By now, it’s no secret that last year’s UD mens soccer team was one of the best ever. It’s also no secret that much of the credit went to rookie D-I Head Coach Dave Schureck for surpassing the lofty expectations left before him by soccer icon Jim Launder. All it would have taken for the boo birds to crawl out from the woodwork and question the hire was a season of soccer that saw wins and losses running neck and neck. While the 1999 season wasn’t a great one on the stat sheet, most soccer aficionados knew the program was capable of much better, and it would be Schureck’s responsibility to make it happen. But would he be too inexperienced or too young or too likely to take a fall as opposed to a proven collegiate hire? The answer is now obvious.

Looking back, it was definitely the right move. UD has a long history of hiring qualified coaches who tend to stick around and establish something special. Names like Tom Blackburn, Don Donoher, Mike Kelly, Oliver Purnell, and Mike Tucker come to mind as UD coaches who by most accounts could have moved on to bigger and better things, but decided instead to stay put and build something special at Dayton. Perhaps Head Coach Dave Schureck is in the beginning stages of something similar. Perhaps he sees this program as the perfect place to build on past successes and one day soon rub shoulders with the UCLAs, Creightons, SMUs, and South Carolinas of the college soccer landscape. Sound far-fetched? You won’t think so by the time you finish reading this preview.

Looking Back…

Nothing stood out more in last year’s 14-4-2 season than pure hustle. The regular season A-10 champs outworked, outscrapped, outfought, outran, out-tackled, and outlasted nearly anyone in their path. While their technical skills were very good, no team left it all on the field like the Dayton Flyers. It was apparent from the home opener that the players loved playing hard for Coach Schureck and rarely needed sideline motivation. Now that’s respect. The team had one speed all year – flat out – and were playing well enough to flirt with the Top-25 on several occasions. Crucial road victories over UMass and nationally-ranked Rhode Island on the same weekend effectively clinched the regular season title for the Flyers and proved to fans that Dayton can win big games at home or on the road. A grueling marathon match in the A-10 Tournament semifinals left Dayton hobbling into the finals after surviving GW through 90 minutes, four overtimes, and a penalty kick shootout. With the tank nearly empty, Rhode Island got their revenge as tournament hosts and won the tournament final.

Departed seniors…

Dayton striker R.J. Kaszuba, who ended up an NSCAA All-American for his efforts, led the charge and by many accounts used the respect of his teammates to carry the Flyers all year. Kaszuba’s motor never quit and by taking the time to hustle back on defense when most scoring stars choose to cherrypick, the message he sent was a clear one: it’s the dirty work that wins games.

That pretty much describes departed senior Chris Harder as well. In an age of all style and little substance, Harder was just the opposite. Nothing in his game suggested tactical brilliance; rather, it was his ironman toughness in the central defense that kept the coaching staff sleeping like a baby at night. It was clear nobody wanted to win as much as he did and in the same breath, it’s probably just as likely that no one took the losses any harder – no pun intended. Harder’s game wasn’t boxscore material, but without him the Flyers wouldn’t have soared as they did.

Patrick Wirtz was very much like a utility infielder all season and will be missed as well. Whether at striker opposite Kaszuba or pilfering through the middle third of the pitch to set up others, Wirtz’s jersey always seemed to be in the thick of things when the good times rolled. Late in the season he got mauled on a cheap shot to the midsection an opposing player. Wirtz deserved a purple heart and the opponent a suspension from the conference. The official didn’t see it and merely handed out a yellow card, but Wirtz eventually shook it off and reminded everyone that vengeance is only for the similarly weak-minded. His cool-mindedness rubbed off on everyone all season and must be replaced.

Between the pipes, Jeff Krempec was a Flyer staple his entire career and logged numerous starts under former Head Coach Jim Launder. With stiff competition at goalkeeper in 2000, playing time subsided a bit, but the team’s confidence in his abilities never waned. In fact, a case could be made that Dayton’s roster had not one starting goalkeeper, but two or three – each equally ready and capable of leading the team as the last line of defense.

The returnees…

Not only do the Flyers return most of last year’s team, but nearly all of them have been impact players for their entire careers. It’s a veteran group with enough experience to carry Dayton to great heights in 2001, but a compliment of young budding stars continue to elevate the team’s overall talent level and give UD an endless number of options. In most cases, the Flyers are two or three deep at every position and rarely lose an edge when it’s time to go to the bench. All told, Dayton placed a remarkable four players on the 2001 preseason All-Conference team.

