TIFFIN, Ohio -- Two years removed from their first OAC regular season championship, head coach Brian Haley is eager to see how his men will do against a tough non-conference schedule and the always competitive OAC.
Haley will return 13 players from the previous season including senior goalkeeper Ryan Smith (Roanoke Texas/Keller). In 2011, Smith tallied 81 saves for a save percentage of .794. To assist Smith on the pitch will be junior defender Erik Furst (Columbus/Upper Arlington). Furst started all of the games in which he played last year and served up two assists in 2011.
Sophomore midfielder Hamid Shariff (Columbus/Centennial) will be one of the leaders of the team offensively, as he comes off of an impressive freshman season. In his first year as a Student Prince, Shariff started 14 games and netted two goals and accounted for an assist.
Haley intends on bringing 14 freshmen to campus this fall. “With a new group comes a new attitude,” said Haley. “We had a young squad last year that gained invaluable experience. I’m excited for the freshmen and sophomores to gel together.”
Heidelberg will open their season at the Oberlin Tournament where they will play Geneva and host Oberlin on September 1st and 2nd. 
The home opener for the Berg will be against Kenyon on September 6th at Hidden Valley.
OAC Preseason Men’s Soccer Poll
1. Ohio Northern (7)
2. Baldwin Wallace (2)
3. John Carroll (1)
4. Mount Union
5. Wilmington
6. Capital
7. Muskingum
8. Otterbein
9. Heidelberg
10. Marietta