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Matt Borland
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Following one of the best seasons in school history, the Wittenberg men's soccer team hopes to continue its ascent to the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in 2008. A year after reaching double figures in wins for the first time since 2001, the Tigers welcome 14 letterwinners back to a team in hot pursuit of its first conference title since 1993.
Head coach Steve Dawson enters his 26th year at the helm of the program with a wealth of experience and talent, starting with 2007 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), a senior midfielder. He is one of returning three all-conference performers back in the fold in 2008.
Borland was a third-team All-America choice in 2007, and he has already etched his name in the record books as one of the best players in school and conference history with All-NCAC honors in each of his first three seasons in the Red & White. Borland finished 2007 with eight goals and five assists as one half of a potent offensive attack. Senior forward Shane Price (Minford, Ohio/Minford) tallied 13 goals in 2007 to lead the team and garner first-team All-NCAC recognition.
Senior midfielder Jimmy Thinnes (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) also returns after starting all 19 games a year ago and finishing with two goals and two assists. The offense is further bolstered by the return of junior forwards Matt Fleissner (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) and Brian Glenn (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy). Fleissner quickly found his place in Dawson's system, dishing out four assists with his tenacious playing style after transferring to Wittenberg prior to the 2007 season. Glenn scored three goals and added four assists in his first significant collegiate playing time.
The defense is just as deep, starting with senior defenders Justin Jenkins (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), Anthony Ianiro (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/University School) andMichael Hosket (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs). Jenkins, the 2005 NCAC Player of the Year, is coming off a second-team All-NCAC performance in 2007. In addition, junior defender Michael Condon (Powell, Ohio/Watterson) has been a stalwart on the backline while starting every game in his first two collegiate seasons.
Eleven first-year players have been added to the mix, including a trio of goalkeepers who hope to pick up right where second-team All-NCAC netminder Ben McAnnis-Entenman left off a year ago. The Tigers kick off another challenging non-conference schedule at Otterbein at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30. The drive to improve on the Tigers' third-place finish in the conference a year ago opens with a road trip to Allegheny on Sept. 27.