Last year’s 11-5-4 mark under first-year Head Coach Dennis Currier didn’t generate a lot of excitement at times. There were no big victories and the Flyers didn’t seem to completely gel until the A10 conference tournament, but that’s not to say the season was a disappointment. Given the new staff and coaching strategy, piecing together a 2nd place finish in the conference with good but not great talent is nothing to sneeze at. In 19 matches, Dayton lost just five overall. After putting the season in proper context, there’s good reason to look back on 2005 as a transitional moment predicated on building a new identity first and generating marquee headlines second. What the season lacked in sizzle, it made up for in long-term substance and stability. That’s going to be even more important in 2006 given the losses to graduation. The team returns to the field with a completely different look, many questions, and a host of unproven players. The good news is Dayton has a battalion-sized group to play the numbers game and hope any 15 on a given night are up to the challenge.

To understand this year’s team, the first place to start is last year’s departed senior class. Gone are target forward and leading scorer Omar Jarun, current Chicago Fire starting defender Dasan Robinson, and iron-tough midfielder Terry Alvino. All three were at the top of the team scoring chart but the news gets worse. Fourth leading scorer Jonathan Welsh, a transfer from Creighton, exhausted his one remaining season of eligibility and has moved on as well. Fans won’t forget Lubomir Bogdanov either, an undersized but dynamic striker who played just eight matches before suffering a career-ending knee injury. For those counting at home, Bogdanov was the fifth leading scorer. Together, these five accounted for 28 of 37 goals and 19 of 36 assists, leaving sophomore midfielder Joe Olwig (4g, 2a) as the top returning scorer.

Dayton suffered key losses in other areas too, including career starter Nate Darr in the central defense along with cagey midfielders Brennen Randquist, Damion Blackburn, and George Nanchoff. Defenders Richie Campbell and Devin McKenney are no longer in the program. It’s hard to comprehend a larger or more important senior class waving goodbye, but those were the cards dealt to Currier when he took over the program and turnover in year two was a foregone conclusion.

The Flyers must completely re-vamp the starting 11 with players either unaccustomed to the role or unfamiliar with the rigors of D-I soccer. Things are not all crocodile tears however. The coaching staff hit the recruiting trail extremely hard and brought in a steamer ship full of newcomers from all parts of the globe. With some help from program veterans taking a more active role on the pitch, the tools are there to craft something worthwhile. How long it takes and what the ultimate ceiling is for 2006 remains open for debate even after a 1-0-1 preseason campaign against Ohio State and Bowling Green.

Senior Nick Tarkany, a one-time transfer from East Carolina and Miamisburg HS product, stands the best chance of starting in goal. He started 11 matches in 2005 and split about half the reps with Steve Ladislaw. Ladislaw graduated which leaves Tarkany as the only goalkeeper with meaningful experience. His goals against average of 0.76 is excellent and goalkeeping instincts very sound. But three other talented prospects on the hands team will make things interesting. Redshirt freshman Alex Davis might have the best chance to unseat Tarkany or take significant minutes away. A much-heralded recruit from Minnesota two years ago, Davis is vocal and loves to organize things behind the back line. He split time in goal during the preseason exhibitions and looked very comfortable in front of the net. Transfer Zac Gibbens comes to Dayton from Creighton University where he earned 20 minutes of playing time in 2005. The Loveland, CO, native has two years of eligibility remaining. Incoming freshman Scott Caltabiano hails from Peachtree City, GA, the same hometown as former goalkeeper Matt Troop. With four goalkeepers on the roster, chances are slim that all four will play, so Caltabiano stands the best chance of redshirting in light of the fact that Gibbens already exhausted his redshirt year at Creighton.

Defensively, it’s going to be a completely new look. Freshman Randy Dennis, one of the most heralded newcomers, was a mainstay on the Region III ODP team in Texas and has all the tools to be a first-rate central defender along the lines of Denny Clanton. While he lacks Clanton’s size and muscle, he has the same instincts and might be a half-step quicker. It’s not out of bounds to say he may log iron man minutes out of talent and team necessity.

The one constant for Dayton remains Ian Mulligan, a gritty defender who is most comfortable on the outside. Mulligan is the type of player boxscores were never meant for because he does the small, tedious things prima donnas elect to ignore. It doesn’t make for flashy soccer, but it’s the reason he earned 1,854 out of a possible 1,917 minutes in 2005. Sophomore walk-on Eric Dempsey did not play last year but earned starts in both exhibitions. The Brighton, MI, product has a lot of the same tools as former Flyer Devin McKenney. It’s apparent Dempsey is in good favor at the moment and has the inside track for a starting spot early on.

