Season Preview: Men’s Soccer excited to face another tough schedule in 2022

By Wes Mayberry

| 2022 Men's Soccer Schedule |

ADA — After finishing the 2021 season with double-digit victories against what was a difficult schedule, the Ohio Northern men's soccer team is excited to carry that experience into their 2022 campaign under fourth-year head coach Chris Matejka.

"We're always trying to test ourselves, and it will be no different this year," Matejka said. "We're playing an equally tough, if not tougher, schedule this year, so having experience playing against tough opponents is certainly going to pay dividends this year with our guys knowing what it takes to compete at a high level on a regular basis."

The Polar Bears posted a record of 11-7-3 and advanced to the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals in 2021, playing a schedule that included six games against teams ranked in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll. They proved up to the challenge, though, posting an impressive 10 shutouts and outscoring their opponents 41-20 overall.

The Polar Bears maintained that success during a preseason trip to the United Kingdom. They enjoyed 10 days in England and Scotland from Aug. 1-10, going 4-0 in friendly matches against local teams while taking sightseeing excursions and attending professional soccer games.

"That was a fun trip. We got to bond together and share common memories and play against some really talented teams," Matejka said. "We got to see a different perspective of the game and gained some good experience that will help us going into the season."

The Polar Bears return 25 lettermen from last year's team, including three of their top five point-scorers. The team consists of 10 seniors, five juniors, 19 sophomores and 14 freshmen.

"We're certainly deep with a good mix of players in each class," Matejka said.

Here is a position-by-position overview of the 2022 Ohio Northern men's soccer team.

Forwards

Fifth-year senior and four-year letterman Bryan Kern (Rocky River) headlines this position group for Northern in 2022 after an All-OAC Second Team campaign a year ago.

Kern started all 21 games last season and tallied nine points on three goals and three assists while leading the OAC in shots with 63. In four seasons, he has started 35 of his 60 career games and has 27 points on 10 goals and seven assists.

Other top players at the forward position include sophomores Ryan Sommerfeld (Dublin/Coffman), Nate Gottron (Centerville) and Ryan Parker (Lexington).

Sommerfeld played in 21 matches with three starts as a freshman and recorded eight points on three goals and two assists.

Gottron and Parker played in 14 and 12 games, respectively, a year ago, with the former recording one goal.

Seniors Daunte George (Bellefontaine) and Aaron Shelton (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) bring experience to the position group with a combined 77 games played between them. George has six points on one goal and four assists in his 40-game career while Shelton has seven points on three goals and one assist through 37 games.

Ryan Augustine (Gibsonia, Pa./North Catholic), an Academic All-OAC selection in 2021, joins junior Zach Culp (Avon); sophomores Grant Daly (Uniontown/Green), Gavin Marshall (Troy) and Kellan Minch (Beavercreek); and freshmen Sam Holden (Hilliard/Davidson) and Isaiah Rodriguez (Beavercreek) in rounding out the position group.

"We have a lot of experience in our group of forwards," Matejka said. "We have a good blend of experienced guys that can get the job done and some good competition in the younger ranks that are going to push everyone and make everyone better."

Midfielders

Fifth-year senior and four-year letterman Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) is the Polar Bears' top midfielder for 2022 as he looks to continue what has been a stellar collegiate career.

Named the OAC Freshman of the Year in 2018, King closed 2021 with 20 points via six goals and eight assists. He led the team in points and assists and ranked third in goals en route to being selected to the All-OAC First Team as the conference's Midfielder of the Year. He finished tied for sixth in the OAC in points, ranked second in assists and tied for 12th in goals. He was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region 7 Second Team and was an Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio First Team selection.

King has played in 74 games with 73 starts in his four-year career at Northern and is a four-time All-OAC and three-time All-Ohio honoree with three and two First Team accolades, respectively. The three-time OAC Player of the Week has 85 career points via 32 goals and 21 assists. His point total ranks eighth all-time at ONU, and he sits just outside the program's top 10 list in career goals and assists.

Senior Jeff Firestone (Brecksville/Brecksville-Broadview Heights), junior Cade Winchester (Knoxville, Tenn./Alcoa) and sophomores Sam McKee (Mason), Brenden Gervers (Grand Blanc, Mich.) and Ashton Ochsner (Floyds Knobs, Ind./Floyd Central) are other key players in the Polar Bears' midfield.

Firestone, a three-year letterman and two-time Academic All-OAC selection, has played in 32 games with five starts in his career, recording one goal.

