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 Men's Soccer Preview
2011 UD Men's Soccer Preview
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
08-23-2011
2011 UD Men's Soccer Preview

DAYTON (OH) -- Three years ago the Dayton Flyers were A10 tourney Champions and enjoying their first-ever NCAA bid. A season later, UD put up another solid effort, finishing 14-5-1 (7-1) and claiming the A10 regular season title. Last season however, youth, inexperience, and a battalion of new players forced the Flyers to rebuild. As a result, Dayton failed to reach .500 by finishing 7-8-3 (3-4-2) as punishment for dropping the last three matches of the season. Can the Flyers climb their way back to championship contention in 2011?

Dayton's defense was never a problem last season, surrendering just 15 goals in 18 matches. Normally that would be enough to post a respectable record. In fact, the goals-against-average bettered the 2008 and 2009 squads that won the A10 or made the Big Dance. The problem? Scoring.

The Flyers found the net just 20 times last year, after scoring 46 goals in 2008 and 39 in 2009. The squad consisted of 14 true freshmen, many of them asked to take on a significant role in the attacking half of the field. As the defense did everything it could to give the Flyers a fighting chance, the offense was a half-baked product not ready for prime time. Upperclassmen pay the freight and always have. The pups were thrown to the wolves and the wolves bit back.

OFFENSE

Many faces return from last year and all the lumps taken by a freshmen class should start to pay off in some measure for 2011. Still, there are no proven scorers so there are far more questions than answers. Dayton isn't one player away from developing a potent attack, but rather four or five. To shine further light on the problem, last year's scoring was paced by defender Tommy Watkins (3 goals).

Former prep All-Americans Marlon Duran (US National Youth Team) and Ryan Bauer (started all 18 matches) left UD in the offseason, a pair that finished third and fifth on the squad in scoring. Badir Sherman, an A10 All Rookie selection in 2010, left school in the spring after citing differences in the style and play of the program. Sophomore Nate Dombrowski adds to the list of departures; he started eight of 18 matches last season. Fellow Texas product Sewell Strifler, a former Top-100 recruit, is no longer around either.

Throw in a pair of graduations to internationals Henrik Karlsson and Oskar Kretzinger -- combining for 15 starts -- and it's easy to see why last year's inexperience may be just as pronounced in 2011.

Who's back? Junior Evan McCreary started 14 matches last year and finished second on the squad in scoring (2g, 2a). Promising sophomore Jordan Beckett (2g) started all 17 matches he appeared in. Fellow classmates Victor Duru (2g) played in 13 matches, while Andres Acevedo (1g, 1a) started 12 matches in 14 overall appearances. A handful of other returnees add to the numbers but not necessarily the scoring punch.

Success in the attacking half of the field rests in three key areas. UD must get 4-6 players to make significant strides in their level of individual play, the offense must show greater patience by generating long stretches of possession on the ground, and the attacking players must learn to succeed as a unit working on the same page.

Too often last year, the pups looked like deer in headlights, still accustomed to the speed and physicality of prep ball. That resulted in a lot of giveaways in the midfield and helpless long balls up top that were far too ambitious to convert for even the Chris Rolfes on the world.

The offense is a good news/bad news proposition. The program lost a lot of players but not much scoring. The Flyers return a bunch of players with a year of valuable experience, but not much scoring to show for it. Somewhere, somehow, UD must develop a few potent goal scorers. Division I soccer is too competitive anymore to not rattle off your All-Conference attacking players.

DEFENSE

After allowing just one goal a match in 2010, the UD defense over-achieved considering the pressure placed on them for much of the season.

The Flyers lost Tommy Watkins, the best defender and leading goal scorer from 2011. Watkins had a solid -- if not underrated -- career after breaking his leg as a freshman. Capable of defending one-on-one or in space, his leadership and physical play will be hard to replace.

Being asked to lead the defense this year is senior Jack Pearson, a Conventry, UK, native and preseason All-A10 selection.

Also eturning is talented sophomore Jonathan Nelson and RS junior Michael Deyhle. Both started all 18 matches last year, two of just four players overall to start every kickoff. They are perhaps the surest thing on the squad and will be asked to provide more quality play throughout the year as the offense sorts itself out.

