MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College men's soccer team enters the 2025 season with renewed commitment after narrowly missing out on a playoff opportunity in the year prior.  Late in the 2024 campaign, the Pioneers tied Baldwin Wallace, which proved costly in the standings.   Even though they defeated Wilmington to close the season, the Pioneers saw themselves lose out to the Quakers for the final spot in the OAC Tournament.  Marietta finished with a 6-10-2 record overall and a 3-5-1 OAC record.  This year's squad has a strong mix of talented returners and newcomers, and Marietta head coach Joe Bergin is excited for the season to kick off.

"Do I think this team can be good?  Absolutely," said Bergin. "But I have thought that about teams that won 6 games and missed the playoffs.  This team has the talent, but can we, as a staff, get them ready for the college season?  It is a weekly sprint that finds you getting your team ready for all the different styles of opponents only to get to the conference slate of games, which is brutally tough.  Can we be good, yes, but this is college soccer, and lots can happen to alter our path."

This year's group brings back some top performers from 2024.  Senior Lee Miller (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) returns after leading the Pioneers in goals last year.  Miller scored four goals, including three game-winners, last year and will be looked upon to lead the attack this season.  "We are moving Lee further forward in the formation to try and take advantage of his offensive tendencies," said Bergin.  "Could be fun to watch."

Gavin Heighberger (Lagrange, Ohio/Elyria) returns after an eight point (three goals and two assists) season.  The former OAC Freshman of the Year worked hard in the offseason and is ready to make an impact this year.  "He is ready for the role of facilitator," said Bergin.  "He has put, and continues to do so, the work in."

The Pioneers will have another offensive threat in Parker Bolin (Albany, Ohio/Alexander), a senior transfer from Notre Dame College.  "Parker has a proven track record of scoring," said coach Bergin of the newcomer.  "We struggled in that capacity last year.  Keeping him healthy and fresh will be key to his, and our, success."

On the defensive side, Coach Bergin will look to another former OAC Freshman of the year to help solidify the Pioneer back line.  Senior Sam Holthaus (Columbus, Ohio/University) returns after a strong 2024 to anchor a strong group of defenders.  "Sam is rock solid in the back," said coach Bergin.  "He is hard to get by cleanly, which frustrates the opposing strikers."  Look for contributions from seniors Will Freson (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) and Alec Ellis (Charleston, W.Va./George Washington) and juniors Pat Williamson (Hove, Sussex, United KIngdom/Cardinal Newman) and Brett Dixon (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) to help create a stingy Pioneer defense.

The Pioneers lost two goalkeepers through graduation but returns a player who saw some crucial minutes last season.  Junior Andrew Stein (Wilmington, N.C./Hoggard) started four games last year and came out with two victories for Marietta, making him the front runner for the position.  Talented freshmen Noah Walker (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) and Landon Mautz (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) will be waiting in the wings for a shot at the job.

"Quite frankly, this is a more talented team," said Bergin comparing his team to last year's group. "But there is so much that goes into making a team successful.  One thing I can say is  that this team will put the work in, but will the soccer gods be kind to us this year?  Time will tell.  We are deep in many areas, but we have to stay healthy and that is so hard to do."

Marietta opens the season on the road against Chatham University on Friday (Aug. 29) at 7 p.m.  The home opener will be on Sunday (Aug. 31) as they do battle with Bluffton University, with a scheduled start time of 3 p.m.

"The schedule is brutal," concluded coach Bergin.  "Brutal up front in terms of the number of games and in the back half of the non-conference schedule in terms of highly ranked teams such as OWU, Case Western, and Denison.  The OAC will be interesting with John Carroll gone.  And we're playing Transylvania this year, which I've resisted for years.  I'll be coaching against my former long-time assistant, Ben Federici.  Should be emotional."

Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.