BEREA, OHIO -- The 2008 Baldwin-Wallace College men’s soccer team has a goal of winning the school’s first-ever Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship and first-ever OAC Tournament title.
Last season, the Yellow Jackets opened their season with a tournament title at the Penn-State Behrend tourney en route to finishing 9-6-4 overall and 4-2-3 in the OAC under Head Coach Reid Ayers. During the past four years, his teams have won 50 games.
This season, Ayers, who will enter his seventh season as head coach and is the winningest coach in the history of the program, returns six starters and 13 letterwinners.
Unfortunately, Ayers will have to do without is 2007 OAC Defender of the Year Todd Alexander and two-time ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-American Matt Pietro as both were lost due to graduation along with five other seniors who all played prominent roles.
Ayers can rely senior midfielders Cory Kovach (Chagrin Falls/ Kenston) and Michael Grater (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls). Kovach was a second-team All-OAC pick a year ago when he produced one goal and two assists. Grater also brings a wealth of experience as a two-year starter and three-year varsity contributor. He had one goal and two assists in 2007.
On defense, Ayers returns junior goalkeeper Russ Mika (Medina/ Senior), who was the regular starter last season. Mika had 75 saves, a 1.23 goals against average and registered four shutouts. In addition, Ayers can count on the return of three of his top four defenders from last season. Senior Mitch Keidan (Blacklick/ Gahanna Lincoln) and juniors Nate Smith (Ashland/ Senior) and Cory Weidner (Rocky River) all were solid last season. Keidan also scored one goal and had two assists Smith collected four assists and Weidner chipped in with a goal.
On offense, Ayers also lost to graduation last season’s leading scorer in Brian Sugerman, but does return last season’s second-leading scorer in sophomore Tyler Leister (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls). Leister primarly came off the bench last season, but he made the most of his time on the field as he scored eight goals and added two assists for 18 points. However, Ayers will need to find other goal-scoring threats to replace Pietro, Alexander and others.
The junior brother combo of Jim and Andy Synk (Strongsville) and junior forward Charlie Thompson (Huron), the team’s 2006 “Rookie of the Year”, will be welcomed back after all three missed last season due to injury. This season, the trio will be looked upon to spark the offense and add strength in the midfield.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX and 44-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. TO CONTACT HEAD COACH REID AYERS, please call him at 440-826-3839, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or e-mail him at rayers@bw.edu
275 Eastland Rd.