WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team looks to make another Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament run in 2025.
 
"Our main objective was to make it back to the PAC Playoffs and we felt the need to add depth to the defensive core of the team which we believe we made significant strides in those endeavors," said Head Coach Ian McDonald. "In terms of last fall, we did well throughout the season, and I believe we re-established a firmer level of overall commitment to one another as a team while playing with a greater level of pride and expectation. That mindset will be something we will continue to build upon as our level of expectation increases moving into this season."
 
2024 Season Review: W&J posted a 7-11-1 overall record with a 4-5-1 mark in conference play.
 
The Presidents opened their season with a 3-4-1 overall record in the month of September. Victories over Hiram (2-1), Penn State Altoona (1-0) and La Roche (4-1) highlighted the opening month of the season. A crucial tie with 2023 PAC Champions Geneva (0-0) to kickoff PAC play gave the Presidents some momentum heading into the latter half of the season.
 
Winning conference matchups against Saint Vincent (1-0) and Thiel (2-0) set the Presidents up for a regular season finale with Westminster. A 74^th-minute goal scored by Jimmy Gogol (Westminster, Md./Westminster) catapulted the Presidents into the PAC Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
 
Entering the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed and having to face a Grove City unit the Presidents faced prior to the Titans, W&J ultimately was upended by the Wolverines 4-0.
 
"I believe the level of competition in the PAC has shown significant improvement. The addition of Saint Francis University will further enhance things moving forward," stated McDonald. "If history indicates anything, it is that those programs who have been able to establish and maintain a better balance of loss to gain talent pools throughout their recruitment class cycles, the better potential for continuity has afforded them. This can be noted in the number of back-to-back repeat champions with the PAC in multiple sports."
 

2025 PAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2024 record (conference)
1. Grove City College (6)	116	11-4-3 (7-2-1 PAC)
2. Franciscan University (5)	113	13-2-5 (7-0-3 PAC)
3. Geneva College (1)	104	12-3-5 (6-0-4 PAC)
4. Allegheny College	82	7-11-3 (5-3-2 PAC)
5. Waynesburg University	78	7-6-4 (3-3-4 PAC)
6. Chatham University	69	7-6-6 (4-2-4 PAC)
7. Washington & Jefferson College	65	7-11-1 (4-5-1 PAC)
8t. Saint Vincent College	40	2-11-6 (1-8-1 PAC)
8t. Westminster College	40	5-9-3 (2-7-1 PAC)
10. Hiram College	35	3-12-2 (0-8 NCAC)
11t. Bethany College	25	1-11-4 (1-5-4 PAC)
11t. Thiel College	25	7-8-2 (2-7-1 PAC)

 

Washington & Jefferson College Players to Watch
Name	Yr.	Pos.
Jonathan Barahona (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora)	Fr.	F
Ethan Bowser (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward)	Sr.	F/M
Luke Curran (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Saint Jospeh)	Fr.	D/M/F
Jimmy Gogol (Westminster, Md./Westminster)	Jr.	M
Cole Young (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West)	Jr.	D

Position-by-Position Breakdown: The Presidents graduated seven seniors this past season including four starters. Their large freshman class of 19 will look to aid in filling the holes left in the starting lineup.
 
Forwards: W&J returns its core of offensive contributors from a season ago. The offensive unit scored 17 goals in 2024.
 
Ethan Bowser (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) will head the offensive unit as a senior captain. Bowser scored two goals and dished one assist during his junior season and will look to improve upon those numbers this coming fall.
 
Junior Tavan Schoenberger (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and senior Nathan Lomago (Mars, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) also return to the strong frontline unit. Schoenberger dished two assists last fall while Lomago started and played in all 19 games.
 
Also returning to the offensive unit is senior Michael Ngugi (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and sophomore Xavier Phillips (Arnold, Md./Broadneck). Both players will look to expand their roles in 2025 after receiving playing time last season.
 
Midfield: The W&J midfield managed a balance of the graduation of key starters along with the return of top offensive pieces from last season.
 
Jimmy Gogol (Westminster, Md./Westminster) looks to lead the W&J midfield for the second-straight season after sending the Presidents to the PAC Tournament in 2024. The rising junior scored a team-high five goals and added two assists last fall.
 
Juniors Aiden Marks (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin), Logen Mackey (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) and Owen Rowlands (Hazle Township, Pa./Wyoming Seminary Prep) also return to the W&J midfield units. Mackey finished as the Presidents' second-best scorer with four goals in 2024. Marks and Rowlands each saw time on the pitch throughout the season.
 
"We will be expecting the continuity that Jimmy and Ethan bring to these areas. We are hopeful that their goal and assist stats can show an elevated level of improvement this season," said McDonald. "Hopefully we can also see some additional players, such as Owen Rowlands (Hazle Township, Pa./Wyoming Seminary Prep), Zach Casey (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) and Tavan Shoenberger show up more in the goal and assist stat columns. An unfortunate loss in this area will be that of last year's transfer Logan Mackey, whose unfortunate spring season injury will keep him sidelined for most if not all this 2025 season."
 
Defense: The W&J backline retains the majority of its young core from a season ago.
 
Derek Errett (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) returns to the W&J ranks as its sole All-PAC selection in 2024. The Honorable Mention selection was one of two freshmen to start 17 or more games this season as a valuable young piece to the W&J defense. The freshman appeared in all 19 games and launched four shots on the season. 
 
Zach Casey (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run), Mason Metzler (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes) and Cole Young (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) all return to the defensive unit as well. Casey was named PAC Newcomer of the Week following his first-career goal against Saint Vincent. The freshman's game-winner pushed the Presidents to a 5-8-1 record at the time.
 
