Last Friday, January 29, the Michigan State MCLA DI team traveled south to take on the Dayton Flyers in a preseason scrimmage. The scrimmage was played at Wall 2 Wall Sports Complex, located in Mason, Ohio, about 35 minutes from UD’s campus. The scrimmage consisted of two 20-minute running clock halves and was followed by man-up and man-down situations for both teams.
The scrimmage resulted in a 5-4 win for the Spartans, but the game will not count toward either team’s record.
As for the Flyers, goalie play was phenomenal as junior Alex Reynolds started the game and was later replaced by sophomore Ben Domyancic, who also played very well. The Flyers’ defense looked strong as returning players Steven Hurst, Matt Dowd, and Tim Hartnett held the Spartans to five goals.
The Flyers offense has a lot of potential to put up big numbers this year as it proved to be solid all around. The Flyers' starting midfield consists of star-studded seniors Kevin Bell, Patrick Weinandy, and Andrew Clayback. With these three guys at the helm of the offense, the Flyers bring a lot of experience to the offensive side of the field. The team would like to extend a big thanks to the traveling MSU Spartans. Driving four hours for a scrimmage is a lot to ask of a team, but the Spartans made their presence felt both on and off the field. Many thanks to those parents who attended the game and best of luck to both teams in their upcoming 2010 campaigns.
The Flyers began their Fall Ball season with a win against the University of Kentucky in a close game, resulting in a final of 11 – 10. However, the highlight of the Flyers' Fall Ball season came with a win over DIII Lindenwood University. In a very physical, hard fought battle, the Flyers were able to take an early lead. As Lindenwood slowly came back, the Flyers were able to score late to assure victory with a final score of 10 - 9. This was the first time in team history that the team has defeated Lindenwood, and it couldn’t have been done without the consistent goalie play of Sophomore Ben Domyanic. The Flyer defense has been anchored by Sophomores Matt Dowd, Blaise Liederbach, and Junior Stephen Hurst. Offensively, the Flyers return seven of their top 10 scorers from last season.
In addition to the Lindenwood and Alumni games, other Fall Ball season highlights include victories over Walsh University and Missouri Baptist. The team traveled to Angola, Indiana where they defeated Indiana Tech and DIII team Trine University. The Flyers completed their Fall Ball schedule with an exciting game at Springboro High School against the University of Cincinnati, tallying an overall record of 8-2.
With a highly motivated and competitive team, influential senior leadership, along with a strong cast of returning players, the Flyers also welcome several newcomers, who will have an immediate impact on the field for the Flyers. Division III transfers Connor Carroll (Lynchburg College) and Gerry Jehling (Roanoke College) have strengthened the Flyers midfield, as well as contributing a strong understanding of the game. Other newcomers include freshman Will McCormick, Andrew Urban, and Jeff Haberman, all of which will see playing time in the upcoming Spring Season.
The Flyers hosted their first annual Alumni Game this past Fall. With the help of parents, friends, current players, and former players, the Flyers were able to organize an Alumni game on October 24, 2009 which resulted in a win for the young guys.
Head Coach Charlie Mark refereed the game, which ended with a final score of 8-6 in favor of the current Flyers. Win or lose, the Alumni game was successful in all aspects and at the end of the day, everyone was all smiles, especially during the barbeque that followed. Of the Alumni who returned for the game, notable players include 2009 graduates Alex Urban and Alex Walter, as well as 2008 graduate Chris Jehling.
In regards to the first ever Alumni game, we would like to thank all of those Alumni and parents who traveled to UD in order to be a part of something as special as this. Most importantly, this event was a great success and it couldn’t have been done without the help of parents and those Alumni who helped organize it. We as a team hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday season and best of luck to all in 2010!
We had a great season this past year because each UD Lacrosse Student Athlete and their Families made the commitment to our group effort. We went undefeated in our division, winning the Central Collegiate Lacrosse (CCLA) Championship.
Our student athletes kept their humility, played together, and executed collectively as a team. We were invited to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) National Tournament from May 11th through the 17th in Denver, CO, enjoying six days of lacrosse. We lost an exciting hard fought encounter in the finals hosted at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium, on a live broadcast televised by the Fox College Sports network. These events will be something our players will always treasure. The friends they made, they will keep for life. The UD Alumni were in force in the stands, shouting and providing support to our Flyers.
Presently, lacrosse at the University of Dayton is a non-sponsored Sport. Our players and our Parents “step up” financially. We play top-notch ball, and are competitive with the NCAA DIII teams we play. UD Lacrosse was seeded #1 out of 198 colleges, because we think, act, study, socialize, and play as a team. No one is special. Good players win games, great team players win Championships. Every UD player gives their best effort when they step on the field for their teammates.
