Box Score DAYTON, Ohio – The West Virginia University men's soccer team fell at No. 19 Dayton, 2-1, on Tuesday night at Baujan Field.
 
In the Mountaineers' third consecutive road match against a top-25 opponent, WVU trailed by two at halftime but closed the gap in the second half. However, it wasn't enough to erase the deficit in the setback.
 
Dayton (7-0-1) struck twice within 31 seconds in the 14th and 15th minutes to take an early 2-0 lead. The hosts took that advantage into the locker room for halftime, before WVU (2-6-1) became the aggressor in the second half.
 
Junior midfielder Ryan Baer had a well-struck ball saved in the 53rd minute to open the half, before junior goalkeeper Jackson Lee made a diving save on the opposite end of the pitch a minute later, one of his career-high six saves on the night. The Perth, Australia, native also made a big stop in the 56th minute to keep it at 2-0.
 
West Virginia got on the board in the 82nd minute, thanks to senior forward Joseph Biafora's first career goal. Fifth-year senior defender Elijah Borneo sent a ball into the box, which resulted in a scramble in front on the goal before the finish.
 
That, though, was the Mountaineers' final on-target attempt of the night.
 
The Flyers finished with a 16-10 edge in shots, including 8-6 in shots on goal. UD also had a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Junior midfielder Ryan Crooks led WVU with three shots, two of which were on goal. Junior forward Yutaro Tsukada also tallied a pair of shots.
 
With the loss, West Virginia fell to 3-2 against Dayton in the all-time series, including 1-1 on the road. The squad also fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in 2022.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers return home to take on Sun Belt Conference foe South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.