Alexis Kiehl set the table once in each half for her teammates, resulting in a 2-0 shutout victory over the Rhode Island Rams on a rainy and cool Thursday evening at Baujan Field. Dayton improves to 4-8-3 (2-3-2), while Rhody falls to 4-7-1 (1-4-2) and more or less played themselves out of an A10 Tournament bid.

With playing conditions downright awful to start the match, both teams were fighting both Mother Nature and each other in an effort to keep their fleeting Atlantic-10 Tournament bid hopes alive. A heavy rain and blustery winds made for sloppy soccer at times in the opening minutes of the first half, but the Flyers were nonetheless more aggressive and more dangerous.

The biggest takeaway early on was Dayton’s attacking players proving more dangerous than Rhode Island’s mids and forwards. Micayla Livingston was especially effective along the right touch line, able to get past her defender and turn baseline for excellent crosses in the box. Unfortunately her teammates couldn’t finish the great opportunities. After the first 20 minutes of play, the match remained scoreless even though UD probably should have found the net once or twice.

Alexis Kiehl was the most effective attacking player for Dayton, especially in one vs. one situations where she could isolate her defender and challenge with the dribble-drive. Kiehl twisted a few Ram defenders into giant pretzels on at least two occasions directly in front of the box, but her resulting shot was either blocked or saved by the URI defense.

Rhode Island couldn’t contain her forever however and she finally caught them flat-footed in the 34th minute on a well-placed dink behind the last URI defender for teammate Meghan Blank to run onto. The back-door pass allowed Blank to walk it in and put a shot past the Ram goalkeeper to make the score 1-0.

Up a goal, UD was where they wanted to be in a match they absolutely had to win if they stood any reasonable chance of playing their way into the A10 Tournament. The remainder of the half evened out a bit as the weather conditions remained problematic.

Halftime stats favored UD in shots 15-4 and corner kicks 2-1.

The second half began with the rain continuing to pour down, though the Baujan Field natural turf held up exceedingly well to the elements. Over the last 45 minutes, Dayton needed another goal to effectively break the will of the Rams and put the match out of reach. Such a task has been difficult all season and the number of soft goals surrendered made the 1-0 lead feel less than secure. Were URI to tie the match at 1-1, it might be enough to stick a fork in UD’s chances to make the A10 Tournament — other league results notwithstanding.

The Flyers did just enough in the second half to protect the one-goal lead. Much of that credit goes to the Flyer back line that played relatively clean soccer in spite of the weather. Nadia Pestell matched up with a large, physical attacking forward, but zipped her up for 90 minutes by using her speed and quickness to counter her own lack of size. Sarah Byrne slid to central defender in Abby Weigel’s absence, while Hanna Merritt — having seen just token minutes all season in two appearances — started at outside fullback and did a commendable job of defending the flanks as well. Merritt also proved effective at times when carrying possession forward — something fans saw Pestell do with success over much of the first half.

As the second half soldiered on, the overall shape and cleanliness of play began to deteriorate. Neither side had extended periods of sustained possession and neither side dominated the run of play. The match turned sloppy — less because of the weather conditions and more from tactics and fatigue. Players began to tire and 50/50 challenges were less aggressive. UD took their foot off the gas just enough to keep Rhode Island in the match with a chance to tie the score. While URI didn’t have a ton of scoring chances, there were just enough to keep the game interesting.

GK Kaelyn Johns went high for a save on a well-struck shot from distance. Ordinarily a routine save, her mitten grab near the crossbar occurred during one of the hardest periods of rain all evening, affecting her visibility and making the ball even more slippery. Thankfully she wrapped up the shot without a bobble.

Kiehl was better defended in the second half and had few chances to turn loose on URI defenders. The Rams threw two or three players in her path whenever they could and for much of the second half it was very effective. Livingston and Caroline Mink worked the touch lines to make up the difference with mixed results.

The Flyers finally got the back-breaking goal they wanted in the 85th minute when Kiehl slotted a perfectly-weighted ball to open space along the left side of the goal box. Mink finished the easy put-away to make the score 2-0 and extinguish any remaining drama.

Second half shots were just 3-2 in favor of UD, while corner kicks were 4-1. It was a far more congested and sloppy 45 minutes by both sides, some of that due to ongoing fatigue and aggravating playing conditions.

Dayton got the result they wanted — in many respects it was the only result they could afford. A loss would have moved them behind Rhode Island in the A10 standings and effectively stuck a fork in their chances to make the postseason conference tournament. The Flyers are still on life support, but stay alive to fight another day and may still control their destiny. With three matches left, Dayton needs to run the table to feel good about not only their chances to make the A10 tourney, but also about their level of play.

Thursday night’s performance was not a Picasso by any means. It’s difficult to look like a polished product in a pouring rainstorm. Still, Rhode Island is not talented and the Flyers didn’t exactly abuse them on the pitch like a rented mule. Dayton must continue to get better and take positive steps forward in their play if they want to qualify for the A10 tourney. The current product might not be good enough. To their credit, the Flyers defended well and earned the shutout — just their third clean sheet of the season. It’s no coincidence that of UD’s four wins, three are a result of holding the opponent scoreless.

UD hits the road for a Sunday match at St. Bonaventure.