Yellow Jacket Soccer Program Reaching New Heights Over the Past Several Years
The Yellow Jackets Men's Soccer program has continued to reach new heights over the past several seasons.
"Each season, our goal is to have a chance to win an Ohio Athletic Conference Championship, advance to the OAC Tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA Division III National Tournament,” said Head Coach Reid Ayers, who completed his ninth season in 2010.
This past season (2010), the Yellow Jackets compiled a solid, 12-6-4 record and advanced to the semifinals of the OAC Tournament. Highlighting the season was the selection of senior Jeff Grater (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) as the OAC Midfielder of the Year. B-W outscored its opponents, 45-25, and allowed three goals in a match just once and recorded six shutouts. In addition, five players were named to the All-OAC squad and four others were named to the Academic All-OAC team. Grater, who carried a 3.98 grade average, was tabbed first-team All-OAC, Academic All-OAC and first-team ESPN Academic All-District IV which qualified him for the national Academic All-America ballot.
Building the Program Into a Winner From the Ground Up Has Been Ayers' Strategy
After a rebuilding first year at the College in 2002, Ayers and his Yellow Jacket coaching staff have taken the men’s soccer team to new heights the past eight seasons. The men finished with a 12-5-1 record in 2003, set a school record for wins with 14 in 2004 and tied that mark in 2005. In 2006, B-W had a 13-win campaign and were ranked 10th in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
In 2008, Ayers led his team to its highest-ever ranking by the NSCAA when it was tabbed as high as seventh nationally in Division III and finished with a solid 12-6-1 overall record. In 2009, the Yellow Jackets followed up with an impressive 13-7-1 overall record and tied for the best OAC record (7-1-1) in program history. B-W also reached the semifinal round of the OAC Tournament after defeating rival John Carroll University in round one.
“One of the first goals I set was for this program to foster a sense of tradition and excellence,” continued Ayers. “The players have responded well to our challenges and we look to continue to improve year to year.”
In 2009, B-W placed four players on the first-team all OAC squad with goalkeeper Russ Mika '09 being named as the OAC Goalkeeper of the Year and as a first-team ESPN Academic All District IV student-athlete.
"We are extremely proud of our men's and women's soccer student-athletes and tradition of academic and athletic excellence," said Ayers. "It tells parents and young men and women who look at our program that we are seeking excellence in all areas. We hope that is a favorable trait."