Box Score RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Dayton men's soccer program opened up the Atlantic 10 Tournament Thursday morning, but suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of No. 1 seed Rhode Island.
The Flyers and Rams had met earlier this season in Kingston, R.I. and Dayton fell in a tough overtime battle, 1-0. UD was looking to get revenge with a trip to the A-10 semifinals on the line.
The game started with both teams trying to get into a flow offensively as the first 10 minutes went by without either team attempting a shot on goal.
Rhode Island would be the first team to strike in the 14
th minute when a cross into the box found the head of senior Matt Sykes, putting the top-seeded Rams up 1-0 early on.
The Flyers settled in after the initial goal and played well on both ends of the field in the first half. The defense held strong and played a major role in the Flyers' counterattacks.
At the break though, Dayton still trailed Rhode Island 1-0. The Flyers hung with the Rams, recording six shots to URI's seven, but Dayton dominated in corners with a 6-1 advantage.
In the second half, the Flyers continued to hold strong defensively and peppered the Rhode Island box with crosses, trying to get back into the contest. A-10 Rookie of the Year and Ram goalkeeper Nils Leifhelm was being tested, but answering the call for the most part. Dayton's aggressiveness took Rhode Island out of their offensive game plan however.
In the end though, the Flyers were unable to record the equalizing goal and fell to Rhode Island in the A-10 Tournament opener, 1-0.
Dayton totaled 12 shots total, one on goal, while the Rams had 11 shots, three of which were on goal. There were 13 fouls in the contest for each team, but the Flyers controlled the number of corner kicks with 11 in the game compared to URI's two. Junior goalkeeper
Chris Froschauer had a pair of saves while junior
Kissima Bojang led the team with three shots.
The Flyers (7-7-5, 3-3-2 A-10) ended their season in Richmond Thursday after a strong season and a third-straight Atlantic 10 Championship appearance.
For more information regarding the 2014 Dayton Men's Soccer campaign, check back at DaytonFlyers.com.
