Each day this week University of Dayton head coach Mike Tucker will give fans a position breakdown of the UD goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards leading up to the Flyers’ regular season opener against Middle Tennessee State this Friday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m.
UD returns home to host Cal-Poly Sunday, Aug. 21 at 1 p.m. at Baujan Field. Admission is free to all UD regular season soccer games at Baujan Field.
In addition to the position breakdown, Tucker will also talk about the incoming freshmen, the senior leadership, the tough schedule, the Atlantic 10, UD’s tradition of winning, and goals for the season.
On the third day Tucker talks about his midfielders and the captains and leaders of the team.
MIDFIELDERS
| 2 Haley Keller |
Fr |
5'6" |
Carmel, Ind. |
| 4 Emily Kenyon |
Sr |
5'4" |
Canton, Ohio |
| 5 Kelsey Owen |
Sr |
5'4" |
Ojai, Calif. |
| 6 Alysha Mallon |
Jr |
5'3" |
Newtown, Pa. |
| 9 Alexis Garcia |
Jr |
5'2" |
Brunswick, Ohio |
| 10 Jenna Gerstle |
Fr |
5'8" |
Louisville, Ky. |
| 12 Juliana Libertin |
So |
5'7" |
Uniontown, Ohio |
| 15 Lacey Engle |
Fr |
5'3" |
Dayton, Ohio |
| 19 Sarah Senoyuit |
So |
5'10" |
Perkasie, Pa. |
| 29 Maggie Hinkle |
Jr |
5'8" |
Monroe, Ohio |
| 30 Stephanie Emery |
So |
5'9" |
Chicago, Ill. |
| 31 Katrin Loo |
So |
5'6" |
Tallinn, Estonia |
“We’ve got a lot of people that have played a lot of minutes in the midfield. When you look from an attacking standpoint we’ve got Kelsey Owen and we look for her to have a big senior year. Alexis Garcia has been unbelievably brilliant in training. She is a clutch performer and she proved that in the A-10 Tournament last year. Sarah Senoyuit is having a great preseason camp as a defensive midfielder. She will play a lot for us there. She wins everything in the air; she is quicker and is so much more improved.
"Our wide players...look out A-10 because they will have to deal with Juliana Libertin. She is on a mission right now to prove she is one of the better players around. She has looked great so far. Alysha Mallon will spend a lot of time on the left flank, as well as Haley Keller. We’ve also got some other freshmen who have looked good. Senior Nicole Peterson looks good in the defensive midfield spot. She is a savvy player and will fit into that mix.
"We’re waiting for our international player Katrin Loo, who flew to China for her games. She has the ability to play the left outside mid spot or the right side for that matter. She can also play up top. Either way I guarantee she is going to be a factor. Freshman Amanda Sivic is just a quality attacking player. She can be an attacking midfielder or a forward up top, or even play out wide. Steph Emery, as an attacking mid, has been brilliant at times. She is a special athlete but we have to get her more consistent. I think she has the ability to be one of the better attacking players in the league.”
CAPTAINS: Seniors Josie Grant and Kathleen Beljan
"Our two captains, as voted by the team, are Josie Grant and Kathleen Beljan. Kathleen and Josie have really stepped up from a vocal leadership standpoint. Emily Kenyon and Kelsey Owen are good leaders too. If you go down that whole list we have a lot of great leadership in that senior class. They lead by example and are as solid as it gets when it comes to doing things the right way. What a great class."
Check back tomorrow for Tucker's take on the forwards, his rookies and UD's tradition of winning.
