DAYTON (OH) — The Dayton Flyers finished off a great weekend of soccer with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Duquesne Dukes Sunday afternoon at Baujan Field. Three first half goals paced the Flyers as UD improves to 11-4-1 (5-1-1). Duqense falls to 6-5-3 (4-3-1).

The Dukes, 3-1 winners over hapless Xavier on Friday evening, were never able to match UD’s level of play after the opening whistle. The Flyers put significant pressure on the Dukes’ back line and never let off the gas as the half continued. The terrific soccer IQ and one-touch passing that fans saw on Friday against St. Bonaventure continued again as UD carved up Duquesne in the middle of the field with great team play.

A bevy of early scoring chances materialized once again through the tricky feet of Lauren MacCormick who sliced and diced her way to open space or used her size to play target forward and hold possession until help arrived. Her effort and the effort of her teammates went unrewarded but the level of play was certain to produce goals before the match was over.

Ironically, the first score of the match came on individual brilliance as junior midfielder Mandi Back collected a ball in the center of the pitch and smacked a hard shot from 27yds out. The shot found the low right corner of the net for the 1-0 lead and from there things rolled.

Showing rare form once again, MacCormick put the Flyers up 2-0 just six minutes later with a hustle play toward a loose ball from 25yds out. Charging Dukes goalkeeper Brittany Findley met the ball too, but the collision for possession ricocheted back into an open Duquesne net.

MacCormick tallied her third goal of the weekend in the 29th minute with some cleanup work in the box. After a lengthy scrum left her in a position to take an important touch, she pounded home an open shot from 6yds out. The three goal cushion affected Duquesne and much of their hopes to salvage something from the match. The Flyers continued to work the ball however and connect the dots all over the field, forcing the Dukes to chase in frustration.

The remaining 15 minutes of the half were all Flyers. The back line performed well and worked the ball out of tight spaces to the midfielders, who then used solid traps and one touches to get past the first defender to open up space. That left the forwards in a position to accept well-timed distribution and run on goal. On the other side of the ball, the Dukes looked a step slow and lacked the physicality to compete.

At the half, UD owned a commanding 6-1 advantage in shots on goal, though the run of play was far more lopsided. Unfortunately for Duquesne, the halftime adjustments never came.

It was more of the same in the second 45 minutes. Freshmen defender Kelsey Miller used her size and big foot to clean up loose change in the back, while fellow freshmen Kathleen Beljan had perhaps her best showing to date at left fullback. Beljan used her speed and crafty foot skills to lock up her defender and win possession whenever needed. She then carried the ball forward and helped jumpstart the Flyer offense.

UD would add their fourth and final goal in the 66th minute when Colleen Gibson fed Caitlin Proffitt running on goal. Proffitt toe-poked a shot past Findley that trickled into an open net to make it 4-0.

From there, Mike Tucker looked to his bench and spread the playing time around. The last 25 minutes were less crisp but somewhat expected given the circumstances. The Flyers still maintained most of the possession however and never mailed it in. The Dukes took advantage of some loose marking and poor communication in UD’s back line to tally their lone score of the afternoon in the 78th minute. The low cross in front of the box forced goalkeeper Deana Waintraub to challenge the ball, but she couldn’t secure it and Shaina Geisler knocked it in from point blank distance to round out the scoring.

Official stats were all Dayton. UD outshot Duquesne 12-3 and had a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. It was a dominating performance once again for a team that appears to be playing their best soccer of the year. More important, the strong play has been shared by everyone as contributions are being felt all over the field. Dayton’s first touches, trapping, and field vision are at an execution level that hasn’t been demonstrated since the 2004 squad finished 20-2 en route to the NCAA tournament. That’s when Dayton basically did whatever they wanted against teams they were squarely favored to beat. That’s happening now.

Kelly Blumenschein continues to make great strides in the offensive half of the field, while Emily Kenyon earns more playing each weekend. Even seldom-used English product Josie Grant came in and gave a good effort at striker over the last 15 minutes — playing as if she wanted to be out on the field. It’s not all uncommon for bench players to mail their precious minutes in, so the urgency and energy on her part was notable.

It’s a good thing UD is in top form because the conference standings are likely to shake out next weekend. Road trips to A10 contenders Charlotte and St. Louis provide the biggest hurdles to date. Fans will know a lot more about the team by this time next week.