UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
2011 UD Women's Soccer Preview
2011 UD Women's Soccer Preview
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
08-16-2011
2011 UD Women's Soccer Preview

DAYTON (OH) -- It used to be that only two things were guaranteed – death and taxes – but over the last 15 years the UD Women’s Soccer team has made a strong case for being added to the list. What Head Coach Mike Tucker has done on the Hilltop is the standard by which other Olympic sports programs at Dayton have tried to measure up to, and in the last two years those stakes have been raised even higher.

Two A10 championships and a pair of NCAA Second Round appearances have rekindled the magic that was temporarily on hold while A10 newcomers St. Louis and Charlotte stole the headlines for a few years. Back on top and looking to stay there, the Flyers have one of their most talented teams in program history returning for 2011. Two potential All-Americans, a bevy of compliments surrounding them, and a culture of success make Dayton the bookie’s best horse in the A10 race this season. Not that it’s much of a gamble when the Flyers were picked first in the conference preseason poll and most of the soccer crackpots project UD comfortably into the NCAA tournament.

OFFENSE

The conversation starts with junior Colleen Williams, a scoring machine and immoveable object in the attacking half of the field. Despite a constant battle of double- and triple-teams, Williams nevertheless bludgeoned her way to 18 goals and 12 assists – offensive numbers not seen since the days of Missy Showtime Gregg. Like Gregg, Williams earned the title of NSCAA All-American and is on the 2011 Preseason Hermann Trophy Watch List.

Williams’ explosion on the college soccer landscape may have surprised a few opponents last year, but that won’t be the case this fall. She’ll receive defensive attention like flies in a rib roast and teammates must do their part to ensure opponents pay for over-compensating. The good news is Williams can dish out helpers with aplomb. Other players will get their chances from the passing feet of Willy; they must not gag those important opportunities away.

Identifying a second scoring maestro in the offense is one of the few question marks on a team with little else in doubt. Lost to graduation were two big-time playmakers in forward Alli Giner and A10 Midfielder of the Year Jerica DeWolfe. Giner was a vastly underrated defensive talent that got drafted – by necessity -- into the offense at the halfway point of last season. What others could not accomplish in the attack, she did, and her shot in the arm in the Flyer offense might have been the turning point in Dayton’s season. DeWolfe started slow but ended her senior year as the best midfielder in the league. Capable of dishing to others, changing the direction of attack, and scoring from long-range, her absence is equally significant.

There’s a good chance senior Alexis Garcia will step up nicely. The hero of the A10 Championships with game-winners in the semifinals and finals, Garcia was tabbed preseason All-Conference this fall after finishing fourth on the team in scoring in 2010 (6g, 2a). Garcia can (and should) provide a purposeful option as a player willing to take defenders off the dribble. If she can bump her totals closer to 10 goals over the course of the season, UD’s chances improve dramatically.

Other losses in the offense include Tori Oelschlager and Kelly Blumenschein. The duo split time in the midfield and forward positions and finished fifth and sixth on the 2010 cumulative team scoring chart.

Returning players with the best chance to step up and add scoring punch include talented sophomores Juliana Libertin and Stephanie Emery. While both players offer completely different styles – Libertin the speedy field stretcher and Emery the physical tugboat -- preseason performance suggests they are ready to take on a greater responsibility. The tandem finished seventh and eighth respectively in scoring as true freshmen. Libertin did enough to earn A10 All Rookie honors.

Others worth a look up top include seniors Josie Grant and Kelsey Owen, with Owen the best bet from somewhere in the midfield. Fellow senior Emily Kenyon has been a fixture in the starting lineup for most of her career but chooses to distribute and hold back for defensive assistance.

DEFENSE

Senior Kathleen Beljan gets as much attention on the defensive side of the ball as Williams does in the attack – and for very good reason. The Hilliard, OH, native is the reigning A10 Defensive Player of the Year and should earn serious consideration for All-America status by year-end. Occupying the outside back position and typically taking on the opponent’s most dangerous forward, Beljan has made a career of overcoming size mismatches with better technique, instincts, and a larger ticker where it counts. She is so technically good at times that only card-carrying soccer nerds can point out or appreciate the attention to detail she possesses in the back line. There’s a case to be made that Beljan is the most talented Flyer at her respective position.

Beljan has a lot of help in posting clean sheets however and senior Kelsey Miller’s presence in the central defense has been under-appreciated at times. The preseason All-A10 nominee provides a degree of physicality in front of the box and wields the heaviest boot to clear dangerous balls out of harm’s way. On her other shoulder is outside back Alysha Mallon, a speedy (and feisty) junior from Newtown, PA. Mallon has the tools to be All-Conference and if not for Beljan’s exploits, would probably receive more attention as a steady and capable outside defender. Mallon may also see time further up the field.

Throw in rising sophomore Sarah Senoyuit and the Flyer defense basically returns in tact from last season’s finish. Senoyuit earned conference All-Rookie honors in 2010 and is capable of playing directly in the back line (centrally) or directly in front of Miller as a ball-winning central midfielder. With the graduation of DeWolfe in the midfield, perhaps the task of winning balls and distributing to others will come from a gaggle of players and not fall squarely on Senoyuit’s shoulders. In her defense, she’s a different player than DeWolfe in both size and mechanics. That said, Senoyuit’s added height and physicality should continue to pay off and give the team much-needed beef to battle programs from the BCS.

