For Head Coach Mike Tucker and the womens soccer program, recruiting continues to be a major force as a trio of newcomers bring top-notch credentials in hopes of replacing the departing seniors of Ingrid Zielke, Megan Worley, and Melissa Buck.

Leading the list is Jen Simonetti (Copley HS, Fairlawn, OH), one of the state’s best pure defenders over the last two seasons. Simonetti was a four-time First Team All Suburban League player who earned Ohio D-I Third Team All-State as a junior and Second Team All-State as a senior. She was also named to the All Akron Beacon Journal First Team. Despite playing sweeper, she finished her career with 28 goals and 18 assists.

“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 in December.

UD Head Coach Mike Tucker talked with UDPride and described Simonetti as a tough, hard-nosed player who possesses athleticism and an ability to attack from the backfield. Despite standing just 5-5, she plays well in the air and asserts herself with a physicality the coaching staff was impressed with.

“She is fast, strong, and has enough of a mean streak to be an outstanding defender,” Tucker said. “Jen reads the game well, and could sweep [play sweeper] if needed, or play anywhere in a flat back set. Actually, she would be effective anywhere but in goal.” That being said, the departures of senior defenders Ingrid Zielke and Megan Worley open up a spot at left fullback, and Simonetti will likely get penciled in there to help fill the void and push for a starting position.

One of the UD coaching staff’s hallmarks in recent years has been getting players who can adapt and take on many roles. While some players are landlocked at a specific position because of weaknesses, Simonetti should have no trouble making an impact on the field, wherever that may be. More athletic players tend to give coaches greater flexibility. She also has the technical skills to make things happen.

“Jen is extremely good with both feet. We really haven’t had a true left-sided player for several years,” Coach Tucker told us. “We now have three – Gregg, Aschenbrener, but they are attackers, and Simonetti. Jen has the ability to play an accurate long serve from the left side, make runs, and join in the attack — or play simple.”

The second of two Ohio recruits this year, Tesia Kozlowski (Columbus St. Francis DeSales HS, Westerville, OH) is yet another top flight addition for the Flyers and is regarded as one of the top players in the nation coming out of high school. Kozlowski helped guide the DeSales Stallions to two Ohio D-II state titles in her freshman and sophomore seasons to go along with a pair of Top-5 national rankings. She earned Ohio D-II First Team All-State as a sophomore.

DeSales jumped up to D-I in 1999 but it didn’t slow Kozlowski or the Stallions down. DeSales finished the season as the Ohio D-I State Runner-Up and Kozlowski earned D-I First Team All-State as well as Ohio D-I Player of the Year and NSCAA/Adidas State Player of the Year. In 2000, Kozlowski pulled off the trifecta once again, earning her second Ohio D-I First Team All-State, Ohio D-I Player of the Year, and NSCAA/Adidas State Player of the Year awards. But she recently added a fourth award, being named 2001 Gatorade State Player of the Year — an award won by 2001 Parade All-American Kayla Lockaby a season ago. In short, Kozlowski is the consensus choice among sportswriters and coaches. Ultimately, she was named a NSCAA Prep All-American in 1999 and 2000. She finished her HS career with 57 goals and 27 assists.

“Tesia is really good at running at the defense with the ball and locating open players,” Tucker says. “The pace and accuracy of her passes is wonderful. She also can put the ball in the back of the net. And she is good in the air. We’ll probably play her as an attacking midfielder in a 4-4-2 alignment.”

Kozlowski becomes the third two-time NSCAA Prep All-American from the state of Ohio to sign with the Flyers over the last three seasons. Showtime Gregg (1998) and Judi Aschenbrener (1999) were the other two. The Flyer coaching staff is flat out getting it done within the state, but as Tucker explains, Dayton is always looking to expand its reach — and the success he’s looking for may be on the horizon.

“We’ve recruited nationally the past two years with mixed success,” he says. “We’ve been well received in the Midwest and have had some success in the West. We really feel that we are close to breaking into some of the great talent in California. Some of the other hotbeds, such as St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, and the state of Florida have been a bit tougher to establish. In St. Louis for instance, we get tons of acceptance, but we’ve not been able to attract their elite players.”

While Tucker readily admits St. Louis hasn’t been too kind, the coaching staff can’t afford to ignore it in the future. The Busch Soccer Club — arguably the most heralded youth club program in the country, and traditional college power St. Louis University have made a living off Missouri talent. Cities outside Ohio such as St. Louis are nerve centers for talented players, and the Flyers may be on the verge of breaking through despite the plethora of homegrown talent every year.

“The 2002 recruiting class should be interesting,” Tucker says. “We are in the early running for a couple of great ones in the East and as well as out West. But it will always be Ohio first — as long as the talent is here and as long as they keep coming to UD.”

With Kozlowski’s addition, the Flyers go a long way toward shoring up the middle of the field and creating scoring chances off the fast break and in transition – relative weak spots in an otherwise strong yet developing lineup. Kozlowski is expected to tap into Showtime Gregg’s scoring ability and both should compliment – and exploit – each other’s game quite nicely.

“She really gives us someone who will distribute more in the middle, and free up Bridget Bushman to move up top where she will do well,” Coach Tucker added. “Our attack will be more varied and dangerous.”

The third and final recruit is Leah Phelps (Turpin HS, Cincinnati OH), a defender who’s expected to supply more depth in the backfield and give the coaching staff more options on their current roster that might open things up for defender Beth ‘The Blur’ McHugh to see playing time in the attack.

Phelps is member of the Cincinnati Cardinals club program, an organization Coach Tucker coached in a few years ago. Tucker crossed paths with Phelps while coaching her at the ODP level two seasons ago and was impressed enough to offer her a spot on the Flyer roster. Phelps, standing just 5-2, has a height disadvantage but makes up for it with her quickness and athleticism.

The coaching staff likes her potential. “Leah is small, quick, and skilled. She can play either left or right [fullback] effectively, and is capable of attacking on the outside from the back or from the midfield. Her lack of height makes her almost strictly an outside player. Leah was a forward in club and in high school play until the past two years, so she is versatile.”

Without a doubt, it appears the Flyers recruited for specifics needs and filled those needs very well. It’s no accident as Coach Tucker explains.

“We look at the makeup of the team for the following year and try to fill any holes,” he says. “This can be done by moving a current player, or by recruiting to that spot. Most of our players are fairly flexible. However, more and more we find that we are recruiting to fill specific positions. Last year we recruited Beth McHugh to fill a need as a right fullback — even though her previous experience was as a forward. Her speed played a big part in keeping us from being ‘countered’ this year. But we could move her forward, conceivably, if we are able to recruit another great defender. Or, if we recruit a great attacking player, we can leave Beth in the back.”

Once again, player versatility is Dayton’s strong suit. Dayton has demonstrated its recruiting dominance in the state of Ohio this year as the Flyers signed the best class of all the Ohio schools for the third straight season. Whether it’s looking for that breakthrough player in California or stocking up on local stars, Dayton continues to improve overall team talent from year to year and take on heightened expectations. While next year’s schedule is brutal compared to seasons past (just six home games), Dayton will be a better team – no matter what the wins and losses end up showing. Everyone is hoping a couple wins over marquee opponents will punch UD’s ticket into the NCAA Tournament without having to rely on winning the A-10 Postseason Tourney. The Flyers will certainly have their chances.