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Dave Schureck enters his fifth season at the helm of the Dayton Flyers with the goal of taking the program to the next level. The Flyers rose to the national spotlight last year, nationally ranked more often than not and peaking at No. 8 in the NSCAA Top 25. But a rash of injuries down the stretch put the team just outside an NCAA Tournament berth, and an overall record of 12-5-2. The Flyers finished third in the Atlantic 10 with a 7-3-1 league mark, but was upset in the first round of the A-10 tournament. Dayton returns 19 players off the roster from last year's squad, including seven of the team's top eight starters. Despite the disappointing finish -- Dayton was the highest rated team left out of the NCAA Tournament -- the Flyers 2003 campaign will be regarded as one of the most successful years in Flyer history. The No. 8 ranking was the highest the program has ever been ranked, four Flyers made the the All-Ohio team -- including Chris Rolfe, UD's leading scorer in the regular season, who missed half the season due to injury -- and defender Denny Clanton was named Third-Team All-America and selected by the Chicago Fire in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Clanton has since signed with the Fire and is currently on their roster. The Flyers 2003 season was the culmination of lessons learned and experience gained in 2002. That season, Dayton went 8-2-1 when scoring two goals or more, but the offenses inconsistencey put the team at an 9-10-1 overall record, seventh in the Atlantic 10. In 2001, Schureck's Flyers posted an 11-7-2 mark. The Flyers finished 8-2-1 in the Atlantic 10, good for second in the conference. The Flyers also knocked off a ranked team for the second-straight year, and also for the second straight year had a player named to a Verizon Academic All-America squad. In his first year at the helm of the UD men's soccer team, Schureck led the team to a 14-4-2 finish, in 2000, with a regular season conference title and a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers exceeded expectations and while boasting the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, an undefeated home record and a conference mark with only one loss in 10 games, earning Schureck Coach of the Year honors. Not bad for his collegiate head coaching debut. On November 2, 1999, Schureck was named as the University's third ever full-time head coach, succeeding Jim Launder. Working as the top assistant for three years, Schureck assisted Launder in every facet of UD soccer, helping the team to three straight winning seasons, the most since 1976. The Flyers won two Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championships, as well as the regular season crown in 1998. Originally hired as an assistant in January 1997, Schureck found himself as the interim head coach, when then-coach Dwayne Shaffer resigned. Schureck was then kept on as the assistant when Launder was hired that spring. Schureck has served as coach and trainer for several youth clubs including Cincinnati United Premier, Team Cincinnati, Cincinnati Classics, Team Dayton, and as Director of Coaching for Dayton Galaxies FC. He currently serves on the Ohio South State and Region II ODP coaching staffs. He holds an USSF "A" license. Schureck also recently served on the U.S. Soccer staff as a scout for talented youth in southern Ohio. Schureck graduated from Xavier University where he started in goal from 1991-94 before becoming an assistant coach for one year. He starting all but one game in his collegiate career, even netting a game-tying goal and assisting on the game winning goal from his keeper position in his final home game his senior year against UD. The three-time captain collected many accolades while at XU. He was team MVP in 1991, All-Ohio in 1991 and 1994, and Academic All-Mideast all four years. Schureck was also a member of the Cincinnati Classics Region II Men's Open Champions in 1995. Schureck and his wife Jen live in Dayton, Ohio. Their first child, Beau Andrew was born in January 2003. |
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