The return of 15 letterwinners combined with a talented and deep recruiting class has Wittenberg Men’s Soccer Head Coach Steve Dawson optimistic about his team’s prospects in 2014.

The Tigers are coming off a 2013 season that ended with records of 6-12-1 overall and 2-6-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), but Dawson has more returning letterwinners than he has had since the Tigers’ last run to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2008. He also has the program’s largest recruiting class in more than a decade, a crop of newcomers totaling 16 in all. 

While Dawson is optimistic about the talent on the roster, but he knows many of his young Tigers lack college experience. He does have a large senior class to lead the way, however, starting with co-captains Reed Glosser (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) and Joe Poff (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), a midfielder and defender, respectively. The senior class also includes goalkeeper James Van Artsdalen (Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield), forward Mitch Rudibaugh (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), midfielder Jack Mossman (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley), defender Adam Pitchel (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville), and midfielder Brian Boutin (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon). 

Van Artsdalen is the starter between the pipes for a second straight year, with junior David Barth (Findlay, Ohio/Cypress Ranch (Texas)) in support. He has a veteran core of defenders in front of him, starting with Poff and Pitchel but also including junior co-captain Zack Moore (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), junior Ross Cirincione (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and sophomore Tucker Stas (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley), who emerged midway through the 2013 season as a force in the middle of the defense en route to honorable mention all-conference honors. 

In the midfield, the returners include juniors Alen Valentic (Kirtland, Ohio/Kirtland) and Carter Desloge (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield) and sophomores Andre Lorenz (Apple Creek, Ohio/Waynedale), Patrick Szymczak (Westerville, Ohio/South) and Samuel Archinal (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South), along with Mossman, Boutin and Glosser, who was one of three players to lead the team with three assists in 2013. 

In the attacking third, Rudibaugh is joined in the mix by sophomores Brian Carman (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and Josh Marks (Bushey, England/Watford Grammar School for Boys), who earned honorable mention All-NCAC recognition in 2013 after scoring two goals and handing out a pair of assists.

2014 At A Glance 

Letterwinners Returning: 15
Alen Valentic, Reed Glosser, Mitch Rudibaugh, Tucker Stas, Ross Cirincione, Jack Mossman, Zack Moore, Josh Marks, Carter Desloge, Adam Pitchel, Andre Lorenz, Patrick Szymczak, Joe Poff, James Van Artsdalen, Samuel Archinal

Letterwinners Lost: 6
Jeff Mengerink, Chris McCoy, Kevin Bond, Tim Weissman, Nick Gualtieri, Zach White

Starters Returning: 7
Josh Marks, Patrick Szymczak, Mitch Rudibaugh, Reed Glosser, Zack Moore, Tucker Stas, James Van Artsdalen

Starters Lost: 4

Kevin Bond, Zach White, Nick Gualtieri, Tim Weissman