The Eastern Illinois men’s soccer team fell short against No. 17 Dayton by the score of 2-0 Tuesday evening in Dayton.

The Panthers’ defense was forceful all night and goalie Chad Smith was able to rack up thirteen saves in the contest.

Both defenses showed up in a big way in the first half. The Panthers shutout Purdue Fort Wayne last Sunday and kept that momentum going early on against Dayton. The Flyers put four of 20 shots on goal in the first half but were unable to capitalize.

The Panther offense worked vigorously to get the ball up field, but a stifling Dayton defense that has allowed only three goals in five matches, prevented the Panthers from registering a shot in the first half.

In the 64th minute of the match, Ajago Forster was fouled at the edge of the box and awarded a penalty kick. Forster shot the ball hard and forced it right under a diving Smith for the Flyers’ first goal of the contest.

The Flyers’ offense was persistent as they shot the ball 51 times on the night with 31 of them coming in the second half. Eventually, the Flyers’ offense was able to wear down the Panthers’ defense and in the 86th minute found the goal again, this time from Andy Sanchez.

Panther head coach Josh Oakley subsequently decided to remove goalie Chad Smith, who received an applause from Panther and Flyer fans alike as he made his way from the pitch.

The Flyers move up to 5-0 while the Panthers fall to 1-3-1 on the season. The Panthers’ next game will be this Saturday, Sept. 17th, in Texas against Houston Baptist University.

Brian Barrett can be reached at 581-2812 or bjbarrett@eiu.edu