The University of Dayton womens soccer team has received a verbal commitment from Jennifer Simonetti, Copley HS, in NE Ohio, one of the state of Ohio’s best defenders over the last two seasons.

Simonetti, like fellow Cleveland-area standouts Erin Showalter (Brunswick) and Beth McHugh (Medina) a year ago, will be called upon to help anchor the Flyers’ Ministry of Defense that stifled opponents last season and proved to be one of the best –- and youngest — back lines in the Midwest. She chose the Flyers over Eastern Michigan, while Bowling Green, Butler, Ohio Univ., and Illinois State were also considered.

“After looking at all of the schools that I had an interest in and that had an interest in me, I decided that Dayton offers me the best future not only athletically, but also academically,” Simonetti told UDPride late last week.

On the field, the Copley HS star was a four-time 1st Team All Suburban League and three-time 1st Team All District player who guided the Indians to the D-I District Runner-Up in 1999 and 2000, as well as the D-II District Title in 1997. Copley won conference titles in 1997, 1999, and 2000. Simonetti received 3rd Team Division-I All State honors as a junior and 2nd Team D-I All State this year while guiding Copley to a 14-3-2 record as the team’s co-captain and co-MVP. Simonetti scored 14 goals and 6 assists as a junior and finished her career with 28 goals and 18 assists in spite of her back line responsibilities.

During her HS career, she has been recognized on the All Akron Beacon Journal First Team, alongside stars such as Kristen Weiss (Walsh All-American), Beth McHugh (All-Midwest — now at Dayton), and others. Copley routinely plays one of the tougher schedules in NE Ohio, including powers like Brunswick, Solon, Brecksville, Walsh Jesuit, Hudson, and Medina. Walsh Jesuit and Hudson won state titles this year.

Despite Dayton’s ever-increasing talent level, the Flyers have holes to fill in the backfield as Ingrid Zielke and Megan Worley will graduate this spring. While that may have been a reason for Simonetti’s decision, it wasn’t the only one.

“I have friends that attend Dayton, some who are members of the soccer team,” she said. “I understand the style of play and I believe I can fit in well with my former teammates.” Those former teammates include sweeper Erin Showalter and defender Beth McHugh, who teamed with Simonetti on the Ohio Premier club team — one of the strongest club programs in Ohio. Both Showalter and McHugh started for the Flyers as true freshmen, indicating Coach Mike Tucker isn’t afraid to point to the newcomers for immediate contributions.

The Flyer coaching staff has made a serious dent in recent years at inking the best HS talent the state of Ohio has to offer. Past recruiting coups like All Americans Missy Gregg and Judi Aschenbrener, as well as future stars Showalter and McHugh indicate Tucker’s ability to keep the homegrown talent in state. Simonetti is in the same category and hinted at the secret.

“At first his size was intimidating, but after I spoke with him I realized what a great coach he is going to be,” she stated. “He has a great instinct for picking out players and deciding where to play them. He’s very persuasive and it sounds like he usually gets what he wants.” But Simonetti wanted to be certain that wherever she went, the coach who recruited her would be there to see her graduate. “One of my biggest concerns was, ‘will the coach that recruited me be there for the next four years?'” she admitted.

“I have a good feeling that he will be the coach for a long time. He has been there six seasons and has gained respect from his team’s accomplishments. I feel a sense of security by going to UD. I haven’t become familiar with the rest of the staff, but the team speaks highly of everyone around.”By all accounts, next season looks to be a promising one for the Flyers as most of the major components from this year’s Atlantic-10 title team return while incoming players like Simonetti are expected to raise the bar even higher. Every year it seems, the players get better and the talent gap between the upperclassmen and new faces becomes smaller.

“I have a really good feeling that UD is only going to get better. My goal is to be in the Sweet Sixteen and maybe even further,” said Simonetti. “Coach Tucker is an intelligent coach and I believe he is doing what he has to do to move ahead. He has done such a great job with recruiting and coaching that with a little bit of experience, the team will be great.”

A multi-sport star, Simonetti ran track at Copley HS and qualified for the State Finals in the 1600M and 4x800M. She’s also a force in the classroom, earning Honor Roll and Scholar-Athlete Award status all four years.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING…

“It was a battle between two of the area’s top teams and two of the area’s top players. And the match ended in a 2-2 tie. Revere got two goals from junior forward Leslea Chopka, who was a first-team All-Suburban pick last year and Copley junior sweeper Jennifer Simonetti, also a first-team, all-league performer last year, scored a goal. Revere goalkeeper Melissa Bickett, a state qualifier in the shot put and discus last year, had five saves in the match.”
– AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 09/17/1999

“Copley’s girls soccer team did whatever Simon said in its 1-0 Brunswick Division I Sectional win over Brunswick Monday night. Behind junior sweeper Jennifer Simonetti, the unseeded Indians (12-3-2) held the Blue Devils (8-6-3), also unseeded, to four shots. ’Jennifer can clear the ball out from the front to the back,’ Copley coach Tina Salem said. ‘She provides stability in the back and it takes a lot of pressure off the girls.’ Added Brunswick coach Joe Paulick: ‘She just kept putting the ball back in our face every time we put the ball in deep….

…Copley controlled the pace of the entire first half and most of the second behind Simonetti and junior midfielder Trina Salem.” “Trina and Jen are fierce competitors,” Tina Salem said. “Trina takes over in the midfield and Jen takes over on defense. I just leave the game in their hands.”
– MEDINA GAZETTE, 10/19/1999

“In the second half, we came out, started kicking the ball all over the place. We didn’t want to play long services against this team because of Simonetti. She’s an All-Ohio caliber player, she’s the real deal.”
– MEDINA GAZETTE, 10/27/1999

“The offensive charges fizzled, however, as junior sweeper Jennifer Simonetti, arguably one of the best players in Northern Ohio, appeared to be everywhere.”
– MEDINA GAZETTE, 10/27/1999

“Copley has put together a good season. The team only had two returning starters, but has managed to put together a 9-2-1 record at this point. The Indians had a big 3-1 win over state-ranked Solon on Monday night. The Indians also beat state-ranked Chardon and Brecksville. Copley’s two losses came early in the season to Walsh and Hudson.” [UDPride Editor’s Note: Walsh won the 2000 D-II State Title and Hudson won the 2000 D-I State Title]“I’m very pleased with the way we are playing,” said Copley head coach Tina Salem. “We’re learning to play together. Our younger players were counting on Katrina Salem and Jennifer Simonetti too much. They are finally pitching in now.” Katrina Salem leads the team with nine goals, and Simonetti anchors the Indians’ defense. Annie Jenkins and Shannon Jones have also put in good minutes for the Indians.”
– AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 10/5/2000