Box Score
AKRON, OHIO – The University of Dayton women's soccer team opened the 2021 season Thursday night, as they visited the Akron Zips of the Mid-American Conference. Dayton controlled the bulk of the possession throughout the match, and that led to a decided 22-3 advantage in the shot column. Junior midfielder
Marlee Taylor netted two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match, the 10
th and 11
th goals in her collegiate career to give Dayton the 2-0 victory.
Dayton's victory Thursday night marked the third straight for the Flyers against the Zips, with the last match-up happening in 2018 at Baujan Field. The win also marks the sixth consecutive season-opening victory for the Flyers, dating back to 2016.
KEY MOMENT
A
Diana Benigno cross into the box in the 84
th minute was settled on the foot of Taylor, and she slotted the ball into the lower left corner of the net to finally break the scoreless tie late in the match. Just three minutes later, Taylor would find the ball at her feet in the box again off of a
Noel Blain rebound, and would earn herself a brace with her second goal of the match, putting it far out of reach until the final whistle three minutes later.
COACH'S COMMENT
"It's great to start the season out with a win and a shutout on the road," commented head coach
Eric Golz. "We did a good job of pushing the tempo in the second half, and scored two quality goals. Marlee finished very well on the first one and Noel made the second one happen with her creating off of the dribble. Defensively, we didn't give away any clean looks at goal, so it was a solid first outing with much to build on heading into another tough road match Sunday."
SCORING BREAKDOWN
83:46 – DAYTON GOAL by
Marlee Taylor, assisted by
Diana Benigno (1). First goal of the 2021 season for Taylor.
86:44 – DAYTON GOAL by
Marlee Taylor, assisted by
Noel Blain (1). Second goal of the season for Taylor.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will continue their road trip on Sunday, where they will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes. Sunday's match will kick-off at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available on DaytonFlyers.com.
