Staff Report
FAIRBORN — With two exhibition matches to go for the men, and one more preseason match for the women’s team, the Wright State University soccer teams are gearing up for the start of their respective 2016 campaigns.
On the men’s side, the team was named Thursday as the Horizon League’s preseason co-favorite by a panel of HL coaches. Wright State tied for first in the poll with Oakland (Mich.) as both schools received 73 total votes with three first-place votes.
The University of Illinois Chicago was picked third, followed by Valparaiso, Cleveland State, Milwaukee, Detroit, Green Bay, Northern Kentucky and Belmont.
“It’s always nice to be recognized as a program. It is a great testament to the work of my boys and the staff,” said WSU head coach Bryan Davis, who enters his eighth season at the helm in 2012. “These are only predictions. All it does is put a target on our back. What matters is what we do once the whistle blows. We shall see.”
Wright State advanced to the Horizon League championship match for the second consecutive year in 2015 and finished 12-8-1 overall and 4-4-1 in the league. This season, seven starters return, including seniors Eric Lynch of Bellbrook, and Peguy Ngatcha, who were First Team All-Horizon League and Second Team All-Ohio selections last season, senior Sam DeRoy, who was chosen to the Second Team, sophomore Jackson Dietrich, who was the league’s Freshman of the Year, and sophomore Eric Hutton, who joined Dietrich on the league’s All-Newcomer Team.
On Wednesday, Davis promoted Raiders lead assistant and recruiting coordinator Jake Slemker to Associate Head Coach.
A native of Englewood, Slemker played for the Raiders from 2003-‘06 and was a four-year starter in the backfield. Following his WSU career, Slemker played professionally with the Dayton Dutch Lions, Arizona Sahuaros, Cincinnati Kings Albany Admirals and Cleveland Internationals.
Slemker graduated from Wright State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and earned a master’s degree in applied behavioral science in 2012.
The Raiders travel to Marquette for an exhibition match at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13. The regular-season opener is set for 10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, in Portland, Ore.
WSU takes on Duquesne in the home opener at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, at Alumni Field.
RAIDER WOMEN AT EASTERN KY.
The Wright State University women’s soccer team will wrap up its exhibition season with a 6 p.m. contest Sunday, Aug. 14 at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky.
The Raiders blanked Western Carolina, 2-0 in their Aug. 7 exhibition opener in Cullowhee, N.C. Fairborn HS grad Aaliyah Patten scored the team’s opening goal, off an assist by Loveland grad Andrea Gomez. Bellbrook grad Monica Hennen then scored Wright State’s second goal at the 63:55 mark.
The Raiders women’s regular-season opener will be on Friday, Aug. 19, at Notre Dame, with the home opener set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 against Bucknell.
