2007 Marietta College men's soccer preview
Veteran Pioneers welcome a host of talented newcomers

Aug. 8, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta, entering its 40th season as a varsity program and 10th under Head Coach Pat Holguin, will continue its rebuilding process in 2007. A youth-dominated squad showed its growing pains in 2006, but the Pioneers expect to see continuous improvement this fall.

Four seniors—Jim Eichhorn, Sergio Fajardo, Joel Nau and Michael Sanchez—will be asked to lead the 13 returning lettermen, who will be joined by as many as 25 newcomers, which feature a handful of transfers primed to make an immediate impact on the field.

Nine of the 10 Pioneers that scored a point in 2006 are expected back in uniform in 2007. Of those players, sophomore Kyle Muth, who paced the team with eight goals and one assist, and Nau, who collected four goals and five assists and earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) second team honors, combined for 30 of the squad's 55 points. In addition, sophomore Brad Baweja added two goals and four assists in his first year with the program.

Junior goalies Steve Hagenau, who made 47 saves in 664 minutes, and Thaddeus Cochran, who made 27 saves in 501 minutes, return after splitting duties a year ago. They, along with two newcomers, are expected to battle for minutes in 2007.