Our Student Team President, Zach Burke and our Captains decided we would dedicate our season to the memory of a recent UD lacrosse graduate, Evan Witty. The link http://cambodiashope.org/home/evan.php, presents a tribute to Evan that appears on the Cambodia's Hope web site. Evan loved his time at UD and we believe it instilled in him the sense of service that he felt so deeply. He recently died while volunteering and supporting the needy in Cambodia. Our Players wore a “W” on the back of their helmets in support of the Witty family. His younger brother, Elliot is a Face-Off-Specialist playing for our team. We played every game with honor, humbleness, and relentless tenacity - as our sacrifice to the Witty family and out of respect for each other. We are blessed to have had Evan touch many of our players, and just maybe --- this tribute helped us have the wonderful season we enjoyed.
Head Coach; University of Dayton Men’s Lacrosse; Charlie Mark
If beating the 6th-ranked MCLA Division 2 team is quite a challenge, then beating that team twice in a season, with the second victory earning a championship trophy, is even more impressive. But that’s what this University of Dayton lacrosse team has been this season – impressive. The Flyers finished the conference tournament undefeated at 10-0 after defeating No. 7 Grand Valley State 18-15 and No. 6 Davenport University to become the 2009 CCLA Champions. The team earned an automatic bid to the MCLA National Tournament in Denver and a No. 1 overall seed. Resilient would be another term to describe the Flyers as no matter what challenges have faced them this season, they have pulled through, and the 2009 CCLA Championship Tournament shows the heart this team has.
In the semifinal game against defending CCLA champions GVSU, Dayton fell behind 8-3, only to regain composure and the lead on strong play from freshman Christian Furbay and senior Alex Urban. Faceoffs rolled in favor of GVSU early and Lakers attackman Cameron Holding managed to get his hands free around the cage, but the Flyers locked down on defense, led by sophomore Tim Hartnett, allowing the offense to rattle off 6 straight goals. After trading goals throughout the second half, Dayton pulled ahead on another run of unanswered goals to find itself in the championship game once more, and against a foe they saw earlier in the year.
Earlier in March, the Flyers defeated Davenport on a rainy day at home on NCR Field, and the Panthers showed up for the second meeting with revenge in mind. They scored three goals in the first minute and a half, putting the nation's top team down early. Again the Flyers were in an early hole until Furbay and company, in this case freshman Sean Hartnett, responded with another strong scoring outburst to post a 10-6 lead over the Panthers. The score didn’t change for much of the second half, but an unfortunate own-goal off an errant shot dropped into the Dayton net and started the scoring again. Goals by junior Patrick Weinandy and sophomore Ryan Arling decided the game at a final score of 14-10. Freshman goalie Ben Domyancic had two great games for the Flyers, making clutch saves and executing face break clears, often by advancing the ball himself.
Dayton claimed its second CCLA championship in three years and earned a third-straight appearance in the national tournament. Follow the Flyers in Denver May 12-16 on Twitter and at www.MCLA.us
Congratulations to the following Flyers for their CCLA conference awards: (1st Team) Alex Urban, Alex Walter, Kevin Bell, Brian Downey, Stephen Hurst (2nd Team) Patrick Weinandy (Honorable Mention) Dan Delagrange, Matt Dowd, Alex Reynolds.
The Flyers (#2) defeated the visiting Panthers (#5) 13-8 after a 6-1 run sealed the victory late in the second half March 29 at NCR Field. Late game heroics from freshman goalie Ben Domyancic and the Flyer attack put the game out of question in the fourth quarter. Domyancic made his first career start while the attack lineup was back to true form after missing senior Alex Walter in the game Saturday against John Carroll University. Walter finished with 5 points and 10 groundballs while Christian Furbay led the team with 5 goals.
Wind and light rain throughout the day made the game a sloppy but exciting one, albeit miserable for shivering fans on the sidelines. On Sunday, NCR Field defined the word “muddy.” Balance and ball control became deciding factors in what amounted to a battle for both teams, against each other and the weather. Dayton capitalized on numerous unsettled and ground ball situations, including a stifling ride, to maintain control of the ball, and second half dominance at the face-off X from Junior Kevin Bell and Sophomore Elliot Witty changed the momentum of the game.
The Flyers jumped out to 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but successful man-up plays by the visiting team helped tie the game. The teams traded goals until Davenport took a 6-4 advantage in the third quarter. The Flyers fought to regain the lead at 8-7 on a goal by Christian Furbay and the team never looked back.
On the defensive end, senior Brent Higgins continued strong play from the previous day, executing clears and playing excellent short-stick defense while freshmen defensemen Matt Dowd had 7 ground balls and Austin Birner had 6 to keep the Davenport offense out of its rhythm.
The Flyers defeated John Carroll University 10-6 the previous day. With the weekend’s results, Dayton’s record increased to 6-0. The next game is scheduled for April 18 at 6:00 p.m. at home against Grove City.