The 2002 season for the Dayton Flyers came to a close on a cold Wednesday night as the Xavier Musketeers took care of business for a 2-0 victory before 313 dedicated fans at Baujan Field. The match was the final appearance in Dayton uniforms for seniors Michael Nsien, Michael Morales, Sunday Isename, and quite possibly Jason Kurdziel. The Flyers finish the season at 9-10-1 while XU wraps their season up at 10-7-2. Neither squad qualified for the four-team Atlantic-10 postseason tournament.

Xavier’s victory came from a pair of goals 75 minutes apart. The Muskies scratched in the 14th minute on a breakaway when Xavier midfielder Scott Lagedrost fed Steve Barten to the near post. Barten took a couple dribbles and ripped a canon shot from 12yds out that snuck just inside the post — a shot crushed so hard that Flyer GK Jason Kurdziel had little chance on despite being in decent position to protect the potential near-post shot. After checking the net for damage, the Flyers kicked off and tried to grab the equalizer, but the Muskie defense remained as stiff as a board all night. Logan Wallace put the nail in the coffin in the 89th minute with a bazooka shot of his own that also beat Kurdziel to the near post, giving XU a 2-0 lead and ultimate victory. Between the two Muskie goals however, the Flyers battled hard and did their best to pull out a come-from-behind win.

The Flyers actually got off to a good start. Coach Schureck’s squad controlled tempo and ball possession in the first 10 minutes and the Xavier defense looked simply unorganized at times. Dayton tried playing balls to the midfielders and forwards who could flick a through ball to an overlapping runner. At times it nearly worked. Xavier had a lot of team speed however and made Dayton play wide for much of the first half. Sprints that might outleg other opponents to the ball were tougher challenges Wednesday. While not an especially tall team, XU showed plenty of lateral quickness to go along with a feisty attitude near the ball. Likewise for Dayton, the home team went hard for loose balls too. On many occasions possession was won and lost five or six times in a matter of seconds, but both sides had opportunities to put the ball in the net — not necessarily great chances but chances nonetheless. Dayton had trouble staying onside however and several chances were stopped prematurely due to a linesman’s flag.

Perhaps UD’s best scoring chance of the first half came in the final minute when sophomore forward Chris Rolfe corralled a long ball from the back that caught the Xavier back line trying to pull forward too soon. Rolfe got behind everyone and tried flicking the bouncing ball past charging XU goalkeeper Brian Schaeper, but the flick to an open net went wide and Dayton had to settle for a 1-0 deficit at halftime. Despite the score, the Flyers held a first half edge in shots (8-4) and corner kicks (5-2).

The second half turned more physical, but that was to be expected. After all, the entire point of a rivalry is to respect and dislike all in the same breath. Dayton continued to give a very good effort and much of that came in the midfield area where Tye Stebbins, Christian Porto, and George Nanchoff did their best to possess the ball and turn things up field. To Xavier’s credit however, they made things difficult. The Muskie defense played as well as any opposing defense has at Baujan Field all season. Their effort was void of anything spectacular, but it didn’t have to be as they stuck like glue to the Flyer offensive players and never seemed out of position to allow Dayton the opportunity to counter with quick strikes.

Dayton’s best second half chances came in the latter parts of the match. A handful of free kicks and a couple corner kicks let UD put decent balls in the box but nobody could find a head or foot on the ball to redirect it in the net. A pair of great crosses from just past midfield sailed toward the far post as well. Again, players were there but just couldn’t make a play. When it was all said and done, Dayton fell for just the second time at home all year. Dayton outshot Xavier 15-9 and had eight corner kicks to just six for the opposition. That said however, the match was quite even and none of Dayton’s shot on goal required a big save. XU goalkeeper Brian Schaeper had a nice game nonetheless and was a vocal part of his team’s defense, directing traffic and reminding his players that good wasn’t quite good enough during critical stretches. Xavier was as impressive as an opposing team at Baujan Field this year. They didn’t do anything great, but everything was solid — even finishing their few but important scoring chances. Opportunistic and gritty best described their play while Dayton never seemed to get a decent return on their effort. The effort was there, but it missed a spark too.

By not qualifying for the four-team Atlantic-10 postseason tournament next week, the Flyers must look ahead to next season. The loss of seniors Michael Morales, Sunday Isename, Michael Nsien, and potentially GK Jason Kurdziel will mean returning players must step up and fill in. Fortunately, many underclassmen earned considerable playing time this year and should use the experience gained as a valuable stepping stone in the offseason. The Flyers were incredibly young and should still remain one of the youngest in the league in 2003. But they should also be more experienced. Talent in the freshmen and sophomore classes is perhaps the deepest it’s ever been, making next year very optimistic. Though Dayton finished under .500 and uncharacteristically out of the A-10 tournament, Coach Schureck’s team was never far off. The Flyers were simply too much to handle at home in most cases and suffered two or three difficult defeats on the road in league play despite dominating the boxscore. Had Dayton won a couple of those on the road — especially a pair of games in the four-game road trip against the league’s top opponents to start the conference slate — the Flyers may still be playing.

All of this is good news for next year because Dayton can be one of the favorites in 2003 if they learn to polish off opponents after dominating play. At times, five or six frosh were on the field at the same time for the Flyers, indicating Dayton competed favorably in many stretches with little more than a glorified HS All-Star team. The 2002 season was a learning experience for them, but should put them way ahead of the curve compared to most sophomore and juniors as next fall rolls around. In fact, the next year’s team will largely make up the 2004 team as well, and that bodes extremely well for Dayton’s chances in the next couple of years. Look for the Flyers to take this year’s bumps as a positive learning experience. It’s no stretch to think UD could be one of the favorites to win the league in 2003, and perhaps the clear-cut favorite in 2004.