Head Coach Dave Schureck’s Flyers put forth an effort much better than Friday’s showing against Virginia Tech, but the UC Bearcats did just enough to hold off the Flyers 2-1 in overtime before a nice crowd at sunny Baujan Field. Cincinnati, who tied Western Illinois 0-0 on Friday, improves to 1-0-1 while the Flyers fall to an uncharacteristic 0-2 on the year with both defeats coming at home – a setting where Dayton went unblemished in 2000.

With a lackluster effort on Friday night where the Flyers were soundly beaten in the hustle department, Sunday was a completely different story for much of the contest. The first 10 minutes of the game slightly favored UC, but Dayton created chances of their own and before long the Flyers were winning corner kicks. With less than 15 minutes gone, UD converted a corner kick when defender Michael Nsien flashed toward goal and corralled the ball around the six yard line where he blasted home the first score of the game. With the Flyers up 1-0 and on the scoreboard for the first time this year, things were looking up. Less than three minutes later however, UC developed a quick counter attack and forced Flyer GK Matt Hutchins from the goal mouth. A UC player got around him and slipped a ball in the net from the far left side as Dayton defenders pursued the ball and tried to make a goal line stop. The rest of the half was competitive and physical, with both sides earning yellow cards and testing the opposing defense with long balls from the back.

The second half favored Dayton almost exclusively as the home team put the clamps down and showed everyone in attendance that the Flyer hustle so reminiscent a year ago was still alive and kicking. Unlike Friday when the Hokies dominated in the air, the Flyers turned the table and cleaned house on most of the second half free kicks, punts, and long balls from the back. The blue-collar effort paid off as UD took control of the possession game, though UC never looked out of the contest or out of gas. Freshman forward Chris Rolfe flicked a shot from 18yds out from the outside of his foot that caromed off the cross bar in the middle of the second half. The UC goalkeeper was beaten and if it dropped in, would have won the game. UC had a couple chances themselves, but UD GK Matt Hutchins once again saved the day with a couple kick saves while charging from the goalmouth.

Dayton gave its best effort to win it in regulation but a flurry of corner kicks before the second half ended never generated the proverbial game winner. Clearly however, momentum was on the Flyers’ side.

As the first sudden death overtime commenced, Dayton nearly ended it just seconds after the restart as Joe Appel blasted a shot from 25yds out that bounced off the crossbar and ricocheted nearly straight down. A scrum in the box ensued but Sunday Isename couldn’t slip the ball past the Bearcat defenders. Just a couple minutes later, UC won a free kick on the right side about 35yds from goal. They put the ball straight on goal where it flicked off an errant boot, leaving GK Matt Hutchins unable to make the slight adjustment as he came out of the goalmouth. All he could do was watch it roll past him and into the net. Without question, it was a tough way to lose the game against a competitive Bearcat club.

The effort in the hustle department was night and day compared to Friday night. The Flyers put forth a strong effort and challenged things everywhere on the field. But UD still has problems working the ball from the midfield to the strikers and most scoring chances came from defenders playing long balls over the top. With just one goal in two games, perhaps R.J. Kaszuba’s relentless work rate up front and in the middle of the field has yet to be replaced. Kaszuba wasn’t a big-sized striker but played a physical game that book-ended nicely with Sunday Isename’s finesse game. Rolfe is more similar to Isename however and Dayton could benefit from a rougher edge up top who can run through opponents, take chances in the box, and win high balls from the back. Isename has good speed and with the ball at his feet, can be unstoppable. But he needs his teammates to motivate him or there’s a tendency to give up on potential scoring chances. Fans heard Isename being reminded on several occasions to give every ball an all-out effort. Rolfe is a budding star and is one of the best ad-lib players on the field who can make something out of nothing. But asking a frosh to assume the role of departed warlock Chris Harder is a tough thing to ask.

Sophomore Denny Clanton was rock solid all day in the Flyer defense and continues to be a no-worries player in the back line. While Sunday’s effort wasn’t flashy, it was good enough to earn him the UDPride Player of the Game, with freshman Chris Rolfe and defender Michael Nsien finishing a close second.

Despite Dayton’s 0-2 start, a start even we didn’t foresee, the good news is that the Flyers were a completely different team on Sunday. The Bearcats will win their share of games in C-USA and were a good test. Both squads went toe-to-toe and played a strong technical game. Dayton has two more home games next week against talented foes Oakland (MI) and Akron to get to .500. The Zips recently tied defending national champion UConn in Storrs, CT, while Oakland lost a lot of starters but always fields a strong club. With a week to work out the kinks, it’s a good chance for the UD coaching staff to evaluate things and an equally good chance for the players to sharpen the blade. There’s a lot of soccer left to be played and UD should be okay if the same effort displayed on Sunday is apparent throughout the rest of the season. But Dayton must also score goals. By allowing just two goals in two 90-minute regulations, the UD defense is giving the Flyers a chance to win. Next week will be a good chance to see if the offensive punch from 2000 returns.