Sophomores Ryan Hefley and Joe Olwig are tweeners capable of transitioning the Flyers from defense to offense. Both do a nice job of tracking back to find a mark even if they are pushing forward as midfielders. Expect Olwig to be a mainstay in the lineup all year. Hefley has good speed and quickness.

Senior Tony DiBello started his career as a striker but moved to the defense at the tail end of Dave Schureck’s tenure. Most strikers are habitual cherrypickers by nature and make for a poor defender, but DiBello is quite the opposite. His best position will end up being the one Dayton needs help with most. Redshirt Freshman Josh Paulus sat out last year but the former 1st Team All-State player from Maryland has plenty of prep credentials to earn quality minutes, especially considering UD’s precarious position in the back line. Freshman Kyle Basil, one of the most underrated recruits in the state a year ago, has a lot going for him and could chart the same career path as underrated Flyer recruit Nate Darr in the back line. At 5-9, Basil doesn’t have the size some look for, but he has the wheels and soccer IQ to make up for it.

Senior Antti Arst should find plenty of minutes in the midfield this year. The on again/off again starter from Estonia always brings something important to the field and is one of the best at getting forward and lurking behind a defense. A former A10 All-Rookie selection, Arst has more experience than just about anyone else in the middle third of the field and with a team as young as this one, that could be a major factor. Senior Oliver Condell returns after redshirting in 2005. He played 172 minutes in 2004 after transferring from Andrews JC in Florida. Without a large senior class, it’s safe to say Condell’s importance may rest in leadership as much as it will playing time. Junior Aaron Swanson knows just one speed – fast. Extremely physical and never bashful about taking on defenders with the dribble, Swanson can spend time in the midfield or at forward; he’s one of those utility players a coach has to play because of the energy level and aggressiveness he brings to the field. Look for Patrick Polito, a talented 5-11 freshman from Australia, to make a strong case for a starting job somewhere in the midfield before the season is over. Polito registered a goal in the preseason win over Bowling Green. Michael Hanley, Jr., hails from Christian Brothers HS in St. Louis, a Flyer pipeline of sorts over the last few years. The 5-11 midfielder helped CB win a pair of state titles while maintaining their annual lofty national ranking among the country’s elite. Zach Weiss, a 6-0 freshman from St. Louis University HS – the same HS as Ian Mulligan – gives UD another option in the back line.

At striker, there are no easy picks just yet. Sophomore Caleb Lindemann definitely has the mindset to be a reliable goal scorer somewhere down the line. He will run over you to get to the ball and at 6-2, possesses just the size a team needs to turn him into a target forward. Junior Tyler Imbrogno, a local product of Centerville HS, might be the fastest player on the team. When he turns on the jets, defenders have their work cut out, but he’s yet to establish himself as a player who can manufacture goals. He looked dangerous in the exhibitions however and registered a goal and assist in the two matches. With the experience he brings as an upperclassman, it may be enough to earn a starting job.

Two of Ohio’s top recruiting prizes look to be a scoring threat as well. Freshmen Jeff Popella and Ryan Hartman each earned Ohio Player of the Year in their respective divisions and added NSCAA All-America credentials too. Popella, at 6-1, possesses great speed and knows how to turn the corner. Hartman is cut from the same cloth and both are terrific reflections of the coaching staff’s ability to recruit the state of Ohio.

Freshman Ben Murray looked extremely confident in the two exhibitions might have the inside track at a starting spot as a midfielder or striker to open the non-conference schedule. At 5-10, he’s extremely quick and brings a blue-collar effort to the field, much of that groomed from his days at St. Francis DeSales HS, in Columbus — one of the best prep programs in Ohio year in and year out. David Greenman, also 5-10, remains another option somewhere in the Flyer offense. The LaGrange, IL, native redshirted in 2005 and has four years of eligibility remaining. The surprise player may end up being freshman Alex Torda from Dallas, TX. The 1st Team All-State player was one of the best recruits out of the talent-rich Dallas-Ft. Worth area and made the most of his minutes in the preseason matches. While he came off the bench in both games, there’s a chance Torda finds his name in the starting lineup before the end of the year.

