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2013 UD Mens Soccer Season Preview
2013 UD Mens Soccer Season Preview
Christopher M Rieman
Published by Chris R
08-26-2013
Smile 2013 UD Mens Soccer Season Preview

DAYTON (OH) -- Last year was a major step forward for the Dayton Flyers. After finishing a disappointing 5-13-1 in 2011, Dayton bounced back with an 11-5-2 record and qualified for the A10 postseason tournament. The rebound came from young players learning from their hard knocks while mixing with even younger but equally-talented players to create a youthful but battle-tested squad looking to move up the conference pecking order.

Things got better on both sides of the ball, resulting in an RPI jump from #172 to #61. That’s not quite on the NCAA bubble, but at least the Flyers were once again fishing in the same zip code.

Two years ago the Flyers simply couldn’t score, something Head Coach Dennis Currier is unaccustomed to. His high-powered offense returned last year and found the back of the net 41 times – 23 more than a year prior. The offense made a statement in the first three games of the season, tallying 10 combined goals in back-to-back-to-back non-conference wins over Ohio State, Kentucky, and #22 Furman to start the season.

Defensively, the Flyers were better, helped in part by a strong freshmen class of back line players and a new goalkeeper that could play right away and make a difference. Youth and inexperience showed at times, but things were on the up-tick.

Dayton’s three 1-0 losses to College of Charleston, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, and St. Louis were all that kept the Flyers from NCAA at-large consideration; UD needed to win at least two of them. Additionally, the Flyers tied #13 Xavier in the middle of the season, and forced the Muskies to PKs in the A10 tournament before bowing out. The close-but-no-cigar narrative is one of the reasons we’re so bullish on the 2013 season, but a few wrinkles this year may complicate things and make the path to the NCAAs even more difficult.

THE DEPARTURES

UD lost top-scorer Daniel Berko to graduation. Berko blew up as senior (scoreless in 2011) and tallied 10 goals and five assists as the diminutive Mighty Mouse of the Flyer offense, utilizing speed and creativity to make up for his undersized frame. Senior midfielder Evan McCreary (4gls, 3asts) – a household name in the starting lineup over the last two seasons – also leaves a void as a possession player capable of scoring goals. His physicality and leadership were instrumental pieces in UD’s 2012 resurgence.

Beyond these two losses however, the Flyer roster basically returns in-tact. That includes 10 of the top 12 scorers, the entire back line, and a budding star at goalkeeper. Currier has never carried over this much talent over an offseason, made all the more optimistic considering these same players experienced legitimate success while learning on the job. Now a year old and wiser, expectations are on the rise.

THE RETURNEES


Abe Keller enters his senior year as the top returning scorer in the Flyer offense. Tallying eight goals and seven assists in 2012, Keller has a knack for finishing near the goal mouth or from long-range. Fellow international Eddie Jones, a graduate student, is the next-best threat to score with six goals and seven assists in 2012 – good enough for third-best. Keller and Jones provide a physical presence in the offensive third of the field, along with a ton of experience from being career mainstays in the starting lineup.

The midfield attack continues with senior Andres Acevedo (5gls, 2asts) working the touch lines. Perhaps the fastest player in the conference with the ball at his feet, Acevedo possesses an extra gear no one else has. His work ethic and streaking runs oftentimes flat-foot defenders and open up space for other teammates. The on-again off-again starter has a chance to be among the team leaders in minutes played this year.

Junior David Abidor (3asts) and sophomore Ryan Peterson (1gl, 2asts) combined for 33 starts last year. Abidor spends most of his time in the defensive half of the field, while Peterson pushes forward as a striker. Sophomore midfielder Brian Bates saw action in 11 matches a year ago and started nine, while senior Victor Duru and junior Ryan Lyn each made six appearances. Senior Brian Alvarez rounds out the midfield returnees, while sophomore striker Joel Carter should be improved and better prepared to make a contribution.

Tyler Tumberg, Anthony Keene, and Rafael Gamboa – a trio of RS frosh – will look to earn their first minutes as collegians somewhere in the midfield.

Defensively, the Flyers are loaded with experience – despite being relatively young. Senior Jonathan Nelson started all 18 matches last year and played more minutes than any other field player. Sophomores Christopher Lemming and Maik Schoonderweord started every match last year and bring massive size to the back line; Lemming is 6’3” while Schoonderweord – an A10 All Rookie Selection – tops out at 6’6”. Senior defender John Howe is the fourth defender to start every match in 2012, making the UD back line far and away the most cohesive unit on the roster. Howe was named last season’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Additional reinforcements on defense include graduate student Bastien Allheily (nine appearances, six starts) and RS frosh Andrew Lightner.

