With the 2001 UD mens and womens soccer seasons now firmly in the books, it’s time to take a quick look at what happened this year and hand out our annual UDPride Player Awards in distinct categories for those players who set themselves apart over the course of the season.

MENS SOCCER

The Flyers, picked to win the A-10 conference by us, finished 2nd in the regular season and came on strong at the tail end after a slow start that saw UD drop heartbreakers to Virginia Tech and Cincinnati at home. A quality win over Akron helped turn things around and season-ending wins over conference leaders UMass and Rhode Island helped give the Flyers a #2 seed in the A-10 Tournament. UD couldn’t make the most of the home field advantage however and bowed out to eventual tournament champion UMass.

Midfield play, thought to be a major strength in 2001, had its ups and downs and never showed the true dominance it did in 2000. The defense remained relatively strong but a few breakdowns here or there probably meant the difference between the NCAAs and a decent winning season. Defender turned forward Mike Nsien was a major surprise at scoring goals and provided a nice offensive punch to offset the juke-and-jive game of Sunday Isename. Newcomers Chris Rolfe and Tye Stebbins made major contributions all year and others like Christian Porto, Jim Graham, and Joe Hall showed good things toward the end of the year.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Erik Nelson, Sr. Midfielder

It may come as a shock to some considering Nelson finished just sixth on the team in scoring (2 goals, 5 assists), but were it not for his play, all of the players ahead of him wouldn’t have gotten their points. Simply put, Nelson was the glue that held the entire midfield together and served as the conduit from defense to offense and vice versa. While Nelson may not have made the big assist or scored the big goal, he usually found the player who did and was always involved in the play when things were going right. A strong-willed player who took on the persona of departed defender Chris Harder (2000), Nelson’s work rate was unmatched and proved to be the major force in most of the big victories on the season. There’s no denying the points scored by players like Isename, Nsien, and Rolfe, but when push came to shove, Nelson was the man who made it happen. A 2nd Team All Conference selection in 2001 (a preseason 1st team nominee), he takes home offensive honors but should be credited with an equally strong defensive game as well. The consummate two way player, he gets our nod in this category.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Denny Clanton, So., Sweeper

Clanton continues to prove why he’s among the best cover men in the conference, if not the best. With size, speed, and a cool demeanor in the Flyer defense, Clanton stopped nearly everything in his tracks and in one vs. one situations is nearly unbeatable. With a great knack for holding off opposing forwards with his strong frame and moving the ball to safety, he made it extremely difficult for teams to play balls directly to him. When a big defensive stop was needed, Clanton was usually in the mixer and two more years of him in the Flyer defensive backfield means the players in front of him on the field can play with confidence knowing they have a rock behind him.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Mike Nsien, Jr., Forward

Sophomore forward Christian Porto finishes a close second for his strong late season finish, but Nsien had perhaps the most to prove by moving from his natural position at left fullback to play forward and take on much of the scoring responsibility. That’s not easy to do, and any fullback will tell you that going from defender to striker is a lot like learning to ride a bicycle backwards. Both positions have their own unique skill sets and not everyone can jump from one to another, but Nsien’s impact as a scoring threat was significant all year and gave the Flyer fans more than they probably expected. While his fate as a striker is still unknown (he moved back to the defense late in the season), his impact on the team as the coaches searched for more goal scorers was not only an improvement on Nsien’s part, but on the team’s success as well. Sophomore defender Scott Hinshaw, a walk-on from Westerville, OH, also deserves recognition for playing well at left fullback for several games this year, proving he can handle the job if given the chance.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Chris Rolfe, Fr., Forward

It remains to be seen if Rolfe is a forward or a midfielder, and I’m not sure the coaches are sure either. What is certain however is Rolfe’s impact in his first year of college ball. Finishing second on the team in points (5 goals, team-high 8 assists), Rolfe gave the Flyers a creative spark whenever he touched the ball. Whether it was a flick, one-touch pass, twist-and-turn juke, or pulling the trigger himself, Rolfe became a priority for opposing defenders to shut down. More dangerous facing the goal than with his back turned to it, Rolfe may eventually migrate to the midfield to put more of the play in front of him, but he remains a dangerous option at striker and put up enough numbers to justify his A-10 All Rookie Selection and our nod for UDPride Newcomer of the Year.