The Flyer coaching staff ventured to all parts of the globe to round of the recruiting class. Ryan Handbury calls Nottingham, England home and is a 6-0 defender. Also in the defense, Frenchman Florian DeCamps stands 6-4 and it tallest on the team alongside Eric Dempsey. DeCamps hails from the city of Cannes, the film festival capital of Europe. Gary Long is a 5-9 midfielder from Newtownards, Northern Ireland and earned a starting spot in both exhibitions. Long is a graduate student so that means he has one year to make something happen. One-year transfers are rare, but like Terry Alvino last season, we think the UD coaches felt Long was good enough to start all year to make it worth his time. Simeon Zaprianov comes to UD from Sofia, Bulgaria and brings great size (6-3) to the midfield or up top as a striker. Zaprianov has three years of eligibility remaining and looked fairly astute in the two dress rehearsals. Tomas Layrisse should bring South American flair. The Caracas, Venezuela prospect arrives as a 5-7 midfielder with four years to prove himself.

The new names and faces are daunting. Fans must work a few spreadsheets to keep it all straight, but much of it was expected considering the unbalanced classes over the last two seasons. Those numbers have finally caught up with the program, but the new coaching staff has done a nice job of mixing in true freshmen and transfers to spread the wealth. As a whole, no less than 17 players come to Dayton as fresh souls in 2006 and just seven others are holdovers from the Dave Schureck era. Dennis Currier has his fingerprints all over the program now and it should be interesting to see how all of the pieces come together. Most interesting is the global reach of the Flyer roster. Not only are there several internationals, but those from inside the border hail from all over too. This tells us two things: the UD soccer sales pitch is being marketed far and wide, and many prospects are convincing themselves it’s worth the effort to venture far from home to be a part of the program. That’s no easy sale.

Looking ahead at the schedule, there are pitfalls and there are opportunities to chalk up some victories while breaking in a bunch of new players. The Flyers open things up at the Lakeside Classic on the campus of Northwestern University. UD plays Northern Illinois and finishes up with the host team two days later. Returning home, four winnable home games follow with matches against Butler, Belmont, Western Illinois, and IUPUI. Things get tougher with a road trip to the University of New Mexico for a weekend tournament against the likes of Tulsa and national power SMU. The Flyers polish off the non-con with a home game against cross-town rival Wright State before diving into the A10 conference schedule. Dayton received a fair draw this year, playing Charlotte, Richmond, Rhode Island, and UMass at Baujan Field, but league favorites St. Louis and Duquesne are away from home. LaSalle and George Washington round out the away matchups. With Dayton picked to finish fifth in the preseason A10 poll, the top four teams consisting of SLU, URI, DUQ, and CHA are split down the middle home and away.

The Flyers have a lot in their favor. There’s a solid coaching staff with a proven track record, a knee-deep roster of talented prospects, a terrific home field advantage, and some winning tradition mixed in. The logical next step for the program is nailing down that elusive NCAA bid – a program first. Past Dayton teams have won the A10 regular season title or tournament title, but no automatic bids made the NCAA journey a reality.

Not a lot separates the haves from the have-nots in D-I men’s soccer. Even the suspect programs field quality athletes and just enough players to keep teams honest. What separates the 14-win teams from the 7-win teams are intangibles such as chemistry, experience, leadership, coaching, and perseverance. The 2006 Flyers don’t strike out by any means, but there are enough unanswered questions heading into the season opener to take notice of. There are no proven goal scorers, no preseason A10 All-Conference nominees, a retooled defense, and that aforementioned incoming class of talented but still wet-behind-the-ears prospects in need of a year or two of seasoning. Anyone on the schedule is ripe for the taking, but those same teams may feel likewise about the Flyers.

It would be easy to count the number of goals lost to graduation, the number of senior starters departed, the number of new replacements, and conclude things are headed for serious trouble – at least for a year or so. While we agree Dayton is probably a year or two away, we also think the 2006 team will surprise a few people. The players are hard-working and cannot afford to take a day off; there are too many second and third options for the coaching staff to call upon. There are no marquee players (yet), but everyone has A10-level talent or better. The conference picked the Flyers fifth and we think that’s realistic, but 4th or 3rd is not out of the question. Neither is 6th, 7th, or 8th. But we’re optimists and believe in the coaching staff’s ways and means. The best isn’t here yet, but the better Flyers do now, the better the Flyers become later.

Our prediction: 11-7-2, 4th place A10, A10 tournament semifinals