Four Marietta players, Holguin earn OAC awards in men’s soccer
Holguin named OAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year

Nov. 12, 2008
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) office released its 2008 All-OAC Men’s Soccer Teams and Special Award Winners on Wednesday (Nov. 12) morning, and Marietta College had four players earn All-OAC honors. In addition, 11th-year Head Coach Pat Holguin was named the OAC Coach of the Year.

Two juniors—defender Delè Adedapo (Gahanna/Bexley) and forward Kyle Muth (Twinsburg)—earned All-OAC first team honors. In addition, senior midfielder Bradley Baweja (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) picked up All-OAC second team honors, while junior forward Deric McDonald (Vienna, W.Va./Parkersburg) received All-OAC honorable mention.

Adedapo, a captain, anchored the Pioneers’ defense, which allowed just 1.59 goals per game in 2008. He became the first Marietta player since Roy Munk ’96 in 1992 and 1993 to earn All-OAC first team honors in two straight years. Offensively, Adedapo added eight goals, which tied for second on the team.

Muth, who earned All-OAC second team in 2007, led the Pioneers in goals with 12 and points with 28. Both ranked fourth among all OAC players in 2008. He also added four assists this fall. Muth equaled a career best with five points, two goals and one assist, in Marietta’s 4-1 OAC Quarterfinal win over Heidelberg. He finished his third year with 26 career goals, which ranks fifth in Marietta history.

Baweja, a captain, scored two goals from the midfield in his final season for the Pioneers. A four-year letterwinner, he finished his career with nine goals and 10 assists.

McDonald, in his first year with Marietta after transferring from West Virginia Wesleyan, finished tied for second on the squad with eight goals. He also added three assists to finish with 19 points in 2008. McDonald scored a season-best two goals and had an assist in his debut with the Pioneers, a 5-0 win over Malone.

Holguin, the first OAC Coach of the Year in program history, led Marietta to an 11-7-3 record, one win shy of tying the school record set in 1984 and matched in 2002. The Pioneers began the year 5-0-2 to tie the 1996 and 2002 teams for the longest unbeaten streak in program history. Marietta tied for fourth place in the OAC with a 4-4-1 record.

Marietta, the fourth seed, made its third OAC Tournament appearance in school history in 2008. The Pioneers also qualified in 1997 and 2007. The program, which had not previously won an OAC Tournament game, defeated fifth-seeded Heidelberg 4-1 in the OAC Quarterfinals and upset top-seeded Capital 2-1 in overtime in the OAC Semifinals to advance to the OAC Championship, where it fell 3-0 to third-seeded Ohio Northern. Marietta has one OAC Soccer Championship; the Pioneers tied for the OAC regular season title in 1984.