Sophomore GK Chris Froschauer played every minute of every match as a true freshman, providing the Flyers with a substantial talent upgrade between the nets in spite of his youth and inexperience. The All-Rookie honoree churned out one of the most impressive goalkeeping seasons in recent memory, and is already one of the better players in the country at his position.

Redshirt frosh Blake Muehlstein and Ryan Suddarth provide backup at goalkeeper.

THE NEWCOMERS


Headlining the 2013 class is Massillon Jackson HS star James Haupt, an NSCAA HS All-American as a senior. Ranked #90 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top-150, Haupt is an accomplished MF/F with experience in the US Youth National Team camps.

Fellow Ohioans Tommy Harr (6’0”, MF, Pickerington North), Ben Emery (6’1”, D, Summit Country Day), and Justin Saliba (6’5”, GK, Beavercreek) all come from top in-state programs and have a chance to make an impact, though UD makes a habit of saving eligibility if the depth chart is stacked against them. Emery won a state title at Country Day last year while Saliba is a Dayton-area product and made the state-semis two seasons ago out of the powerful GWOC.

Brian Richards (6’’0”, MF/F, Kingston, Jamaica) provides more international flair while Texas product Morgan Dizney (6’0”, MF/F, McKinney North) taps into familiar Flyer recruiting territory in the Lone Star state.

Transfer Amass Amankona is a transfer from the University of Ghana and has three years of eligibility. The 5’3” striker scored in the annual Red-White scrimmage.

THE SCHEDULE

The Flyers open the season Sep. 1st, at IPFW in the return game of a two-game series. UD defeated the Mastodons 4-1 last year at Baujan Field. The home-opening weekend begins on Sep. 6th, as the Flyers host Northern Kentucky, followed by Lipscomb two days later. Road matches at Western Illinois and Detroit are a week later. A short trip to Ohio State for a Friday evening match on Sep. 20th, precedes a home match on Sunday vs. IUPUI.

Three more home matches round out the non-conference portion of the schedule, beginning with Loyola-Chicago on Sep. 28th, followed by Valparaiso on Sep. 30th and D-I newbie Incarnate Word on Oct. 4th. Coach Dennis Currier previously coached at ICW before taking over the Flyer program in 2005.

The eight-game A10 schedule begins on Friday, Oct. 11th as UD hosts George Washington, followed by Fordham on Sunday to close out a six-game home stand.

UD travels to A10 favorite St. Louis on Saturday, Oct. 19th for the lone match of the weekend. Returning home to Baujan Field, UD hosts Duquesne on Oct. 25th and St. Bonaventure on Oct. 27th to finish the home portion of the 2013 schedule. Remaining matches on the road against LaSalle, UMass, and Rhode Island finish the regular season. The A10 tournament returns to Dayton a week later – the Flyers have never hosted and won the A10 tourney in the same season.

The Flyers cannot control the A10 portion of the 2013 schedule and with only eight games and no round-robin play, every team in the conference was at the mercy of league membership re-shuffling. After all, the A10 lost soccer members Xavier, Charlotte, Temple, and Butler – four of the better programs in the league.

The non-conference slate was a different story however and the Flyers failed to even fog the mirror with a strong enough group of opponents to make a realistic threat at an NCAA at-large bid. The 10 non-league opponents sport a .391% winning percentage and combined with the watered-down A10, 15 of 18 matches this year are against the bottom 30% of the RPI. Considering how negatively-affected the conference schedule was from league departures, the Flyers needed an extremely competitive non-con schedule to make up the difference. Instead, things took a step back and the 2013 schedule is one of the weakest in the entire country.

The facts are undeniable: the schedule alone will not punch UD’s ticket to the NCAAs even if the Flyers paste nearly every opponent. A couple losses along the way could be enough to force Dayton to win the A10 tournament and secure the automatic bid.

