Season Review: Men’s Soccer completes ‘incredible season’ in 2022

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's soccer team had an outstanding 2022 season, finishing 13-4-5 overall and accomplishing something it had not done in a decade.

Under fourth-year head coach Chris Matejka, the Polar Bears won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship with an 8-0-1 record en route to advancing to the third round of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since finishing as the national runner-up in 2012.

"It was an incredible season that exceeded expectations in many ways," Matejka said. "We continue to raise the bar each year, and it is extremely rewarding seeing the team's hard work pay off."

After a 10-day offseason trip to England and Scotland, the Polar Bears were ready to battle a difficult schedule featuring six opponents that wound up qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Despite a couple of early stumbles, Northern proved it could compete with some of the best teams in the country.

Following a 3-2 home loss to then-No. 7 North Park (Ill.), Northern put together a 15-game unbeaten streak and ended the regular season with seven straight victories. The 15-game streak ranks second-best in program history, and that stretch included the team's first win at John Carroll since 2013. The victory over the Blue Streaks proved vital in the Polar Bears clinching their ninth OAC regular season championship and first since 2015.

ONU fell 2-1 in double overtime to Wilmington in the OAC Tournament semifinals but had put together an impressive enough resume to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, marking the team's 11th all-time appearance in the event and first since 2019. Northern was awarded the right to host the first and second rounds and took advantage of playing on a familiar field, advancing past both Mt. Aloysius (Pa.) and North Park on penalty kicks.

The Polar Bears traveled to Kenyon to face Williams (Mass.) in the third round and battled to a 1-0 defeat to the eventual national runner-up Ephs. That was just the second time ONU had been shut out all season.

"It felt like a major weight was lifted from our shoulders with winning an OAC title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament," Matejka said. "Qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is an expectation for us. Every team that reaches that stage is extremely talented, and we are proud to be among some of the nation's best teams."

Northern finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The team entered the top 25 with a No. 21 ranking on Oct. 18 and climbed as high as No. 11.

In addition to Matejka earning OAC Coach of the Year honors, several Polar Bear student-athletes were recognized for their roles in the team's success this season.

Fifth-year senior Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) led the way, earning All-Region VII First Team recognition from United Soccer Coaches after being named to the All-OAC First Team as the conference's Midfielder of the Year for the second straight season. He was also named to the OAC All-Tournament Team, All-Ohio First Team, Academic All-Ohio First Team and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American First Team and Scholar All-Region Team. He was selected as the OAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17.

Now a four-time All-Region selection and five-time All-OAC pick, King recorded at least one point in all nine of ONU's conference games this season and finished with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists. Those totals ranked tied for fourth, tied for sixth and tied for second, respectively, in the OAC. King has started 94 of his 95 career games at ONU and ranks sixth all-time in points (107) and assists (29) and seventh in goals (39).

"Levi was a tremendous leader for us, and we are very grateful for his commitment to this program," Matejka said. "There's a reason why we called him Mr. OAC during October — he was a consistent performer and showed up in every game."

Fifth-year senior forward Bryan Kern (Rocky River) joined King on the All-OAC First Team after ranking second on the team with 20 points. He tied King for the team lead with seven goals and added six assists and was also an All-Ohio Second Team and OAC All-Tournament Team selection. Kern has played in 82 games with 57 starts in his ONU career and has 47 points on 17 goals and 13 assists.

"Bryan has always been a major catalyst for our attacking threat each game," Matejka said. "His impact was so important for us, and looking at what he can do on a regular basis leaves you stunned. He is so fun to watch, and sometimes you aren't sure what he's going to do next on the ball. His offensive push was always there when needed."

Sophomore defender Noah Zebrak (Cleveland/St. Ignatius) and sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Hickey (Conroe, Texas/Oak Ridge) were named to the All-OAC Second Team, and sophomore midfielder William Shaffer (Galena/St. Francis DeSales) was a Third Team selection.

Zebrak started all 22 games and was part of an ONU defense that posted seven shutouts and limited opponents to just 4.6 shots on goal per game on the season while contributing five points on two goals and one assist.

Hickey played in 11 games with eight starts in goal, posting a 6-1-1 record with 28 saves, a 1.27 GAA and .718 save percentage.

Shaffer started all 22 games, tallying 11 points on three goals and five assists.

Senior goalkeeper Josh Ellis (Whitehouse/Anthony Wayne) was a two-time OAC Defensive Player of the Week selection, earning the accolade on Sept. 19 and Oct. 31. He played in 15 games with 14 starts, posting a 7-3-4 record with five shutouts, 42 saves, a 1.07 GAA and .737 save percentage. Ellis finished tied for fourth in the OAC in GAA, and his seven career shutouts rank 10th in program history.

Other key contributors included sophomore forward Ryan Parker (Lexington), senior midfielder Aaron Shelton (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) and junior midfielder Cade Winchester (Knoxville, Tenn./Alcoa), who all posted double-digit point totals on the season.

Parker tied King for the team lead in assists with eight while adding three goals to finish with 14 points.

Shelton ranked third on the team in goals with five and added three assists for 13 points.

Winchester finished with 10 points, recording four goals and two assists, and was an Academic All-Ohio selection.

Other players who saw action in 15-plus games this season included seniors Daunte George (Bellefontaine) and Jeff Firestone (Brecksville/Brecksville-Broadview Heights), sophomores Gavin Marshall (Troy), Stephen Duggan (Saginaw, Mich./Freeland), Brenden Gervers (Grand Blanc, Mich.), Ashton Ochsner (Floyds Knobs, Ind./Floyd Central), Jacob Grant (Westerville/North), Sam McKee (Mason), Kellan Minch (Beavercreek), Nate Gottron (Centerville) and Tanner Locke (Canton, Mich./Salem) and freshman Evan Jakuc (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica Eisenhower).

In all, 17 different players scored a goal for ONU this season, and 22 different players recorded at least one point.

The team also boasted six College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team selections in King, Zebrak, Firestone, Winchester, Locke and Ochsner in addition to a conference-leading 11 Academic All-OAC honorees. That list included Firestone, King, Winchester, Duggan, Gottron, Locke, Ochsner and Zebrak in addition to juniors Ryan Augustine (Gibsonia, Pa./North Catholic) and Brian Long (Eighty Four, Pa./Ringgold) and sophomore Ryan Sommerfeld (Dublin/Coffman). Firestone is now a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree, and Augustine and Winchester have each earned the accolade twice.

With Northern set to return six of the 10 players who started double-digit games this season for 2023, the Polar Bears are eyeing what they hope is a promising campaign again next year.

"Our sights are set on surpassing what we accomplished because we feel we can set a new bar in 2023," Matejka said. "We play top competition for a reason — we always want to pursue excellence. There is so much potential in this group. September can't come soon enough."