Steve Dawson

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University Men's Soccer Head Coach Steve Dawson knows a thing or two about college competition. While he continues to lead the Tiger program, he is also reaching new heights with a youth club team specifically designed to develop collegiate talent.

Dawson's Ohio FC/Team Dayton Black Under-18 (U-18) team captured first place in the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) Ohio State Championship on May 15. It was the second straight state title for a Dawson-coached club team - and the first since forming this uniquely merged team. His Dublin-based Ohio FC team, U-17 state champions in 2004, and Team Dayton, U-17 state runners-up a year ago, combined to create two highly competitive U-18 teams - labeled simply Black and White - for the 2005 season.

"These teams were formed to help players prepare to play at the next level," said Dawson, who has been involved in Ohio FC since 1997. "We work with more than 30 guys, with an emphasis on player development."

Dawson is associate director of Ohio FC, a boys youth club soccer program that sponsors teams in several age groups. He runs all high school age teams (15 and up) sponsored by the organization, and he has been charged with preparing players interested in participating in college soccer - be it the scholarship programs of NCAA Division I and II and NAIA or the non-scholarship programs at NCAA Division III institutions like Wittenberg.

All 18 players on Ohio FC/Team Dayton Black are planning to play soccer in college, including five who plan to attend Wittenberg and play for the Tigers later this year. Twelve of the players have been awarded athletic scholarships to various NCAA Division I programs, and one is a highly recruited high school junior. In addition, 13 of the 18 players on Ohio FC/Team Dayton White, coached by Wittenberg Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Kris Hazard, class of 1991, are making plans to play college soccer next year. The other five are high school juniors.

"This will bolster a solid returning team (at Wittenberg)," Dawson said. "I anticipate that this will be one of the best recruiting classes I've ever had here at Wittenberg. Many of these guys are ready to contribute right away at the college level."

The Tiger men's soccer team loses just one senior off last year's 7-11 team that finished sixth in the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference standings. All 11 starters are expected to return to the lineup, meaning that the incoming recruits will add depth and continue to improve the talent on the roster.

A native of London, England, Dawson has long been an advocate for soccer in America, and he instills his passion in hundreds of young athletes every year - attracting players to Ohio FC from across the state, including Springfield, and also serving as co-director of the Great Britain Buckeye Soccer (GBBS) Camps, which are held on several Ohio college campuses each summer. Wittenberg is hosting GBBS Camps July 5-9 and July 18-22.

Ohio FC/Team Dayton Black

Dawson, who has led the Wittenberg men's soccer team since 1982 and is an instructor in the Department of Health, Fitness and Sport, has also introduced many of his former Tiger players to the joys of coaching. Among them are Stefan Christman '03, Josh Curtis '03 and Dave Baust '90, all of whom are coaching at various levels in Ohio FC. Curtis, a two-time All-NCAC honoree during his Wittenberg career, and Christman are among several individuals who have played for Dawson on the age-group level and the collegiate level.

Dawson said this year's club team is capable of going farther than the state champion Ohio FC U-17 team that lost in the Region II Championship game a year ago, compiling a 3-1-1 record in the tournament. The only loss came by a 3-0 score in the title game to the eventual national champion from Missouri.

Next up for Ohio FC/Team Dayton Black U-18 is the USYSA Region II Tournament June 24-29 in Sioux Falls, S.D., where 208 teams in seven age groups from a 13-state region spanning from North Dakota to Kentucky will compete for the right to advance to the USYSA National Championships. More than 270 preliminary games will be played as USYSA state champions and select runners-up in the under-13 through under-19 age groups compete for a regional crown. Age group champions from Region II will compete against other regional champions for the USYSA National Championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., July 27-31.