Marietta men's soccer to battle Ohio Northern for OAC Tournament Championship
Pioneers and Polar Bears will kickoff in Ada, Ohio, on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Nov. 6, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Men's Soccer Tournament Champion will be crowned on Saturday (Nov. 8) afternoon when the fourth-seeded Marietta College Pioneers visit the third-seeded Ohio Northern University Polar Bears. Action begins at the ONU Soccer Field in Ada, Ohio, at 2 p.m. [Live statistics available at http://www.onu.edu/livestats/ms/xlive.htm]

Marietta heads into the Conference Finals and a battle for the OAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament with an 11-6-3 record. The Pioneers, led by 11th-year Head Coach Patrick Holguin, are making their third OAC Tournament appearance in school history, having qualified in 1997 and 2007. Marietta has one OAC Soccer Championship; the program tied for the OAC regular season title in 1984.

The Pioneers, who entered 2008 with an 0-2 record all-time in the OAC Tournament, advanced to Saturday's championship game by defeating fifth-seeded Heidelberg College, 4-1, in the OAC Quarterfinals and then upsetting top-seeded Capital University, 2-1, in overtime in the OAC Semifinals. [Listen to Coach Holguin's post-game interview]

Marietta enters averaging 2.10 goals while giving up an average of 1.52 goals this fall. Junior forward Kyle Muth (Twinsburg) leads the team with 12 goals and four assists to give him 28 points. Muth has three goals and one assist through two games of the 2008 OAC Tournament. Junior midfielder Deric McDonald (Vienna, W.Va./Parkersburg), who is back after missing two and one-half games, and junior defender Delè Adedapo (Gahanna/Bexley) both enter having scored eight goals. In addition, senior midfielder Jack Dunn (Aurora/University) and senior forward Seita Kawamoto (Ebina, Kanagaua, Japan) have each added five goals in 2008. Senior Steve Hagenau (Clearwater, Fla./Central Catholic) is the team's main goalkeeper. He has allowed 30 goals (1.62 GAA) and made 81 saves with one shutout in 1,1666 minutes between the posts.

Ohio Northern brings a 16-5-1 record into the OAC Tournament Championship Game. The Polar Bears, under the direction of 11th-year Head Coach Brent Ridenour, are making their ninth tournament appearance, having qualified in 1993, 1998-2000 and 2003-08. Ohio Northern, who won the title in 2006, is 6-7 all-time in OAC Tournament play.

The Polar Bears began the tournament with a 3-0 win at home over sixth-seeded Muskingum College in the OAC Quarterfinals before knocking off second-seeded John Carroll University, 5-1, on the road in the OAC Semifinals.

Ohio Northern's offense averages 2.68 goals while its defense is allowing just 0.73 goals per game in 2008. Freshman Christian Huelsman is the team's leading scorer, having already collected 15 goals and seven assists. Freshman Nate Bascom has added 12 goals and a team-best eight assists, while senior Adam Ross has eight goals and seven assists this season. Junior Aaron Collins, the Polar Bear's goalkeeper, has allowed 15 goals and made 84 saves with 11 shutouts in 1958 minutes.

The Pioneers and Polar Bears met on the final day of the regular season (Oct. 31) with visiting Ohio Northern earning the 3-0 victory at Marietta Field. The Polar Bears out-shot the Pioneers 16-13. ONU junior Jimmy Matuszak scored in the 10th minute, while Ross scored in the 73rd minute and then again on a penalty kick in the 76th minute. Marietta played the final 65 minutes with just 10 men due to a pair of yellow cards.

The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Committee will make its selection of teams for the 2008 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Sunday (Nov. 9) and will release the full bracket at 9 a.m. Eastern time, Monday (Nov. 10). All information will be posted on www.ncaa.com.