OAC Soccer Coaches Poll (.pdf)

BEREA, OHIO --   The Baldwin Wallace University men's soccer team is coming off its best season in school history and will look to take it a step further in 2012. This season, veteran Head Coach Reid Ayers, entering his 11th season, hopes to lead his team to an Ohio Athletic Conference title and return berth inthe national tourney.

In 2011, the Yellow Jackets set a school-record for wins with a 16-6 record and earned the school's first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth. This fall, the BW men are picked to finish second in the 2012 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll (released today, Friday, August 17).

"We return a solid nucleus of student-athletes and we have an outstanding recruiting class coming to camp who will compete with our veterans," said Coach Ayers, the winningest men's soccer coach in school history with 120 victories at BW and 166 for his career.

BW has recorded a winning season each of the last nine seasons.

This year's squad is led by senior three-time All-OAC and 2011 CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American Pat Brennan (Akron/ Walsh Jesuit).  He has played in 61 matches the last three years and scored 19 goals, passed for 16 assists and has scored 54 total points. He returns as one of the best in the Great Lakes Region if not all of Division III. Last season, Pat Brennan had seven goals and seven assists to rank third on the team with 21 points.

Joining Pat Brennan up front will be senior Kirk Graf (Ashland) and sophomores Ben Deighton (Brecksville/ Brecksville-Broadview Heights), Cody Smith (Brunswick) and his younger brother, Michael Brennan (Akron/ Walsh Jesuit). All four will play key roles this fall.

Graf had eight goals and six assists for 22 points. Deighton had five goals and one assist for 11 points. Smith had two goals and one assist. Michael Brennan is healthy and ready to contribute. He had one goal last fall but played most of the season injured. The quartet will need to step up its production following the graduation of the school's all-time leading scorer, Carlin Vandendriesshe '12.

"We also have a number of other weapons who will need to step up and produce," continued Ayers, referring to the loss of Vandendriessche. "We feel very good about the potential of the folks who we have returning and those coming in and their ability to put the ball in the net."

Major strengths for Ayers' club is in the midfield, on defense and in goal.

The midfield is led by junior Judson Sprandel (Akron/ Green) who is one of the top returning midfielders in the OAC. Sprandel, a two-year starter and the "Rookie of the Year" in 2010, started every match the past two years. 

In addition, look for sophomores Nick Gallo (Richfield/ Revere) and Mike Womack (Mentor) to compete for playing time.  In 2011, Womack played in 12 contests and scored two goals and added one assist for a total of five points.

"We return a solid group of midfielders who have the talent and ability to contribute on both offense and defense," said Ayers. "We feel that Judson has the ability to be a leader at that spot and join Pat [Brennan] as an Academic All-American [Sprandel carries a better than 3.9 grade poinyt average]."

Senior Tommy Kramer (Columbus/ Worthington Kilbourne) will anchor the defense along with sophomores Trey Arney (Coshocton) and Vince Milner (Mayfield).  A year ago, this trio helped post six shutouts and allow just 22 goals in 22 contests. Kramer, the 2011 Co-Defensive Player of the Year also scored two goals, Arney had one goal and Milner added an assist. 

In addition, senior Ben Kolich (East Aurora, N.Y.) and junior Ashkon Bahrami (Newark) return to compete for playing time as a defender.

In goal, senior Ryan Hulings (Centerville) returns between the pipes for his third season as a starter. Hulings, the other 2011 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, started 20 games in 2011 and recorded 76 saves while allowing only 24 goals for a 1.09 goal average and a 15-5 mark.

"Ryan and Tommy will anchor our defense," said Ayers. "We feel very comfortable with them as our last line of defense. We did very well defensively a year ago, and there is no reason to think that we can't be successful again."

The Yellow Jackets open the season on August 31 versus Stevens (N.J.) Institute of Technology in the first match of the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 5:00 p.m.  BW's first home game is on September 15 versus Grove City (Pa.) College on the Tressel Field pitch at The George Finnie Stadium in Berea at 1:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets begin OAC play on September 29 at Otterbein University at 3:30 p.m. 

FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter http://twitter.com/bwathletics.