DAYTON WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IF…

The Flyers have a ton of size, strength, depth, and experience at most positions on the field. They match up well with Top-40 teams because they have Top-40 physiques – especially in the back line where mortal combat takes place to win loose balls. The entire defensive unit can and should be dominating, and they will if they minimize the infrequent but costly mental lapses that surrendered soft goals in 2012. Part of that was youth and inexperience, but that’s no excuse this season. If UD keeps their GAA well under 1.00, they have a chance to win every game on the schedule.

Speaking of odds, Dayton should be favored in every game on the schedule with the exception of the road match at St. Louis. The Flyers were picked fourth in the A10 but don’t play two of the three teams picked ahead of them: VCU and George Mason. If the Flyers perform up to their potential, winning should be a hard habit to break.

Daniel Berko stepped up last year and made a significant difference in the Flyer offense. After going scoreless as a junior in limited playing time, he led Dayton in scoring as a senior. If a fresh face steps up in 2013 to be that additional scoring option, UD will have greater offensive diversity and score from many positions on the field. Guys like Keller and Jones are proven commodities, but UD needs a third option. If one materializes – perhaps Acevedo – scoring goals won’t be a problem.

A good start to the season is imperative. The non-con is just too soft to gag away victories and if UD takes care of business early and often, Currier’s squad will gain a heap of confidence heading into the A10.

DAYTON WILL STRUGGLE IF…

Things quickly go south if Dayton drops a couple early matches; there’s just no reason to lose to most of the teams on the non-conference schedule. Ohio State is the only legitimate name brand opponent, leaving relative scraps elsewhere for the Flyers to pick apart. If UD fails to pluck the low-hanging fruit, their NCAA at-large chances vanish.

The Flyers were close to breaking through one year ago, and much of that success came from better ball possession and a willingness to show more patience in the attack. The 2011 team spent much of the year in kick-and-run mode, but players found more confidence in 2012 to knock the rock around instead of just going for the home-run ball. If Dayton falls back into the bad habit of blasting moon balls out of the back line and hoping strikers take care of the rest, the results could take a step back. There’s nothing wrong with a quick counter-attack, but the best programs in the country possess the ball for long periods and manufacture goals as a working unit.

OUR PREDICTIONS

The A10 picked the Flyers fourth in the preseason poll, behind conference favorite St. Louis, VCU, and George Mason. Considering UD avoids VCU and GMU in the regular season, UD has a legitimate chance to do better than the pundits think.

There’s a lot going right in the Flyer program. UD returns most of the team that competed well last year. What Dayton lacked a season ago was the poise and savvy to control the ball for long periods against the better teams on the schedule. Part of that was inexperience. If the Flyers can link up better in the midfield and play a half-step quicker, good things can happen. There’s plenty of prove talent on the field to make the Flyers a legitimate contender. Jones and Keller provide a solid one-two scoring punch. Nobody in the A10 has the motor of Andres Acevedo. The individual talent on defense might be as strong as it’s ever been – their challenge is to play cleaner soccer for longer stretches.

As bullish as we are however, it’s hard to forget about the anemic schedule and how that alone might ruin UD’s postseason chances. At this point, there’s nothing left to do but go out and win matches. And it may take a lot of wins – 16 or 17 – to sniff the NCAA bubble.

One last thought: the Flyers lack a Rolls Royce player capable of changing the game on his own. The A10 said as much by overlooking any Dayton players for preseason All-Conference consideration. UD has balance and that’s a great thing, but sometimes you need your superstars to showcase their brilliance and make the coaches look smarter than they really are. We’re not sure the Flyers possess that kind of player like other contenders in the league.

All things considered, a third place finish in the A10 seems realistic. Dayton must practically run the table in the non-conference however. With the parity in D-I men’s soccer, even the lousy teams wind up with a few good players capable of spoiling a match. It won’t be easy, but it’s time this program does what the talent suggests it can do: beat everyone under their waistline.

Knocking off St. Louis would be huge, and a potential chance for UD to win a share or outright A10 title. We’re not dismissing it either. But not every question has been answered yet. Can Dayton play well on a nightly basis? Can they avoid giving up head-scratching soft goals in the defensive third? Can the midfielders win more loose balls and play keep-away from the opposition? Will the work-rate be consistent or sporadic?

To reach the NCAAs for the second time in program history, we think the Flyers must ultimately punch their ticket by winning the A10 postseason tournament. That’s an indictment on the marshmallow-soft 2013 schedule -- this team deserved better. Whether they can overcome it and do what seems next-to-impossible – earning an NCAA at-large bid – is the carrot on the stick.
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