DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's soccer team opens the 2023 regular season with a match against Loyola Maryland on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. at Baujan Field.
Flyers Second in Preseason Poll
Dayton was picked to finish second in the A-10 preseason poll behind only preseason favorite and No. 13-ranked Saint Louis. The Flyers finished with 202 total points, just ahead of third place VCU (199). Massachusetts and Loyola Chicago round out the league's top five.
Donley and Lutz Honored
In addition to the Flyers being named the No. 2 team in the A-10 Preseason Poll, fifth years Alicia Donley and Mackenzie Lutz were each honored as Preseason All-Atlantic 10 defenders.
Both players earned the honor coming off All-Conference years in 2022, with Lutz earning first team honors and Donley second.
Meet the Newcomers
Dayton and head coach Eric Golz added seven freshmen and three transfers to the Flyers' roster for the 2023 season, pulling talent from six states and two countries.
Two native Ohioans, Kaitlyn Colvert (Lewis Center, Ohio) and Lauren Fields (Fayetteville, Ohio) look to bolster a strong defensive unit. Dayton also brought in two student-athletes from Saint Louis in forward Maddie Bowman and midfielder Emma Gianino.
UD also brought in newcomers from Indiana (Kayli Farmer), Illinois (Ella Lamb), Kansas (Macy Malik), and Kentucky (Morgan Gerak).
The two international students are transfers Kennedy Gray (Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada) and Roisin McGovern (Dublin, Ireland).
New Faces in New Places
In addition to the seven freshmen joining the Flyers in 2023, there are three incoming transfers looking to make an impact for UD on the pitch.
Sophomore midfielder Morgan Gerak came to Dayton after playing her first season at Michigan State, joining the Flyers in the spring semester of 2023. The Villa Hills, Ky. native played in six games for the Spartans a year ago.
Graduate transfer Kennedy Gray comes from nearby Miami (Ohio) to finish her collegiate eligibility. Gray, a native of Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, played in 65 matches as a defender for the Redhawks, making 58 starts in her career and registering seven points.
The final incoming transfer is defender Roisin McGovern. McGovern joins Dayton after graduating from Temple University in three years and will have two years of eligibility remaining. The defender was a two-time captain for the Owls, starting all 42 matches in her time in Philadelphia.
Scouting the Flyers
Dayton returns a veteran squad for the 2023 season, including 2022 Atlantic 10 All-Conference honorees Mackenzie Lutz (1st team) and Alicia Donley (2nd team).
Then-freshmen Ella Raimondi and Batoul Reda also earned All-Rookie team honors in their first season for the Flyers.
UD welcomes 10 newcomers for the 2023 campaign, with seven freshmen and three transfers set to make their Flyer debuts this season.
Head coach Eric Golz is in his seventh season in charge of the Flyers, who are coming off the best season of Golz's tenure in 2022, going 16-4-1 overall and 8-2 in the A-10.
Scouting the Greyhounds
Loyola Maryland comes into the season looking to build off a 6-8-4 performance from a season ago.
Baylee DeSmit, who is coming off of a First Team All-Patriot League nod in 2022, was named to the Patriot League Preseason All-League team. DeSmit led the Patriot League in points (19), tied for second in goals (6) and second in assists (7), during the 2022 season.
Defender Alex Searing was also named to the 11-player Preseason All-League team.
Series History
Dayton holds a 2-0 edge over Loyola Maryland in the all-time series, though no student-athletes on either roster were born the last time the two played.
The Flyers won the first meeting between the two, 5-0, on Oct. 9, 1994, and came back the following year to win in overtime, 2-1, on Oct. 16, 1995.
Up Next
The Flyers continue their four-match home stand to start the regular season Sunday, Aug. 20 when they welcome the University of Cincinnati to Baujan for a 6 p.m. contest.
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