With Kaszuba’s departure, much of the scoring load will fall on All-Conference forward Sunday Isename. Isename, a junior, is a small jet-quick jitterbug with every move in the book when the ball is at his feet. He’ll be expected to raise his level of play another notch this year, and surpassing last year’s total of 10 goals and three assists won’t be easy. If Isename gets a bit more physical and saves his best moves for when he really needs them, he could give URI All American Nick McCreath a run for his money this year as the league’s premier scorer.

It’s anyone’s guess as to who will occupy the other forward spot, the spot vacated by Kaszuba’s departure. Sophomore Jeff Suzuki is a good bet to see plenty of action up top and showed some flashes of brilliance a year ago while coming off the bench. Christian Porto and Michael Morales should see their opportunities increase as well, along with Joe Hall, an All-State scoring star from Springfield Central Catholic who redshirted a season ago.

Handicapping all of the returnees however, the meat and potatoes of the 2001 Flyers securely rests in the midfield and UD might have one of the best groups in the nation. Preseason All-Conference nominees Erik Nelson and Wade Fischer combine with Swiss-watch reliable Lee Crawford to form the backbone. The trio of seniors do a little of everything, from scoring goals to dishing out assists to playing defense to barking orders — and that’s why they are so hard to contain. Nothing they do is best on the team, but everything they do is done well. Anyone can master a single skill, but well-rounded players are hard to come by, and Dayton has a stable of them. Senior Joe Appel only adds to the midfield’s strength. Senior Chris Moler, the former HS All-American from Centerville, can jockey between the midfield and defense and provides an even greater Flyer advantage. Expect dominance in the midfield. One can only imagine how the coaching staff will attempt to replace these seniors at the end of the year.

Defensively, Dayton was rock solid a year ago and has two of the best fullbacks in the Atlantic-10. Sophomore Denny Clanton is a physical presence and was one of only two second-year players to be named to the preseason All-Conference team. Clanton is sure-footed and is one of those defenders a coach can forget about during a game and pencil in a lockup of the opposing forward. Likewise, junior Michael Nsien plays very well in the air and is dangerous on the attack when he pushes forward for an overlap to exploit his speed. With Clanton standing six feet and Nsien at 6-1, opposing teams have an extremely difficult time of getting balls to their strikers unless players come back for the ball — in which case works completely in Dayton’s favor. Junior Dan Bestic made a solid return in 2000 after sitting out the 1999 season with an ankle injury. Like all of the other players mentioned, he’s a proven commodity and should see plenty of action in the defensive half of the field. Dan Cerwinske, yet another senior on a senior-dominated team, should see time in the defense as well and has been a perennial starter over his career, but can also move up to the midfield when a lineup change is needed.

Tending the nets is senior Matt Hutchins, an imposing 6-2, 205lb, player who emerged as the starting goalkeeper in 2000. Hutchins finished 3rd in the A-10 in league goalkeeping last year with a 0.91 GAA (goals-against average). Jason Kurdziel, a redshirt sophomore, is equally capable of guarding the pipes and should see more playing time in 2001.

The newcomers…

Ranked by Tallahassee, FL.-based CollegeSoccerNews.com as the 22nd best incoming class in the nation, the Flyers brought in an outstanding haul in the offseason that should help fill the needs left by last year’s departed seniors. Dayton recruited offense, and got plenty of it as UD went to two proven recruiting grounds and neighboring Indiana. Dayton continues to recruit locally very well and brought in the area’s best player from a year ago in Chris Rolfe. Rolfe, a forward, led Fairmont HS to the WOL league title and first-ever defeat of local power Centerville in the state playoffs. Rolfe was WOL Player of the Year, All-State, and All-Midwest for his efforts, and should make an immediate impact as a striker who likes to play directly toward goal.

Jesse Faily is yet another nab from the state of Oklahoma, joining teammates Michael Nsien, Christian Porto, and Sunday Isename. Faily brings considerable high school and club credentials to the Flyers and earned a spot on CollegeSoccerNews.com’s list of 28 Freshmen to Watch from around the nation.

Tye Stebbins hails from Zionsville, IN, and earned All-State honors as a midfielder. Stebbins, who’s brother Justin plays for Wright State, is a great distributor who puts the ball in the right place at the right time and makes everyone around him better. Steve Ladislaw, a goalkeeper from the Philadelphia area, is what Coach Schureck has described as “a lot like Chris Harder, but in the goalmouth.” Collectively, Dayton’s freshmen should fight for playing time all year and give UD perhaps the most depth in the program’s history.

