Not to be outdone, the mens soccer team took care of business against the hunter green and gold — just as the womens team did several days ago — to secure a Flyer sweep in the 2000 season. A crowd of over 800 fans watched the Flyers improve their record to 4-2-0 (0-0) on the season, while Wright State falls to 4-2-0 (0-0).

Like all UD/WSU contests, this one was intense, but it didn’t stop the Flyers from finding the back of the net in the first minute of the game as Sunday Isename collected an R.J. Kaszuba header and stuck it past the Raider goalkeeper for the early lead. The surprise goal put the Flyers in the driver’s seat for most of the first half, but Wright State picked up a much-needed halftime boost when the Raiders took advantage of a corner kick in the 39th minute, redirecting the ball past Flyer goalkeeper Matt Hutchins to tie the game at 1-1.

Dayton came out strong in the second half and took control of the possession game, forcing Wright State to defend their defensive third of the field for much of it. The Flyers played intense soccer and though none of their scoring chances were serious threats, Schureck’s squad gradually wore the Raiders down and it was only a matter of time before WSU made a mistake that UD would capitalize on.

That’s exactly what happened in the 78th minute when R.J. Kaszuba found Lee Crawford in the middle of the field for a quick counter-attack. Crawford wasted little time and chipped a ball near the 18yd line for a streaking Wade Fischer who beat one defender to the ball. Fischer saw the Raider goalkeeper coming out and placed a quick boot on the ball right as the keeper tried to put his hands on it. The ball went past the keeper and rolled into the corner of the net for the game winner.

Wright State pieced together a couple threatening chances before the final buzzer, including a one-on-one with the Flyer keeper, but Matt Hutchins edged out from the goal, kept his line, and deflected a shot from 10yds out that saved a certain score. Dayton held on for the well-deserved victory and Hutchins earns his first UDPride Player of the Game award.

The Flyers were impressive in their home opener as they hustled all evening and rarely showed signs of indecisiveness. While the game wasn’t a thing of beauty and holding possession consisted of many short instances rather than a handful of long periods, Dayton was in charge and dictating the game. Dayton has exceptional speed all around and will win most footraces as well.

The Flyers host Bowling Green on Wednesday evening in a matchup that has all the ingredients for a great game. The Falcons have been one of the best programs in Ohio — and the Great Lakes region — over the last few seasons and were strong enough to earn a national ranking just a couple seasons ago. While Akron is currently getting the attention in the MAC, BGSU knows how to win and has enjoyed much success in recent times.