PLAYERS WITH LOCAL CONNECTIONS
Number;Name;Position;Hometown;College/Team
1;Haley Gribler;Goalkeeper;Springboro;Lee
3;Nicole Hopkins;Defender;Centerville;Pittsburgh
4;Brittany Persaud;Midfielder;Beavercreek;Wright State/Ado Den Haag (Netherlands pro)
13;Micaela Powers;Midfielder;Beavercreek;Wisconsin
14;Sydney Lovelace;Defender/Midfielder;Franklin;Indiana State
15;Amy Dean;Forward;Liberty Township;Akron
20;Malia Berkeley;Midfielder;Liberty Township;Badin High/Committed to Florida State
21;Meghan Blank;Forward;Springboro;Dayton
22;Randi DeLong;Defender/Midfielder;Dayton;Butler
23;Tiffany Huber;Defender/Midfielder;West Chester;Cincinnati
24;Libby Leedom;Midfielder;Florence, Ky.;Dayton
26;Ayanna Parker;Goalkeeper;West Chester;Kentucky
While the Women’s World Cup is bringing together soccer players from various nations, a local semi-professional team has become its own melting pot of high-level talent.
The Dayton Dutch Lions United Soccer Leagues W-League team, featuring a blend of local, out-of-state and international players, leads the Southeastern Conference standings at 5-0 heading into today’s 5 p.m. game against Charlotte at West Carrollton’s DOC Stadium.
The squad consists mainly of college players looking to stay in shape during the summer or recent graduates hoping to advance to a professional level, either within the U.S. or in Europe. The 18-team, three-conference W-League — played from mid-May to mid-July — is the highest level of amateur soccer in the U.S.
“We have a fantastic level of talent,” said coach Gavin MacLeod, who is in his second season. “In total, we have 23 players, and 1-23, everyone is a very good soccer player. Everyone plays at a good level. We have three girls who are part of their national teams, as well as a U-18 national team player. It’s just a good blend of experience and talent.”
That U-18 national team player is Hamilton Badin High School rising senior Malia Berkely, a decorated young player who is committed to Florida State University. Berkely is the youngest of the group, which also includes Ghanaian national player Florence Dadson, South Africa’s Ode Fulutudilu and Jamaica’s Nugene Nugent.
Fulutudilu, a 25-year-old forward who played at Lee University (Tenn.) for four years, just missed out on a chance to go to the World Cup when South Africa finished one spot out of qualifying. She was looking for a place to play and train competitively this summer, as there weren’t many opportunities back home.
“I’m hoping this opens up a few more doors because I would love to play in a professional league and see how that goes,” Fulutudilu said. “And I’m hoping the experience I get here with the playing time and the regular training will make me a better player going back to South Africa with my national team, that I can make a difference there.”
Despite the cultural differences (a total of five different countries are represented), players say team chemistry has been a big part of the Dutch Lions’ success this season. The club finished 3-7 last year after making the playoffs in 2013. The Lions have outscored opponents 13-3 with three shutouts in five games.
Some of the non-local players have bonded while living in a house together, while others like Fulutudilu are staying with host families. Seven players hail from the Dayton area, including Beavercreek High School graduate Micaela Powers, who is preparing for her junior season at the University of Wisconsin. Powers, a midfielder who also played with the Dutch Lions in 2011 and 2014, said most of the local players knew each other from club and high school seasons, and everyone connected easily.
A group of the players even made the trip to Canada together to watch some World Cup matches live.
“I think our team chemistry is different this year, and I think we are better collectively and better individually all over the field,” Powers said. “We have a very deep bench. Whenever someone new comes in, we don’t lose anything and that’s important because it creates a big trust within the team. If you can’t have that trust in your teammates, you’ll never be successful. I think we’re also more fit, and I think that’s the byproduct of more people coming from bigger colleges and successful programs.”
MacLeod said he had more time to recruit players in Year 2, probably triple the amount of time he had in preparation for the 2014 season.
The next three games will be a big test of how good the Dutch Lions really are. Charlotte (3-1) is third in the Southeastern Conference, and Washington (4-1), who they face on the road twice, is second.
“The next two weekends will really tell us all we need to know about our realistic expectations for this season and where we stand in the conference,” MacLeod said. “If we keep playing at this level, we should continue to see some success.”
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