EDITOR’S AWARD: Dan Thomas, So., Defender

If you’re looking for stats to support the play of Dan Thomas in 2001, chances are you won’t find any. But there’s so little to quantify the strong play of a defender that personal observation is all there is. Thomas, a prep All-American from Pennsylvania, can be characterized as a proverbial unsung hero who took to his game with a workman-like approach and silently did his job in the Flyer defense. One of the quickest players on the team, Thomas faced a size mismatch for much of the season while marking taller players, but used his speed and soccer IQ to hold his own nearly every game. While some athletes like to let their mouth do the talking, Thomas let his play do his. Too many times the quiet player who brings a 9-5 mentality gets overlooked at the expense of the opportunistic goal scorers, but Thomas deserves to be recognized as a Flyer who seldom had an off night. Flyer seniors Lee Crawford and Wade Fischer were similar players and should be mentioned as well for giving the squad leadership down the stretch when Dayton made a run for 2nd place in the A-10 conference.

WOMENS SOCCER

Fans who’ve re-read our preseason predictions remember us picking the Flyers to finish 2nd in the conference — for no other reason than Richmond’s relative cakewalk schedule to the regular season title. Other than that detail, we liked the Flyers’ chances even without Missy Showtime Gregg and clearly stated the NCAAs as a measurement of this team’s ultimate success or failure. As it turns out, UD reached the NCAAs for the second time in three years and made the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. But finishing a perfect 11-0 in A10 play and winning the tournament title was even more impressive. They also pieced together a 15-game winning streak after starting the year 2-5 — good enough for 2nd longest in the nation (North Carolina). The Flyers haven’t lost at home in 19 matches either, and sports the same conference winning streak. What a year it was.

Scoring goals was a concern and, though UD never really blew anyone out, the Flyers scored enough to win 17 games against their toughest schedule in school history. Four of six losses were nationally ranked UCLA (#2), Santa Clara, (#3), Stanford (#6), and Michigan (#20). The remaining two losses were to Big-10 and Pac-10 members. Bad losses were simply nonexistent.

The defense was strong as expected and players like redshirt sophomore Shannon Kuhl and senior Megan McKnight provided the offense. Erin Showalter turned into a budding star and the freshmen were starter material from the season opener. Dayton loses three terrific seniors in Sarah Walker, McKnight, and Bridget Bushman — the most successful class in school history. Replacing them will be tough, but with eight returning starters, several more players on the bench with starter potential, and a strong recruiting class, the Flyers are in great shape for a 2002 preseason national ranking. With Steph Weisenfeld manning the goal and showing senior leadership, everything looks in place to outdo this year’s accomplishments.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Megan McKnight, Sr., Midfielder

Unlike the last two seasons when the Flyers looked for the boot of Missy Showtime Gregg nearly every trip down the field, her absence meant other players had to step up their game. Nobody did it better than McKnight. A perennial All Conference player, McKnight was a scoring threat in 2000 but turned up the juice this year and put together one of the best overall seasons by a UD midfielder in recent memory. The team’s leading scorer (7 goals and a school record 13 assists), McKnight always managed to be involved when UD was on the offensive prowl. The de facto free kick specialist, McKnight’s goals were among the most important all year and her 25yd strike for the final goal of her career against UCLA in the NCAA Sweet 16 made this an obvious choice for us. More than goals and assists however, McKnight did a great job at possessing the ball and distributing it to the flank players or forwards for scoring opportunities. A career starter for Coach Tucker, it will feel odd in 2002 without her in the lineup.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Erin Showalter, So., Sweeper

