For the second straight year, the defending conference title champion Dayton women’s soccer team begins the season as the team to beat, according to the Atlantic 10 preseason polls.
Katherine Boone, the reigning A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, returns to Dayton as its 2010 defense started Aug. 20 against Butler.
Meanwhile Charlotte, who lost a heartbreaker to the Flyers in the 2009 A-10 Championship game, are favored to come in second in the conference.
Two-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Whitney Weinraub returns again this year to bolster the 49ers’ attack. Charlotte defeated Davidson at home, 1-0, on Aug. 27 in its season opener.
Fordham, Saint Louis and Richmond round off the top five teams in the conference. The rest of the standings include La Salle at No. 6, followed by St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island. Duquesne and George Washington begin the 2010 season in a tie for ninth, leaving Massachusetts, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Xavier as the bottom four teams in the Atlantic 10 conference.
Sherwood leads Lady Musketeers
After a disappointing 2009 season, Xavier decided coaching changes were necessary to erase last year’s shortcomings. Accordingly, Woody Sherwood became the new coach.
Sherwood, a former Xavier graduate and assistant for the Lady Musketeers, has an impressive background in women’s soccer. His decorated career includes his recognition as the 2002 Horizon League Coach of the Year award, after a record-setting 15-6 season at Butler University.
Beljan Named to Hermann Trophy Watch List
Dayton defender Kathleen Beljan became a Missouri Athletic Club’s 2010 Hermann Trophy Watch List candidate.
Beljan represents the first woman and second player in Flyer soccer history to receive the honor, as Alex Torda received the honor in 2008 for the men’s team.
Dayton’s team captain is one of 45 players from around the nation to be on the list and the lone representative from the A-10 conference.
Beljan joins players from nationally recognized soccer programs, including 2009 Final Four teams North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford and UCLA.
Beljan’s speed and ability helped anchor a Flyers defense that had a 49-10 goal difference a year ago.
Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected].