An Academic All-OAC honoree as a sophomore, Winchester has posted five points on two goals and one assist through 22 career games with three starts.

McKee started 17 of 21 games as a freshman in 2021 and finished with one goal and one assist.

Gervers played in 18 games last season and recorded one goal, and Ochsner saw action in 17 matches with six starts.

Sophomore William Shaffer (Galena/St. Francis DeSales), a transfer from Wright State, joins sophomores Stephen Duggan (Saginaw, Mich./Freeland) and Colby Stolph (Liberty Township/Stephen T. Badin) and freshmen Gage Foster (Mason), Grant Israel (Canton, Mich./Salem) and Alex Shaffer (Galena/St. Francis DeSales) to provide additional depth in the midfield.

"It's great to have a captain and experienced statistical leader like Levi in such an important area of the field," Matejka said. "We're going to lean on him quite a bit, but I'm also excited to see the young players come through because we're going to have to lean on them in a big way too."

Defense

Northern lost three players to graduation who started double-digit games on defense a season ago but return some key pieces to the position group in sophomores Tanner Locke (Canton, Mich./Salem) and Nolan Schirmer (Amelia/West Clermont) and junior Ben Sundermann (Miamisburg).

Locke ranked second on the team with five assists and added one goal as a freshman in 2021 when he started 14 of his 15 games. His assist total was tied for sixth-best in the OAC.

Schirmer played in 16 games with 14 starts and scored one goal last season.

Sundermann played in 15 games a season ago and has 23 games of playing experience with 11 starts in his two-year career.

Senior Ian Conkey (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) also brings experience with 12 starts in 15 career games.

The position group also includes seniors Sam Klepek (Olmsted Falls/St. Edward), Corbin Fuschino (Springfield/Northwestern) and Ryan Wightman (Beavercreek); junior Brian Long (Eighty Four, Pa./Ringgold); sophomores Noah Zebrak (Cleveland/St. Ignatius), AJ Johnson (Lucasville/Valley) and Evansville (Ind.) transfer Jacob Grant (Westerville/North); and freshmen Caleb Epp (East Liberty/Benjamin Logan), Quinn Berry (Delaware/Olentangy Berlin), Blake Engle (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), Evan Jakuc (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica Eisenhower), Jacob Davis (Louisville, Ky./Saint Xavier), Ben Knight (Mason/William Mason) and Chase Lorenzen (Toledo/Ottawa Hills).

"Our defense is strong despite losing some key guys from last season," Matejka said. "We have quite a few guys who had to rise to the occasion last year because of some injuries to other players. A lot of younger players who might not have been ready at the time had to be ready, so they've got another year under their belt, and we're excited to see what they can do this year."

Goalkeeper

The Polar Bears lost the reigning two-time OAC Goalkeeper of the Year in John Lombardo, whose 25 career shutouts rank third in program history, to graduation in the spring and will now turn to senior Josh Ellis (Whitehouse/Anthony Wayne) as their starting goalie.

"It's always hard to replace a Goalkeeper of the Year and a leader and captain like John, but Josh has paid his dues and has earned the respect of his teammates. We're excited to see what he can do," Matejka said. "He's been a hidden talent of ours, and we're excited to unleash him and have him be a leader for us this year."

Ellis, a three-year letterman, has played nearly 226 minutes through five games, including two starts, in three seasons. He has allowed one goal while recording six saves and holding a 2-0-0 record with two shutouts.

Reserve goalkeepers for 2022 include sophomores Lucas Hickey (Conroe, Texas/Oak Ridge) and Brian Watkins (Hilliard/Darby) and freshman Evan Linsley (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay).

Schedule

The Polar Bears open their 2022 schedule on the road at No. 17 Kenyon on Sept. 1 but close out the month with eight of their next nine games at home. That non-conference slate includes matchups with No. 7 North Park (Ill.) on Sept. 4 and No. 21 Ohio Wesleyan on Sept. 14 and at No. 18 Hanover (Ind.) on Sept. 17.

ONU opens Ohio Athletic Conference play at Mount Union on Oct. 1 and will play its conference schedule on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Road games include those at Otterbein, John Carroll, Muskingum and Baldwin Wallace. Home conference games include those against Capital, Heidelberg, Wilmington and Marietta.

John Carroll and Otterbein enter the season ranked Nos. 16 and 24, respectively, in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

"We like to challenge ourselves, and I think it's going to be an exciting year," Matejka said. "I think we're on the brink of a really good season, and we're ready to get it started."

The OAC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 1-5.

The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship is scheduled for Dec. 2-3 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.