Feb. 2, 2006

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton men's soccer coach Dennis Currier announced today his 2006 commitments. The class is comprised of six players from Ohio, Missouri and Texas and includes two 2005 NSCAA/adidas Boys High School All-America picks. D Kyle Basil, D Randy Dennis, F Ryan Hartman, MF Ben Murray, F Jeff Popella, and MF Zach Weiss comprise the 2006 freshman class.

"We are very excited about this class," Currier said. "We have added some incredible talent and character to our program."

After last season's seven-man freshman class included no players from the state of Ohio, coach Currier mined the Buckeye state for four newcomers in 2006.

Jeff Popella, a 6-0 forward from Dayton, was a 2005 NSCAA/adidas Boys High School All-America selection. The Carroll High School grad was named the Ohio Division II Player of the Year. "Jeff is a prolific goal scorer and we believe he is the best soccer player from the Dayton area this year," Currier said. "It is great to get someone out of our backyard with such a great background."

Also signing a national letter of intent was midfielder Ben Murray, from St. Francis DeSales HS in Westerville, Ohio. Murray was a three-year starter and two-year captain in the central midfield. He was named All Central District First Team and All Central Catholic League First Team. Murray is a member of seven-time state champion Ambassador Soccer Club, which has been ranked in the national top 25 for the past five years.

"Ben is also considered one of the best soccer players in the state of Ohio," Currier said. "He is a central midfielder that plays box to box with his excellent stamina."

Another member of the Ambassador Soccer Club is commitment Kyle Basil. The Chillicothe, Ohio, native played defender at Chillicothe High School as a two-year team captain. He was the starting left back for three straight years on the varsity squad, and has Olympic Development Program experience with the Ohio South State Team since 2002.

"Kyle can play either right back or left back. He is a tenacious defender that has a big heart. He's excelled both on and off the field and he will bring an excellent work rate to UD," Currier added.

The final Ohio prospect is commitment Ryan Hartman from Jamestown. Hartman was the 2005 Division III Player of The Year and a member of the 2005 NSCAA/adidas Boys High School All-America Team. The forward scored 36 goals and added 20 assists while leading Greeneview High School to the Division III State Championship. He also received First Team All-OHC, First Team All-District, First Team All-Springfield and Third Team All-State honors.

"Ryan is very fast and athletic. He led his team to a state championship and scored some excellent goals all year long. He will need to get use to the pace of Division I soccer but he has the character to succeed at this level."

Currier also received and NLI from defender Randy Dennis of San Angelo, Texas. The 6-1 product of San Angelo Central High School is a two time All-District player, starting at center back. He is a member of the 2005 National Champion club team, the Dallas Texans. He has ODP experience with the North Texas ODP squad the past six years. In 2004 and 2005, Randy was selected for the Region III ODP Team. He will represent the Region III team in California and Mexico this year.

"Randy has emerged as one of the best defenders in Region III," Currier commented. "He has been identified by our Olympic development program and was also picked up by the Dallas Texans. He is very quick and has great awareness of the field."

Rounding out the 2006 class is midfielder Zach Weiss from St. Louis, Missouri. Weiss was a third-team All-Metro at SLU High School but after collecting three goals and four assists in 2004, Weiss shifted to the stopper position this fall and earned All-Metro Second Team honors there. He is a member of Lou Fusz Soccer Club, which won the Missouri State Championship in 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, the squad won the Region II Championships and were National runner-up . In 2005, Lou Fusz took second place in the state championships.

Weiss will be the third player on the Flyers' roster next fall from the St. Louis area, joining sophomore Joe Olwig and Jeff Boyer. Dayton lost two St. Louis area senior starters: midfielder Terry Alvino (a Second Tteam All-Atlantic 10 pick) and defender Dan Hartwig (a ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District IV team member.

"Zach is a central midfielder who combines very well and can thread passes to our front runners. He has come up through an excellent club and high school program."

Alvino and Hartwig are among 11 letter-winners who completed their eligibility last season for the Flyers. Dayton lost senior midfielder Dasan Robinson (Elyria, OH) to the MLS Draft, where he was selected in the supplemental round by the Chicago Fire, and forward Omar Jarun (Peachtree City, GA) to the United Soccer League's First Division draft, where he was taken by the Atlanta Silverhawks with the sixth overall pick.

"It is very difficult to replace such a large graduating class especially one that produced two student-athletes who were recently drafted into the professional ranks. We also lose seven starters from the 2005 graduating class. However, this young class has a great deal of potential."

Dayton returns 18 players from last year's squad, which finished 11-5-4, one game back of the Atlantic 10 Regular Season title. The Flyers advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship, where they were eliminated on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw with No. 1 seed Saint Louis.