DAYTON - The University of Dayton men's soccer team opens the 2023 regular season at the Wolstein Classic hosted by Ohio State University this weekend. The Flyers will start off with UC Davis Thursday at 4 p.m. before facing Cal State Northridge Sunday at 1 p.m.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters the season picked second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll with high expectations despite 20 new faces on the roster. The Flyers are coming off a 10-2-5 record last season and strong preseason this year. UD went 2-0 at the 2022 Wolstein Classic.

Head coach Dennis Currier is in his 19th season in charge of the Flyers and was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the 2020 season.

As a team, the Flyers averaged 2.29 goals each outing and held opponents to just 0.88 goals per game for a +1.41 differential.  Dayton led the nation in shots per game and second in shots on goal per game.

UD's top returners from last season are Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and preseason honoree Basit Umar and Manny Day with six goals and one assist in 2022. Goalkeeper Dario Caetano also picked up preseason honors after 44 saves and seven shutouts last year.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UC DAVIS
UC Davis enters the 2023 season picked tied for fifth the Big West this year after going 5-9-4 last season. The Aggies were 4-3-2 in league play and 3-6-1 on the road.

Head coach Dwayne Shaffer is in his 27th season at the helm of UC Davis and is a three-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year.

As a team in 2022, the Aggies averaged 0.83 goals per game and allowed 1.33 goals to opposing teams. UC Davis out-shot opponents 10.6 to 9.6, but at a lower on-goal percentage.

UC Davis is led by Big West Preseason Coaches' Team honoree and top scorer from last year Ethan Hoard. A Green Bay transfer, Hoard had three goals and two assists last season. UC Davis returns a pair of goalkeepers that saw action last year as well in Spencer Gillen and Charles Janssen, who combined for a 1.33 goals against average and 47 saves. Janssen had all five shutouts for the Aggies.

CSUN
Cal State Northridge is coming off a 2022 season in which it went 9-6-4 overall and 5-3-1 in Big West play. The Matadors were picked third in the preseason poll this year.

Head coach Terry Davila is in his 25th season leading the Matadors, having coached 15 MLS Draft picks at his alma mater.

Overall, CSUN scored 1.00 goal per game in 2022 while giving up 1.42 goals to opponents. The Matadors were outshot by a higher percentage and by total attempts.

Leading the Matadors is Jamar Ricketts who was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team as well after leading the team with five goals, three assists, and 13 points last year. Goalkeeper Cooper Wenzel started all 19 games in 2022 with a 1.42 goals against average, 77 saves, and seven shutouts.

LAST OUTING
Dayton finished up the preseason with a hard-fought 3-3 tie on the road at Ohio State after scoring with just 10 seconds left in the contest. Day provided the equalizer to give the Flyers momentum going into the regular season on the same field they will be competing on this weekend.

UC Davis faced Chico State in an exhibition on Aug. 19 with no score published, the the Aggies tied Santa Clara 1-1 in their other preseason contest.

CSUN played a pair of exhibitions against neighbors Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Both games were played at home and no scores were posted.

SERIES HISTORY
Dayton and UC Davis have played just once previously back in 2005 with the Aggies coming out on top of the Flyers 1-0 in double overtime. It was just Coach Currier's third game at UD.

UD and CSUN have met twice in program history with the Matadors holding a 1-0-1 advantage. The two teams faced off in the Wolstein Classic back in 2019 with CSUN picking up a 3-1 victory.

UMAR NAMED MIDFIELDER TO WATCH
The United Soccer Coaches announced their preseason Top Players to Watch and recognized Dayton sophomore Basit Umar as one of the Top 25 male student-athletes to look out for, one of two A-10 honorees (Marc Torellas, Loyola).

FLYERS PICKED 2ND IN PRESEASON POLL
Dayton was picked to finish second this upcoming season in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The Flyers received 161 points behind reigning A-10 Champs Saint Louis, who earned 13 of the 14 first-place votes, Loyola Chicago earning one.

DAYTON DUO EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Dayton had a pair of student-athletes named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team. Sophomore midfielder Basit Umar and senior goalkeeper Dario Caetano both were recognized after earning All-Rookie Team honors last season. (It was Caetano's first year of American collegiate soccer so he was eligible as a rookie.)

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Dayton historically has had a diverse team with players hailing from all over the globe. This season is no different with the Flyers having 17 international student-athletes.

WELCOME TO DAYTON
The Flyers are bringing in the most newcomers they have had in recent history with 20 new players joining the program including 16 freshmen.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will play its first home game of the 2023 season on Friday, Sept. 1 against IUPUI. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Baujan Field.