The schedule…

While there’s no perennial Top-25 team on the schedule, plenty of opponents inside the nation’s Top-50 are on tap and hopefully with enough wins, the Flyers will earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and not have to worry about claiming the A-10 postseason tournament. The non-conference portion consists of former A-10 member Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Oakland, Akron, Wright State, UW-Milwaukee, Canisius, and Michigan. Cincinnati and Akron were nationally ranked as recently as two or three seasons ago and the Zips finished as national runner-up to Duke in 1986. Oakland and UW-Milwaukee are strong soccer schools typically ranked in their region. Wright State was picked third in the preseason Horizon League voting. Combined with typical A-10 foes including stalwarts Rhode Island, UMass, and surging Richmond and GW, Dayton will be tested all year but should be favored in nearly all of them. With 12 home games on the schedule and most of the stiffest tests at Baujan Field, the Flyers are the clear favorites to take home the conference title.

What to expect…

Expect the midfield to dominate and the depth to suffocate. By and large, last year’s team is this year’s team with the exception of some scoring punch offensively, but with an extra year under their belts and talented newcomers in the fold, scoring goals may not be so difficult. Nearly everyone on the squad has starting potential and while it’s a good bet the coaching staff will settle on a 15-16 man rotation as the season unfolds, it means everyone works a little harder at practice. Dayton tore up opponents in 2000 with systematic ball possession and quick strikes, and knowing the midfield was primarily responsible, nothing short of last year’s exacting success is expected.

Expect even more pressure on the ball. By all accounts, this year’s team is fitter than last year’s — and last year’s team rarely ran out of gas. With more juice in the legs, a tighter defensive team should emerge and cause even more problems for the opposition.

More players will find the back of the net. With Kaszuba’s 18 goals to make up, the returning forwards and midfielders must take more shots. Lee Crawford and Wade Fischer could emerge as go-to goal scorers.

What not to expect…

Don’t count on fire drill substitution patterns in spite of the immense depth on the roster. It’s a good bet the lineup may change over the course of the season to reflect the style of play or opposition, but Dayton will progressively fine-tune the rotation as the season unfolds. That will make cracking the lineup as tough as ever, but practices should be extremely competitive and make everyone better.

It’s not likely that any one player will end up the star. The team is talented, but the talent is evenly divided and any number of players could and should step up when the time is needed to make the big play.

The Flyers will shine if…

Everyone lives up to their potential. Dayton has the innate talent and skill to conceivably win every game on the schedule. If everyone performs their role unselfishly for the good of the team, UD will be the favorite throughout the year.

If Sunday Isename has consistent help from two or three players to carry the scoring load, opponents will have trouble preparing a game plan to stop the Flyer offense.

Defensively, Dayton must avoid the quick counter attacks and mental breakdowns that lead to cheap goals. By and large, defense was a major strength a season ago, but a few goals could have been prevented late in the game while the Flyers had the contest wrapped up. During the close matches, it might cost UD a win.

The Flyers will take a step back if…

If scoring goals becomes problematic, Dayton may encounter a few hiccups. Anytime a team must replace the scoring prowess of an All-American, question marks exist. There’s more than enough talent to put it in the back of the net, but other teams on the schedule bring equally dangerous offenses to the field and if a match needs three or four goals for the victory, Dayton must be capable.

Injuries can change things at any time. With Dayton’s depth, it’s more manageable than in years past, but no one likes to see a player out of action and when injuries do occur, they mysteriously seem to snowball and take out more than just one player.

The verdict…

What hasn’t been said? Head Coach Dave Schureck, the 2000 A-10 Coach of the Year, has all the ingredients at his side to take the Flyers to unprecedented heights. Surpassing the 14 victories Dayton posted a season ago isn’t going to be easy, but the talent level, schedule, home field advantage, coaching intangibles, and team chemistry of the 2001 Flyers make for a potent cocktail of lofty expectations. There’s simply no reason not to expect a run at the NCAAs and for the first time ever, the Flyers may have a realistic chance at an at-large birth if a postseason tournament title isn’t there for them. Fortunately, Xavier hosts the tournament this year and that means the Flyers should have a pseudo home field advantage as it’s unlikely the host team will contend for the title. Everything weighs in Dayton’s favor as the season approaches. It’s almost a bit like an aligning of the planets or a solar eclipse. Things are just right for a fantastic season and it may not look this good this early for a while. Nobody expects Dayton to fall off the radar screen a year from now, but 2001 could be the season that pushes the program over the top and into the next level of soccer competitiveness, making next year’s job a little easier.