Looking beyond these three defenders, the rest of the unit is largely wide open. Look for a couple newcomers to assert themselves and fight for a starting role for the season opener.

In goal, RS senior Tyler Picard started all but one match and returns for his final season, though his services may be in doubt due to medical reasons. Sophomore Alec Storm got the call in the exhibition match against Bradley last weekend and was mostly effective. Overall, UD has quality goalkeeping depth and it shouldn't be a major concern all things considered.

NEWCOMERS

Head Coach Dennis Currier brought in over a dozen newcomers in 2010, but the massive roster turnover necessitated an equally large class of prep stars and transfers this year.

Junior transfer Whitney Browne started at striker in the exhibition, while Switzerland product Abe Keller tallied three shots from the midfield in the same match. Other internationals from England, Germany, Bulgaria, Ghana, and Ontario round out a large and seemingly talented class of fresh faces -- some of them transfers offering additional maturity and physical play.

Judging by what fans saw against Bradley last weekend, a lot of the newcomers will play and be asked to carry a large burden. Exactly who steps up remains to be seen.

SCHEDULE

Dayton takes on all comers in 2011 and wastes no time getting right into things. UD opens the season at Kentucky. They travel to Bloomington for a weekend tournament against pre-season Top-20 programs Indiana and Notre Dame. The Flyers entertain Houston Baptist in the home opener on 9/9, following by Western Illinois two days later. Another pair of road matches follow in Wisconsin against Eastern Illinois and host UW-Green Bay. Dayton hosts always-dangerous Illinois-Chicago at home in a rematch of the 2008 NCAA First Round game, followed by a road match at mid-major power Oakland. UD wraps up the non-con schedule with a home date against underrated SIU-Edwardsville.

The A10 schedule includes home matches against LaSalle, Fordham, GW, Richmond, and Xavier, leaving roadies at St. Joseph's, Temple, St. Louis, and Charlotte.

Considering SLU and Charlotte are among the top programs in the league every season, earning results on the road at those two A10 contenders won't be easy. Upstart Xavier might be the darkhorse favorite in the conference, while the remaining matches should prove no easier.

Dayton has a chance to make lemonade out of a very challenging schedule if they can earn a few positive results early on -- especially away from the friendly confines of Baujan Field. More importantly, the success would inject a much-needed boost in confidence into both the players and coaches.

CONCLUSION

The league preseason poll placed the Flyers 7th. It's hard to put Dayton any higher given the massive question marks on offense. Perhaps more important than the lack of proven goal scorers is the lack of cohesion within the roster itself. When turnover consumes half of the roster and internationals add language and culture adjustments, it's difficult to develop continuity from year to year. Players cannot read the minds of other teammates after a four-week orientation.

In 2008 and 2009, the Flyers were where Flyer fans expected them -- at or near the top of the A10 and in contention for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Last year was a struggle. On paper, 2011 looks like a similar struggle for similar reasons. The returnees in the midfield and offense have yet to earn a reputation, and the newcomers have a learning curve no different than last year's large incoming class.

The Flyers started just one upperclass field player in the scrimmage against Bradley, and nearly half of the underclassmen were fresh faces to the program. That dress rehearsal also suggested a few other things. While UD scored a goal in extra time, they hardly threatened the opposing goal mouth all afternoon, struggling to even build an attack for long stretches. The Braves were picked 2nd in the under-rated Missouri Valley this year. If UD can once again rely on the defense and eek out a few results, perhaps finishing above .500 is realistic.

Fans may be asking a lot for that to happen however, considering all of the unknowns and the challenging non-conference schedule. There is hope, but it rests in the team's ability to get better as the season progresses and learn something new from match to match.

Division I men's soccer is so competitive that a margin of 10-15% separates the 5-10-2 squads from the 13-2-2 programs playing in the NCAA tournament. Every team has great athletes and every team has a handful of individual talents capable of moments of brilliance. Success lies in the nuance of the game -- within the margins where all the little details get sorted out. The Flyers remain a work in progress here.

All things considered, finishing in the top half of the A10 and making the A10 postseason tournament is what sensible fans can realistically expect. The tough non-conference schedule will make finishing above .500 equally difficult. If UD does both, it makes 2012 far more encouraging for a return to typical Flyer form.
__________________

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 02:28 PM.


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.