"While Derek was afforded the opportunity following the early season ending injury to Mason Metzler (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes) last season, he to full advantage of that and settled into the role extremely well with a good level of consistency," said McDonald. "One key to the quality of our backline will lie in both Derek's and Mason's level of recovery, to competition. It is hoped that the experience gained from last year's freshmen defensive class will afford us a greater level of maturity, stability and consistency."
 
Timilehin Odegbami (Harrisburg, Pa./International), Nic Jaskola (East Palestine, Ohio/Crestview), Aiden Bell (Fayetteville, W.Va./Woodrow Wilson), Cooper Bell (Fayetteville, W.Va./Woodrow Wilson), Alonte Harris (Arlington, Va./Washington Lee), Chris Davis (Toms Brook, Va./Strasburg) and Brian Lowry (Wenonah, N.J./Gloucester) all look to be key pieces to the Presidents backline as well.
 
Goalkeeper: W&J retains one of its rotational goalkeepers from a season ago in junior Graeme Ewart (Arlington, Va./Yorktown).
 
Ewart started nine games and played in 16 during his sophomore campaign. Ewart tallied 44 saves in that time in goal with a 2-5 record. The junior keeper posted one shutout last season against Saint Vincent (1-0).
 
Ewart will be accompanied by three incoming goalkeepers in the incoming class of freshmen including Finn Grinnell (Mount Joy, Pa./Elizabethtown Area), Logan Joseph (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Aston Sipes.
 
"We are excited about the talent pool of goalkeepers we have coming in to support and challenge Graeme this season," stated McDonald. "Graeme has been very patient and has worked very hard in the offseason to take on the leading role. The addition of three talented incoming freshmen keepers will afford us the depth required to keep that position stout and competitive."
 
Newcomers: The men's soccer team enters the 2025 season with a bountiful pool of incoming newcomers bringing in 18 freshman and 1 transfer.
 
"While last year's class was more of a focus on adding depth to the defensive core of the team, this year's class was more focused on the addition of depth and talent targeting our offensive potential as well as the depth of our goalkeeping position," said McDonald. "It is hoped that this class will afford us some added boost on the creative side of our goal scoring and assist side of our game needs."
 

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.
0	Finn Grinnell (Mount Joy, Pa./Elizabethtown Area)	GK	6-1	160
00	Logan Joseph (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan)	GK	5-11	155
18	Cam Ash (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin)	F	6-2	190
20	Hudson Moyer (Westerville, Ohio/Tree of Life Christian School)	M/F	5-10	165
21	Braedon Mckeever (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry)	D	6-3	166
22	Walker Sherwin (McDonald, Pa./Washington)	D/M	5-9	160
23	AJ Bishop (Beckley, W. Va./Woodrow Wilson)	D/M	5-10	160
24	Jacek Piekut (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice)	M	5-9	145
25	Brayden Miller (Clairton, Pa./Thomas Jefferson)	M/F	5-8	155
26	Luke Curran (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Saint Jospeh)	D/M/F	5-9	155
29	Jonathan Barahona (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora)	F/M	5-7	150
30	Ethan James (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake)	D	6-4	185
32	Dante Pusateri (Canonsburg, Pa./Peters Township)	D/M	5-6	140
34	Will Smith (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy)	M	6-0	150
35	Brett Moyer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey)	M/F	5-9	150
36	Will Parisi (Butler, Pa./Knoch)	M	5-5	150
37	Logan Crowe (Avella, Pa./McGuffey)	M/F	5-8	140
38	Kaleb Mays (East Liverpool, Ohio/Beaver)	M/F	5-11	160
99	Ashton Sipes (Los Angeles, Calif./Wetumpka)	GK	6-2	165

           
Coaching Staff: Ian McDonald (Davis & Elkins '86) enters his 35th season as the head men's soccer coach at Washington & Jefferson College in 2025. McDonald's career record stands at 294-266-52 (.523) after the completion of the 2024 season. He is tied for the sixth longest tenured active head coach in NCAA Division III Men's Soccer.
 
Noel Diaz enters his second season after joining the men's soccer program as its Intern Assistant Coach in the Fall of 2024. In his first year as assistant, the Presidents powered their way to a 7-11-1 overall record (4-5-1 PAC), creating a Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament berth. 
 
"Noel has had a tremendous impact on the program to date. His knowledge and ability to teach and relate to the game as well as imparting that information to the players has been excellent. Where Noal he has really excelled is in his ability within the social media world of promoting our program and student-athletes' stories," stated McDonald. "Added to this, is Noel's tireless work ethic in the recruitment of this year's freshmen class as well as our future student-athletes for the class of 2026. I see Noel continuing to utilize these various means at his disposal to both enhance our student-athlete experience and visibility to their families and future prospects. We are blessed and grateful to have him back for another season!"
 
Looking at the Schedule: The Presidents are slated to compete in 11 conference and seven non-conference games for a 18-game schedule this fall.
 
The Red & Black will get the ball rolling with seven straight non-conference games against La Roche (Aug. 30), Marietta (Sept. 3), Penn State-Altoona (Sept. 6), Carlow (Sept. 9), Randolph-Macon (Sept. 13), Pitt-Greensburg (Sept. 17) and Mount Aloysius (Sept. 20). W&J's first Presidents Athletic conference opponent is scheduled for Wednesday (Sept. 24) at Geneva.
 
W&J concludes its conference slate with a home matchup with the Westminster Titans on Wednesday (Oct. 29). The six-team PAC Tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday (Nov. 1).
 
Final Words from McDonald: "We are excited to see the level of improvement and maturity from class to class. We enter another season with the hope of a greater level of confidence, understanding and stability within the team and the players roles!"