PHOTO DAY GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Talk about a turnaround. After not making the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament for a 14-year span, the Otterbein men's soccer team made a huge jump last fall to completely blow through the league undefeated and make a long-awaited return to the NCAA's.
 
The Cardinals caught fire under first-year taskmaster Jason Griffiths, who guided the program to a 19-3 overall record en route to well-deserved OAC Coach of the Year honors. His squad opened 1-2 before using a 17-game winning streak to sweep through the league's regular-season and tournament undefeated, culminating with a victory over cross-town rival Capital in the OAC Tournament final.
 
"It's a little change of pace because the target is on our back now," a motivated Griffiths said. "People in our conference will probably look at us differently, but we are still relatively new in the national landscape of Division III. It will always be one game at a time and we will prepare the same way."
 
Otterbein won NCAA first and second-round matches on its home turf, including a 3-2 takedown of 13th-ranked Kenyon, before coming up short during the Sweet 16 in Chicago. The Cards finished No. 11 in the final United Soccer Coaches national rankings and will begin this season in the same slot.
 
"One year doesn't make you a great program," Griffiths continued. "That run doesn't automatically make us a top team in the country this time around. We need to remain consistent, get into our conference tournament consecutive times and then keep advancing in the postseason to actually make a larger statement."
 
The team now obviously enters 2018 with big aspirations, returning eight starters overall and six of seven all-conference performers. Otterbein was recently picked atop the OAC preseason poll by league coaches.
 
Despite the strong nucleus, the club does face the task of replacing four-year standout Jaden Lunger on the backend. A 2x OAC Defender of the Year, Lunger served as a captain for multiple years and finished his career with third team All-American honors.
 
"I think it's impossible to just replace an all-around fixture like that," Griffiths said of Lunger, who will now join the staff as an assistant coach. "Jaden was athletically dominant and so good in the air. I'm confident in our returning guys and the three new center-backs we have to all give us options. We are looking forward to seeing who steps up in his place."
 
Seniors Zach Lewis (defender) and Erick Juarez-Manning (midfielder) return as veteran leaders and with second team All-OAC awards in their pocket, as does dynamic junior Tiger Pham in the middle. A trio of fellow juniors in forward Kennedy Mensah, midfielder Pau Piang and goalkeeper Collin Hoffmann return after collecting All-OAC honorable mention status.
 
Juarez-Manning tied for second in the league at 11 assists while Mensah, who enjoyed a true breakout season, finished top-10 in goals (10) and total points (21). Hoffmann led the conference with a 0.83 goals-against average and ended the year with 88 saves, second-best amongst league keepers.
 
Many other key pieces return looking to reach another level of production. Zach Barwick started all 22 games for the defense, Juan Rivas finished second on the team in scoring at 20 points, Toby Varland emerged into a primary starter and played a key role delivering corner kicks, and Eric Stucky became a valuable weapon off the bench. He tallied the game-winning goal against Capital during the 1-0 championship showdown.
 
"Each year is new and everyone starts over fresh in my mind, but I think we are a lot more confident on the field and also comfortable with expectations of how things run day to day behind the scenes," Griffiths explained. "I like our starting point and the way our individual talent matches up with the group style of play."
 
Griffiths is eager and optimistic about the potential of additional returnees, along with a strong incoming class that features 12 new faces to hopefully create depth across the field.
 
"We wanted to recruit guys that could add cultural value to our program both on and off the field," Griffiths explained. "I like the work ethic of this incoming class and their willingness to fight for a place. They aren't going to be complacent or happy to be here, which should help raise the bar overall. I know the veteran leaders in our program will show them the way and everyone will ultimately embrace a role."
 
The Cardinals will get going with three-straight road matches before hosting Thomas More in the home opener come September 11 inside Memorial Stadium. Otterbein's conference opener will then take place near the end of September at Mount Union.
 
"We will keep focusing on doing the little things right, make sure our guys don't get too excited and knock them down a peg if they do," the jovial Griffiths said with a grin. "I hope everyone stayed in shape over the summer."