (8-1) on the season while Rhode Island drops their second consecutive game of the season after starting the year 13-1-1, putting them out of title contention in the Atlantic-10 conference.

Sunday afternoon’s game didn’t actually start until the second half. The first half was rather uninspired on both sides even though each team had a couple of excellent opportunities to get on the scoreboard. Flyer freshman Judi Aschenbrener had a breakaway and Missy Gregg got off a couple shots that tested the URI goalkeeper, but by and large the first half ended without anything settled.

The second half changed all that however as Dayton came out with the better of the play. The Flyers knocked the ball around consistently against the Rams for much of the second half as more scoring chances and more of the game took place in the URI half of the field. Rhode Island looked frustrated and Ram star Shannon Kittleson never got on track as the game wore on. The Flyers began earning corner kicks and Gregg did her best to poke one in the back of the net — nearly scoring on a head-ball — but Dayton couldn’t capitalize and Rhode Island held tough.

Ironically it was one of Dayton’s most questionable scoring chances that proved to be the game-winner. As the middle of the second half ensued, junior Megan McKnight ran on to a loose ball in the middle of the field and decided to go for paydirt from 35yds out. While similar attempts by the Flyers in prior games turned up nothing, McKnight’s blast was major league and beat the URI goalkeeper in the upper-90 of the far post for what proved to be the game-winner. Even from 35yds out, the shot was struck well enough that the goalkeeper had no chance on it despite her efforts.

With Dayton up 1-0 and 20 minutes left in the game, the Flyers tried chewing up some of the clock and bolstering the defensive third of the field. Everything was fine until Rhode Island started pushing more players up the field to try to tack on the equalizer. With the pressure on, Dayton got a bit sloppy and had trouble clearing the ball or even winning possession. URI countered with several free kicks and long balls that sailed into the box and necessitated either a leaping save by UD goalkeeper Steph Weisenfeld or a crucial toe-poke by a Flyer player that sent the ball out of immediate danger. The last three minutes of the game felt like an entire half, but UD did just enough to avoid a late-game goal and preserve the victory.

Freshman defender Nina DiGuardi was an important player all afternoon as she threw her muscle around and won several loose balls and headers to go along with critical defensive stops to thwart URI’s attack. Never one to back down, DiGuardi made the entire team better on Sunday and earns her second UDPride Player of the Game this season.

The Flyers have won 10 of their last 11 contests and remain in the driver’s seat for an outright claim to the Atlantic-10 regular season title. While Dayton is gunning for their third in a row, a win over George Washington next week at Baujan Field sticks a fork in it and earns Head Coach Mike Tucker a #1 seed in the postseason conference tournament to be played at Corcoran Field on the campus of Xavier University. The Flyers are the second act of a doubleheader with the mens team on Friday night at Baujan Field as both squads step out of conference play. The men get things started at 5:30pm against Michigan and the women entertain former A-10 opponent Virginia Tech at 8pm. The women finish up the season on Sunday at 1pm against Geo. Washington.

It was a good day for all Dayton soccer on Sunday as the Flyer men beat #19 Rhode Island 1-0 in OT off a Patrick Wirtz goal. Head Coach Dave Schureck’s club has won 11 of 12, and combined with the winning ways of the Mike Tucker’s team, the Flyer soccer programs have won 21 of the last 23 matches. Both teams are in sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic-10 and control their destinies as the last week of the regular season approaches.