The Dayton Flyers searched all day for a groove and never found it, dropping a lethargic 2-1 decision to the Fordham Rams in the doubleheader finale Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field. UD fell behind 1-0 but tied it up in the second half, only to surrender the game-winner minutes later. UD falls to 6-5-5 (2-2-2) while the Rams improve to 6-8-2 (3-3-1).

The first 10 minutes of the first half was a promising start for the Flyers as they were able to get the ball forward and attack from the touch lines. Collecting balls in the midfield, UD did well to counter effectively with pace and force Fordham to defend on their heels. But the possession and quality field position on the part of the Flyers never materialized into shots on goal. When UD encroached upon the Fordham goal box, things bogged down as the field shortened. As a result, Dayton players never found each other on the same page of the playbook.

As the first half continued, the run of play evened out and Fordham generated more possession to make the match competitive. The Rams did well to get the ball into the Flyer offensive third and earn corner kicks that peppered the UD goal box with dangerous balls requiring timely clearances along with a couple of excellent saves by GK Chris Froschauer. To UD’s credit, the back line cleaned up most of the ugly stuff. Pushing forward out of the back however remained a frustrating exercise, unable to connect on passes to the mids and forwards to ease the pressure on the ball. Fordham matched up with the Flyers very well on most parts of the field and demonstrated a solid work rate that, at times, bested Dayton’s effort for critical balls in the middle third.

UD also suffered from the yips with their first touches getting away from them at unfortunate moments when things appeared advantageous for an offensive counter-attack. Over the remaining 15 minutes of the first half, the level of play continued to slowly decline. The Flyers lacked meaningful cohesion and were unable to work together to get something accomplished as they pushed the ball forward. Through-balls were weighted too heavily, players were dispossessed, or runs away from the ball were not in synch with the player providing service. Collectively, it was a forgettable half of soccer.

Halftime stats favored Fordham in shots 6-4 and corner kicks 5-0.

For UD to find the net in the second half, they’d need to make their possession count rather than count the time of possession. Fordham capitalized immediately after the re-start however, scoring just 38 seconds into the second half on a quality through-ball inside the Flyer goal box that forced Froschauer off the goal line to challenge. A nifty touch slipped the ball into the back of the net to put Fordham up 1-0.

With work to do, UD had no time to waste. The overall level of soccer however proved frustrating for both players and fans. Timing remained problematic, passing was inaccurate, and the Flyer offense continued to bog down once it reached the Fordham goal box. Nothing seemed to change the course of the match and both sides battled for another 15 minutes with little progress either way.

Dayton finally conquered the Fordham defense in the 63rd minute on an excellent combination piece that knotted the match at 1-1. Amass Amankona dished a ball to James Haupt and Haupt one-timed it from inside the box to the lower left corner. It was the first shot on goal for the Flyers — one of just two UD would earn all day.

With the score even once again, the Flyers had a chance to seize the momentum and overtake the Rams. But it didn’t happen as Fordham re-took the lead just eight minutes later on another through-ball inside the Flyers goal box that resulted in a carbon-copy goal of the first score. Now facing a 2-1 deficit with 20 minutes remaining, there was no time to waste if the Flyers hoped to draw even a second time before the end of regulation.

Dayton had better luck getting the ball down field for the remainder of play, resulting in a handful of corner kicks and free kicks that sprinkled the Fordham goal box. UD also had a number of excellent chances directly in front of the goal mouth — either from short-range or just outside the box — to put a quality shot or re-direct on goal. Most of those chances went squandered however as the Flyers continued to suffer from poor continuity and communication. UD needed a finer attention to detail and more engagement on 50/50 challenges. When Dayton did manage to win possession and counter, they oftentimes got in their own way. Shots on frame continued to be largely non-existent.

The equalizer never materialized and the Rams were able to salt the last few minutes of the match away to preserve the 2-1 road victory. Dayton was out-shot 7-6 in the final 45 minutes but out-cornered Fordham 6-2.

Overall, it was an uninspired match for the Flyers from both a tactical and emotional standpoint. UD looked like a team that was not fully engaged and focused on a high attention to detail. There was hustle at times no doubt, but Dayton needed a smarter effort to make their elbow grease worth the sweat equity it provided. Instead, the Flyers spent much of the afternoon undoing everything they did and working against the grain rather than as a cohesive unit. As a result, the Flyer offense was inept from start to finish.

Dayton finishes the regular season next weekend at LaSalle and St. Joseph’s.