April 8, 2007

DAYTON, Ohio - For most soccer players, weather like this is unheard of - bone chilling temperatures and numbing winds that make playing the game incredibly challenging.

Despite game time temperatures in the low 30s, the Dayton Flyers secured a 1-0 win over the Akron Zips and lost 1-0 to the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Flyer Invitational.

"Our defense was very solid all day and we were rewarded with a shutout in the second game," said UD head coach Dennis Currier. "I felt we were outplayed in our first game and did not perform to our potential after doing so well last weekend. We reacted very well in the second game against Akron and scored a great goal."

The temperature Saturday was 31 degrees with a 20-degree wind chill, thanks to winds at 19 mph. Many players and the referees covered their ears and the crowd was bundled up like it was a football game.

With the arctic-like conditions, Dayton with the split moved their spring record to 3-2-0 overall. The win over Akron was big for Dayton because it showed a young UD team it can compete with a consistently winning program. Akron earned five straight NCAA Tournament appearances until 2005 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen twice during that span.

In the Akron contest, freshman Zach Weiss fired a 30-yard laser into the lower right hand corner during in the first half for UD's only goal. Junior Zach Gibbens earned the shutout in net thanks to some great defensive help from Weiss, freshmen Randy Dennis, Alex Torda and Ryan Handbury.

UD didn't quite live up to its stellar performance in the Ohio State game losing the contest on a deflected goal late in the second half. The Buckeyes, a member of the Big Ten Conference and a program that has advanced to the NCAA Tournament four of the last seven years, matched Dayton's intensity on the field.

In the other games at the Flyer Invitational, the Marshall Thundering Herd upended the Cincinnati Bearcats 1-0, then stopped the Zips 2-1. Ohio State and Cincinnati tied their second contest 0-0.

"We are pleased to have held such a competitive tournament at Baujan," Currier said. "All the games were very close."

Dayton hits the road on Saturday, April 14 with a battle against the Butler Bulldogs starting at 6:30 p.m. EST.