Nobody had a more dominant season than the Brunswick, OH, native. Already a great sweeper who somehow missed the A-10 All Rookie squad a year ago, we tabbed her as the Top Newcomer in 2000 (and pat ourselves on the back for it). In her second season, she established herself as the most capable sweeper in the conference, good enough to earn her the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Always cool and calm, never panicked, and rarely rattled, Showalter cleaned up everything in her path and did a tremendous job of starting the Flyer offense from the very back of the UD defense by picking out players in the midfield for possession balls. She also has a number of nifty moves with the ball at her feet to beat a player or two and bring the ball upfield so the Flyers start their offense closer to the midfield stripe. Expect more dominance in her final two years and a couple more 1st Team All Conference nominations. Ironically, Showalter’s great play left GK Steph Weisenfeld with fewer opportunities to make big saves in 2001 and give her a run for her money as the top defender. Any goalkeeper will tell you however that the less shots they see, the better.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Tesia Kozlowski, Fr., Midfielder and Jen Simonetti, Fr., Fullback

We had a hard time deciding who to give it to and, quite frankly, hate ties. After looking at the collective body of work from both players however, it was obvious that neither deserved to be slighted and were equally instrumental in their first seasons. Kozlowski, a two-time HS All-American, came into Dayton with the job of piecing together a Flyer midfield that had a tough time holding possession in 2000. By and large, she lived up to billing. The 2001 A-10 Newcomer of the Year, Kozlowski finished third in scoring (8 goals, 3 assists) and showed flashes of brillliance at certain points of the season with her bag-of-trick moves and crafty play. For a team in need of balanced scoring to offset the departure of MSG, Kozlowski was an important cog. At the same time, Jen Simonetti had the job of manning the left fullback position vacated by two year started Megan Worley. Unlike midfielders and forwards who can chance things and take risks, there’s no such luxury as a marking back and mistakes are not allowed. Typically assigned the most talented opposing goal scorer, the left back takes on the best of the best every game and Simonetti performed like a veteran in spite of her college inexperience and put a cork in her half of the field.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Shannon Kuhl, Jr, (So.), Midfielder

Out nearly all of last season with back problems, no one was sure what to expect from her. Nine goals and six assists later, she finished second on the team in points and took top honors in goals scored. Kuhl started 17 of 23 games as a freshman in 1999 and tallied three goals and one assist, but no one could have predicted her 2001 eruption. With two years of eligibility remaining, fans will have to wait and see if she elects to use the 5th year, but an encore performance from Kuhl in 2002 could prove to be huge if other players continue to develop and a couple newcomers can step in and contribute immediately. One of the best players in the air and now a legitimate go-to player, Kuhl’s improvement, especially after sitting out all but one game in 2000, earns her the Most Improved Player. Judi Aschenbrener, a sophomore forward, deserves mention as well for her late season push. Aschenbrener turned into the super sub off the bench and had critical goals in games against Richmond and Maryland and, in the last few games of the year, gave opposing defenders fits. She was hobbled in 2000 with nagging knee injuries that slowed her down and kept fans waiting for that punch that garnered her two-time HS All America status at Bay Village, OH.

EDITOR’S AWARD: Sarah Walker, Sr., Defender

Completely subjective and contingent on my own personal observations and biases, Sarah Walker best exemplified the relentless fight, spirit, and gung-ho attitude this year to take home the honors for this award. Handed the difficult task of switching from offense to defense, Walker moved to right fullback to replace Beth McHugh’s shoes as McHugh moved to offense. In short, Walker had the best season of her career and gave more to the Flyers as a gritty defensive mark than her prior three seasons in the offense. At just 5-1, Walker played with a size disadvantage nearly every game, but her bulldog mentality, quickness, and never-say-die approach turned into one of the great stories of the 2001 season. It’s not easy moving from the glory of the offense to the relative anonymity of the defense — a thankless job indeed — but Walker exemplified the team concept that everyone adopted and led the charge by giving up some of that glory for the good of the team.