Greg Dalby has been named to three first-team All-American lists following his solid junior campaign.

College Soccer News Recognizes Five Members Of The Notre Dame Men's Soccer Team

Aug. 23, 2005

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior midfielder Greg Dalby (Poway, Calif./Poway) has been selected to the College Soccer News Pre-Season All-America second team. The junior tri-captain was not the only Irish student-athlete honored by the publication, as four incoming freshmen were named to the `100 Freshmen to Watch’ list for the 2005 season. Matt Besler (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West), Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North), Luke Seibolt (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert) and Jack Traynor (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North) were selected to the list and are all part of a very talented seven-man freshmen class for the Irish.

Dalby garnered second team all-BIG EAST honors one year ago as he helped anchor the Fighting Irish midfield en route to the program’s first-ever BIG EAST regular-season title. He was also selected to the conference’s pre-season team for 2005. The junior has started all 42 games during the first two years of his Notre Dame career. Dalby is a valuable asset for the Irish and also has a presence on the national scene. He captained the U.S. Under-20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships in Holland over the summer.

Besler, a midfielder/defender, was a four-year all-conference player at Blue Valley West High School. He led his team to the Kansas 5A state championship his senior year as he tallied 23 goals and 19 assists. Besler is a member of the KCFC Alliance club team and is also part of the Region II Olympic Developmental Program (ODP). He was the 16th-ranked midfielder in the class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.

Dike is a very talented forward who was a soccer and track standout at Edmond North High School. He was a three-time all-city and all-state soccer player. A three-goal performance in the second half of the 2003 state championship game led his squad to the Oklahoma 5A title. He also plays for the Oklahoma City NWO Spirit – the four-time Oklahoma state club tournament championship team. Dike was ranked 11th among forwards in the class of 2005 by StudentSportsSoccer.com.

Seibolt, the sixth-ranked goalkeeper in his class by StudentSportsSoccer.com, will look to give the Irish depth at that position. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played for Gilbert High School before spending his final two prep campaigns participating in recruiting tournaments with his club team. He is a seven-year member of the Sereno Golden Eagles Soccer Club, a team that has dominated the Arizona State Cup. Seibolt also plays on the ODP Arizona `86 team.

Traynor was a three-time letter-winner as a forward/midfielder at Francis Howell North High School. He tallied 116 points on 45 goals and 26 assists during his scholastic career. Traynor collected career highs in goals with 18 and assists with 11 during his senior season. The two-time all-state and all-city performer also helped the Scott Gallagher Soccer Club team claim the 2004 under-17 national championship. His club team has won seven state titles in the last nine years and he was named the 2004 state championship MVP. Traynor is also a member of the ODP Missouri `87 squad.

Notre Dame’s freshman class was ranked 18th by College Soccer News. Defender Kyle Dagan (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake), goalkeeper Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) and midfielder/defender Cory Rellas (Plano, Texas/Plano West) round out the stellar crop of newcomers.

The Fighting Irish, who are ranked 16th in the NSCAA/adidas pre-season poll, opened exhibition play on Monday night as they battled No. 6 New Mexico to a 1-1 double-overtime tie. Notre Dame is also ranked 19th in both the College Soccer News and Soccer America pre-season polls. The Irish will play their second and final exhibition match on Sunday as they travel to Michigan to take on the Wolverines at 2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. South Bend time).

–ND–