The Flyers have an interesting battle between the goalposts. Katherine Boone, the 2009 A10 Defensive Player of the Year, started six matches in 2010 but was largely displaced by rising senior Lisa Rodgers. Boone is hoping to win back the position permanently, but will be challenged by sophomore Jordin Melchert and junior Jackie Thompson. Melchert played the first half in the 2-0 exhibition victory over Michigan and looked sharp. Regardless of how the goalkeeping position shakes out, it’s safe to say Dayton will once again have solid mitts inside the box.

NEWCOMERS

A freshmen class comprising 10 newcomers arrive hoping to earn PT over the course of the season. While not all of them will make that ambition a reality, a few front-runners may have already emerged.

NSCAA prep All-American Kelsey Smigel hails from state power Walsh Jesuit HS and brings with her a wealth of scoring credentials. She saw significant minutes in the Flyer offense during the lone exhibition and made the most of it with some cheeky skills that put the Flyers up 1-0. Lacey Engle from nearby Carroll HS scored a second-half goal in the same match and demonstrated the kind of composure and finishing that could earn her playing time early in the year.

Amanda Sivic was First Team All State at Brecksville-Broadview Heights and continues a long line of quality players from the Cleveland area. She was a member of the NSCAA All-Region team and played club ball for the venerable Cleveland Internationals.

Haley Keller (Noblesville, IN) was a two-time All-State selection and played for Carmel United SC, one of the top clubs in the nation.

Perhaps most intriguing is international Katrin Loo, a member of the Estonian National Team with three years of eligibility. Loo was unavailable in the preseason while finishing up school overseas, but should arrive shortly and has been described as an instant difference maker in the offense.

SCHEDULE

The 2011 schedule is the most challenging in many seasons with non-conference matches against BCS schools, NCAA tourney programs, and squads picked to finish at or near the top of their respective leagues. Unlike recent schedules where UD was the likely favorite all season, Dayton may have to play the role of underdog and surprise a few teams – or at least the national pundits.

The schedule opens up at Middle Tennessee State against a squad much better than name-brand schools probably rated higher. UD kicks off the home schedule by renewing the rivalry with west coast thorn Cal Poly. The following weekend pits the Flyers against Loyola (IL) and host Northwestern on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Evanston, IL. A quick trip home to host perennial NCAA contender Wisconsin leaves little respite as Dayton travels to Purdue for another two-game tourney against Kansas and either the host Boilermakers or CS-Northridge. UD returns to Ohio for a rematch of last year’s NCAA Second Round tilt against nationally-ranked Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, followed by home matches with Kentucky and mid-major power Oakland.

The conference portion consists of another abbreviated schedule of nine games. The scheduling Gods lumped most of the home and road matches together. Dayton hosts Xavier at home before hitting the road for four games against LaSalle, Fordham, GW, and Richmond. The schedule finishes with four at home against St. Joe, Temple, St. Louis, and Charlotte.

The good news – if there is any – rests in the fact that UD avoids Duquesne and St. Bonaventure, two rising programs in the A10. The Flyers also get St. Louis and Charlotte at home to close out the regular season and it’s safe to say those matches will likely determine the overall season champ.

CONCLUSION

Examining both sides of the coin, Dayton has a lot more going for it than against it as the 2011 season commences. A Rolls Royce talent on offense and defense provides the sizzle every good team needs in order to take that next step to legitimate greatness. Plenty of reinforcements return to balance out the needs and fill holes left to graduation. The Flyers lost some very good players indeed, but not the kind that should make UD soccer fans quiver in their cleats. That’s not an indictment on the departures, rather, a pat on the back to the players groomed by them now being asked to take on a greater role. The departing seniors did their job by making sure Metropolis was left standing and in good hands.

The opportunity is there to write yet another chapter in Flyer lore – perhaps even the most captivating one yet. Provided UD filters out the noise, successfully addresses the outlined concerns, and approaches every challenge one match one at a time, there’s no reason to believe 2011 will fall flat. It won’t be easy however. In fact, the schedule assures it won’t.

Dayton may ultimately end up a better team than a year ago and lose twice as many games. If the Flyers have their sights set on earning an at-large berth in the NCAAs, they have no choice but to challenge themselves outside the A10. In 2009, UD likely misses out on the Big Dance (despite just one blemish on the season) had they not earned the automatic bid. Look no further than Charlotte’s absence from the NCAA tournament over the same period to reaffirm the reality that A10 schools must overcome natural bias in the NCAA selection process. This schedule grants Dayton an opportunity to make it academic, but only if UD continues to win.

We think, for the most part, that will happen. Dayton is the best team in the conference this year and will play in the NCAA tournament for the third season in a row. Whether that results from an at-large berth or automatic bid remains to be seen, but Mike Tucker’s team has the bacon to punch their ticket both ways. There are no sure things, but all the kinetic energy surrounding the program is, at the moment, nearing an all-time high. Small consolation for being taxed to death and fearing the reaper, but it’s a small fleeting pause from the nightmare nonetheless.
__________________

Hot shooting hides a multitude of sins.
Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
Article Tools
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.