DAYTON - The University of Dayton men's soccer team will open up the 2018 season this weekend at the Wolstein Classic, hosted by Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. The Flyers will take on Hofstra at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24 before battling Furman Sunday, Aug. 26 at 12 p.m.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
The Flyers finished the 2017 season with a 9-8-2 record overall and a 6-2 Atlantic 10 mark, earning a runner-up finish in the regular season. Dayton ended its campaign in the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals against Fordham.

Head coach Dennis Currier is in his 14th season at the helm of the Flyers, totaling 130 victories, the most in UD history. He leads a young squad this season with 15 newcomers and just two seniors.

Last season the Flyers averaged 2.05 goals per game and held opponents to 1.32 goals each contest. UD attempted more shots per game at 16.2 to 11.3, but recorded fewer corner kicks. Dayton did not play any neutral site games last season.

The top returners for Dayton are A-10 Midfielder of the Year junior Rok Taneski, who collected 10 goals, seven assists, and 27 points in 2017. Sophomore Jonas Fjeldberg chipped in six assists and two goals from the wing while junior David Lianes started 18 games and played the second most minutes in defense. Junior goalkeeper Federico Barrios recorded 1.29 goals against average and 43 saves last season as well.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
HOFSTRA
Hofstra is coming off an up-and-down campaign last season, going 6-6-6 overall which tied the program record for most ties in a season. The Pride did finish strong however, winning five of its last seven games. Head coach Richard Nuttall is in his 30th season in charge of Hofstra.

As a team last year, the Pride scored 0.83 goals each game and gave up 1.28 to opposing squads. Hofstra matched its opponents with 12.3 shots per game, but had just a .068 shot percentage.

The Pride have not lost a season opener since 2011 and return a bevvy of goal scorers from last season. Oscar Ramsey led the team with four goals while Luke Brown had three goals and three assists for a team-high nine points. Matthew Vowinkel added two goals as well. Goalkeeper Alex Ashton played in all 18 games last year with 62 saves.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
FURMAN
Furman is coming off a successful 2017 season in which the Paladins won 12 games, finishing 12-5-3 overall. Furman was 5-2-3 in SoCon play and 8-2-1 on the road. Head coach Doug Allison is in his 24th year at Furman and has a winning percentage of .664, which ranks in the top 20 in the nation amongst active coaches.

The Paladins averaged 2.05 goals each outing and limited opponents to 0.95. Furman dominated shot attempts with 15.2 per game and gave up just 7.9 to opposing teams. Last season, the Paladins had 13 different goal scorers last season.

Returning for Furman is senior and SoCon Player of the Year Laurence Wyke, who racked up nine goals, four assists, and 22 points with four penalty kicks in 18 games played. Fellow senior Danny Kierath recorded a team-high eight assists to go with five goals as well. Goalkeeper Ben Hale played in 19 matches with 0.95 goals against and six shutouts.

THE SERIES
Dayton and Hofstra are meeting for the first time in program history this season.

The Flyers have played Furman one time previously, with Dayton coming out on top 3-2 back in 2012.

LAST OUTING
Dayton finished the preseason with a scoreless draw at home against in-state foe Ohio State on Aug. 18. Barrios recorded six saves in the contest.

Hofstra did not play any public preseason games this year. They finished the 2017 season with a loss to William & Mary in the CAA quarterfinal.

Furman played a pair of preseason games, coming off a 1-0 loss at home to Winthrop Saturday. Previously, the Paladins earned a 4-4 draw against Wake Forest.

TANESKI NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Junior Rok Taneski was named to the A-10 preseason all-conference team after winning A-10 Midfielder of the Year accolades last season. The midfielder finished the year in the top three in the conference in goals (10), assists (7), and points (27).

PRESEASON
The Flyers worked through a number of different lineups in the preseason, giving multiple newcomers opportunities for playing time. Dayton tied Bowling Green 0-0 in the first exhibition game. The Flyers then hosted Ohio State at Baujan Field, another match that ended 0-0.

DAYTON PICKED TO FINISH 5TH
The Atlantic 10 Conference released its preseason poll and tabbed the Flyers to finish fifth in the league this season. With 117 points and one first-place vote, Dayton trailed preseason favorites Fordham (158), VCU (149), Massachusetts (144), and Rhode Island (124).

FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton men's program has an overall record of 487-414-86 and four NCAA Tournament appearances in its history. The Flyers are also 129-86-26 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and have six conference titles between the regular season and league tournament.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
The Dayton program has been known to recruit well outside of the U.S. and this year's team is no different. The Flyers have student-athletes from Ghana, Finland, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, Sweden, Chile, Germany, and Colombia totaling 12 international players. This is coming off the 2017 season in which the Flyers had 11 international players.

CURRIER'S IMPACT
The head coach of the Flyers has had success at every place he has coached. Dennis Currier is in his 14th year at Dayton and holds a career record of 318-133-51 in 25 seasons and a 130-84-39 record with the Flyers. His career winning percentage of .690 ranks eighth in the nation amongst active coaches, ahead of programs like Notre Dame, Louisville, UCLA, Xavier, and Virginia.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will return to Baujan Field to host the Dayton Tournament Aug. 31-Sept. 3. Ohio State and Marshall play Friday night before Dayton hosts Milwaukee. On Sunday, Ohio State takes on Milwaukee. The Flyers finish up the tournament Monday against Marshall.