The Flyers finally finished off the Xavier Musketeers in the conference opener Thursday night, but only after an hour delay due to rain and lightning and some tense moments in the waning seconds of the match. The Ministry of Defense proved once again to be the difference however as Dayton earned its fifth shutout in seven games to help improve the overall team record to 6-1 (1-0) on the season. Xavier falls to 3-4 (0-1).

With heavy rain and lightning hanging over Baujan Field for the 7:30pm kickoff, players and fans had to wait out the weather and hope it would pass soon enough to squeeze in the match between conference rivals. An hour later, things got underway and Dayton took control immediately.

The Flyers got off to another good start in the opening minutes and controlled most of the possession as they moved the ball forward and penetrated the Muskie defense. With a wet field however, things remained tricky and it appeared as if the Flyers were trying to disect a Xavier defense that, in all honesty, wasn’t strong enough to warrant such pinpoint execution. With the balls skipping, perhaps a few more quick counters and through balls might have done the trick, but the Flyers did well nonetheless to steer the match in their favor.

Dayton nearly got on board when Beth McHugh broke to the box and met a beautiful cross with a strong redirect from 10 feet out, but she couldn’t get over the top of it and Xavier escaped an otherwise certain goal. A few minutes later however it was McHugh on the serve, placing a perfect ball to the far post that senior Shannon Kuhl headed over XU goalkeeper Megan Veith for what proved to be the lone score of the game. But it didn’t appear the Flyers were done after Kuhl’s first tally of the year. Dayton kept the pressure on and, after weathering a couple Xavier corner kicks that could have knotted the game a 1-1, UD finished up the half with more pressure in the Xavier half of the field.

As the second half started, most fans expected Dayton to continue where they left off. With several golden opportunities to score in the first half gone and just a goal to show for it, the law of averages seemed to suggest that if Dayton created the same number of opportunities, a 3-0 or 4-0 victory was in the cards. But it didn’t happen. Xavier controlled much of the second half and put more sustained pressure on the Flyer goal than the other way around. While XU’s Megan Veith made a terrific save on a point blank shot late in the match, the Muskies had more chances before and after to sneak in an equalizer and send the game into overtime. The Muskies looked quicker and more dominating in the midfield in the final 45 minutes and made the most of it by putting several balls in the Flyer box that necessitated defensive clears. XU also earned several corner kicks in the final minutes, but fortunately, Dayton was able to get a head or boot on the ball and save the day. Goalkeeper Steph Weisenfeld didn’t make many saves on the night, but those she did were on quality shots by the Muskie offense that might have found the back of the net against other keepers. Defender Jen Simonetti was responsible for several big defensive stops as well and did a great job of winning headers in the air all night to keep the Xavier attack from breaking through. As the final seconds of the match came to a close, the Muskies had one last corner kick to tie the game but couldn’t convert and dropped a match that appeared to be a walkover but turned into a grinder down the stretch.

Freshman midfielder Laura Boland and freshman Katie Lowstuter played very good soccer in stretches. In Boland’s case, it appeared as if she took a greater role in the offense than prior games and may look to pull the trigger in the future rather than simply dish to teammates when scoring opportunities present themselves.

With the one hour delay and the wet field, it’s hard to judge the readiness of the Flyers too critically, but UD certainly wasn’t as sharp as they were against Michigan State last Sunday. The Muskies had few real weapons and did most of their second half damage on sheer grit and hustle, but had Dayton played quicker and more assertive, their overall raw talent would have added another score and broke XU’s spirit. As it was, the slim lead kept their hopes alive and perhaps fueled Xavier to their re-energized second half showing.

Consider it a survival game wrapped around unscheduled circumstances. The Flyers will need to pick it up again next weekend when they tackle Illinois and Oakland on the road — both much better squads than the rebuilding Muskie program that showed themselves Thursday night. With more than a week to prepare and the first conference game — and victory out of the way — it’s a great chance to rest the legs a bit and rededicate the effort to the last non-conference games of the year. Any victory over the Muskies is welcomed and with another win chalked up and a 6-1 record in the bag, two of UD’s four toughest foes remaining on the schedule loom next weekend. If the Flyers can go on the road and take care of business against the other regional powers, it leaves a conference schedule that is incredibly favorable. But that’s if the Flyers finish off scoring chances much better than Thursday night. Against the top teams on the schedule, the Flyers can’t afford to bank on winning every match with a shutout. Dayton will need two, three, or even four goals against a good foe, and next week would be great timing for it.