The University of Dayton Flyers looked a lot better than in Friday night’s loss to Virginia Tech, yet down 2-0 with 40 minutes left in the match against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, the better play wasn’t paying off. So Dayton looked for the familiar boot of junior Chris Rolfe to ignite the team. Rolfe, who missed Friday’s match with a groin injury, cashed in for two goals including the game-winner with under two minutes remaining to lift the Flyers to a dramatic 3-2 victory at Baujan Field. Senior Christian Porto tied the match at 2-2 to account for the other goal as UD improves to 4-1 on the season while Wisconsin falls to 4-5.

Wisconsin, a perennial force in the Big-10 for a number of years and the 1995 National Champion under former Badger and Flyer Head Coach Jim Launder, showed just why they blitzed IUPUI on Friday by a 5-0 score as they got off to a solid start in the first half with tough, physical play to counter Dayton’s equally gritty hustle. The Badgers had the best early chances to score and were it not for some fantastic goaltending by Flyer GK Jason Kurdziel, UD would have been down by a couple goals early in the match. Dayton didn’t have the same quality chances offensively, but the Flyers were clearly more organized and more energetic compared to Friday’s game against the Hokies. The offense seemed to find a spark when Chris Rolfe entered the match with about 20 minutes gone, but Wisconsin took advantage of a couple poor passes in the UD back line to demonstrate their own offensive prowess. UW’s persistence paid off in the 38th minute as Reid Johnson got his head on a free kick that floated into the box and buried it passed Kurdziel to give Wisky a 1-0 advantage. Wisconsin almost had a goal just minutes earlier when a ball hit the far post, caromed back in front of the box and a Badger player muffed a near-certain redirect into the net by pushing the ball just wide. Despite Wisconsin’s chances however, the Flyers were hanging in there. The Badgers had the better of the play — albeit by a narrow margin — and if UD cleaned up the details in the second half, UD would find more opportunities to score.

Dayton started the second half well and hustled all over the field, making UW work harder for balls in the midfield and 50/50 balls in the air. Whereas Dayton got clobbered in the air vs. Virginia Tech, Dayton was just the opposite on Sunday, winning numerous headers that kept Wisconsin from attacking in numbers. Junior midfielder Tye Stebbins turned up the heat big-time in the opening minutes of the second half, using a tremendous work rate to win tackles from behind and slow Wisconsin attackers looking to counter. At the same time, the Flyer outside fullbacks — Dan Thomas and Dasan Robinson — were working nonstop to win balls near the touch line and clear balls back upfield. Their work was largely responsible for UD’s second half possession because UW had speedy defenders on the wing and tried to go to them on several occasions. The match slowly grew more physical and Dayton caught an unlucky break in the 51st minute when they were called for a foul in the box that resulted in a Wisconsin penalty kick. The Badgers converted, took a 2-0 lead, and all of a sudden things weren’t looking so good despite Dayton’s great effort in the hustle department against a very good team.

Perhaps the PK did more for Dayton however than it did for Wisconsin. Head Coach Dave Schureck, extremely upset at the call along with several others that followed shortly thereafter, lit a fire under his team and encouraged them to battle through the adversity. Just nine minutes later his plea paid off as Chris Rolfe tattooed a ball from 18yds out to the far post that beat the Wisconsin goalkeeper for the first Flyer score of the game. Suddenly, UD was just a goal away from tying the match up and the players smelled blood. Dayton applied continuous pressure in the Wisconsin half of the field and nearly tied it up on a couple occasions — on a Rolfe chip shot and a Porto smack — but both were turned away either by the keeper or the UW defense. Wisconsin wouldn’t roll over however and found seams of their own to attack. A particular flurry in front of the Flyer penalty box had fans from both teams holding their breath as three or four excellent scoring chances were turned away by a save at or near the goal line by Kurdziel and his defensive line.

Dayton wouldn’t let up however and much of that was because of sophomore Mpoki Tenende’s work on the right side. Tenende’s work rate was incredible in the last 30 minutes of the match as he chased balls, ran down defenders, and won 50/50s time and again without ever seeming to tire. His energy fed off to other players but his teammates recognized his energy and kept feeding him balls. He turned the corner on the baseline later in the half and Christian Porto nearly tied the game at 2-2 but his shot to a fairly open net bounced off the crossbar and straight down, eventually getting cleared away. Not long thereafter though Porto would find paydirt, ripping a shot from the right side to the far post — similar to Rolfe’s first goal — to tie the match in the 77th minute. The hearty Wisconsin contingent who were loud and vocal suddenly quieted as the Flyers were now in position to finish them off and win it in regulation.

Dayton applied even more pressure in the remaining 10 minutes, coming close on a couple chances to take a 3-2 lead. Persistence finally paid off in the 89th minute as Rolfe collected a ball on the left side and struck a shot from 18yds out that Wisconsin goalkeeper Eric Hanson had a line on. But Dayton finally caught a break of their own and the ball took a slight deflection off a Wisconsin boot, fooling the goalkeeper just slightly as the ball tucked into the far post for the eventual game winner.

The Flyers made significant strides Sunday compared to Friday’s performance against Virginia Tech. The effort was better, the tactics were more sound, and the players appeared to be on the same page with better organization. When the Flyers play hard, they usually find success. That wasn’t the case 50 minutes into this match, but win or lose, Dayton played a strong game and it’s nice to see that effort get rewarded on the scoreboard. Kurdziel had a terrific game in goal — just as he did against Virginia Tech — and seems to be gaining confidence as the season continues. Senior sweeper Denny Clanton kept UD organized in the back line while substitute Ian Mulligan threw his weight around on the field despite a couple nasty collisions. The Flyers outshot the Badgers 18-13 but UW held a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks. Five yellow cards and 36 fouls underlined the physicality of the match.

UD returns to action next week with a Friday match at home against GL Region power Oakland University. It’s a match that gives UD a chance to put another feather in their cap with a quality win against a region opponent. The Flyers travel to Wright State on Sunday.