<P><B>Aug. 9, 2009</B>
<P>
<!-- LINKS TO RELATED PAGES BEGIN -->
<!-- LINKS TO RELATED PAGES END -->
<P><B>DAYTON - </B>
The University of Dayton women's soccer team will report to camp today for its preseason training to kick off the 2009 campaign.
<P>The Flyer coaching staff of <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/tucker_mike00.html" >Mike Tucker</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/gonzalez_sergio00.html" >Sergio Gonzalez</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/armellino_tania00.html" >Tania Armellino</a> and <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/demetriades_george00.html" >George Demetriades</a> welcomes 28 players back to the University of Dayton campus to begin preseason drills.
<P>"We are always so excited to get started this time of year," said head coach <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/tucker_mike00.html" >Mike Tucker</a>. "We have prepped so much leading up to this day and now it's time to roll the ball out."
<P>The Flyers return a highly-touted group of six seniors (<A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/back_mandi00.html" >Mandi B&auml;ck</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/cornacchia_cara00.html" >Cara Cornacchia</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/gibson_colleen00.html" >Colleen Gibson</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/maccormick_lauren00.html" >Lauren MacCormick</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/maybury_lauren00.html" >Lauren Maybury</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/proffitt_caitlin00.html" >Caitlin Proffitt</a>), five juniors (<A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/blumenschein_kelly00.html" >Kelly Blumenschein</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/dewolfe_jerica00.html" >Jerica DeWolfe</a>, Alli Giner, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/oelschlager_tori00.html" >Tori Oelschlager</a>, <A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/rodgers_lisa00.html" >Lisa Rodgers</a>) and five sophomores (<A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/beljan_kathleen00.html" >Kathleen Beljan</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/grant_josie00.html" >Josie Grant</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/kenyon_emily00.html" >Emily Kenyon</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/miller_kelsey00.html" >Kelsey Miller</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/owen_kelsey00.html" >Kelsey Owen</a>) and will boost the squad with 12 freshmen (<A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/boone_katherine01.html" >Katherine Boone</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/donoher_shannon00.html" >Shannon Donoher</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/dreher_clare00.html" >Clare Dreher</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/eckel_linsey00.html" >Linsey Eckel</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/forbrich_ali00.html" >Ali Forbrich</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/garcia_alexis00.html" >Alexis Garcia</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/hinkle_maggie00.html" >Maggie Hinkle</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/mallon_alysha00.html" >Alysha Mallon</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/pacetta_alle00.html" >Alle Pacetta</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/sanfrotella_jordan00.html" >Jordan Sanfrotella</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/thompson_jackie00.html" >Jackie Thompson</a>, <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/williams_colleen00.html" >Colleen Williams</a>).
<P>"We have a great group of returning players and a tremendous freshmen class coming in," said Tucker. "It's time to get with it and see what we have when we put them all together."
<P>The Atlantic 10 has taken note. Dayton led the way with five selections - more than any other school - on the A-10 Preseason All-Conference and All-Rookie Teams as chosen by the league's head coaches.
<P>B&auml;ck, Gibson and Beljan were named to the 2009 Preseason All-Conference Team for the Flyers. Incoming UD freshmen <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/garcia_alexis00.html" >Alexis Garcia</a> (Brunswick, Ohio) and <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/williams_colleen00.html" >Colleen Williams</a> (Titusville, N.J.) were selected to the 11-person Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Rookie Team.
<P>B&auml;ck is a three-time First Team Atlantic 10 selection, has led the Flyers in scoring every year of her career. Gibson, a First Team A-10 pick, led UD with nine assists in 2008 and her .50 per game was 26th best in the nation. Beljan was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship, All-Rookie and Second Teams, as well as Freshman All-America Fourth Team by SoccerBuzz.
<P>Garcia (2004, 2007) and Williams (2005) were both members of the U.S. National Youth Team. Williams, along with <A HREF="http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/dayt/sports/w-soccer/mtt/mallon_alysha00.html" >Alysha Mallon</a>, recently led their club team to the 2009 U-18 US Youth Soccer National Championship.
<P>The Flyers have less than a week to gear up for their first competition. UD will face the Big East Conference's Louisville in an exhibition match Saturday, Aug. 15 at Baujan Field at 2 p.m. ET.
<P>The Flyers look to earn their 14th consecutive berth to the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship, which in 2009, will be hosted at Charlotte's Transamerica Field on Nov. 5, 6 & 8.
<P>Dayton loses just four players from a squad that finished the 2008 campaign with a 15-6-1 record and advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship for a league-record 13th consecutive time. |
