2025 Austin College Men's Soccer Season Preview

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College men's soccer team heads into year four under head coach Taylor Goyen in 2025, and the 'Roos will be looking to make a splash in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference field that's seen some membership shakeups this year and the team picked to finish fifth out of 12 in a preseason poll conducted among league head coaches.

The 'Roos went 6-12-2 overall last year with a 4-6-1 record in conference play, but showed plenty of promise and young talent while returning several key components from last year's team. Goyen will be leaning heavily on senior midfielder Pierce Wear, an All-Conference performer who tallied nine goals and added six assists last year on his way to being named the team's most valuable player. Wear will play a big role in replacing Louis Catchpole, the team's leading goal-scorer in recent seasons, as will sophomore Marco Guzman. Guzman is back after making a splash in his debut campaign, tallying twice while assisting on six scores.

Also returning to bolster the attack are Matheus Braid, a rising sophomore in the midfield who scored five times and had a pair of helpers in his first year of collegiate soccer, as well as Colin Nguyen, a creative midfielder who had two assists as a first-year player a season ago. Austin College also returns several other experienced contributors, including Pedro Echeverria, Max Mundorff, and Alejandro Beracochea, each of whom has starting experience during their time with the 'Roos. Other returners with a chance to make an impact include Chandler Sutherland, Will Woulfe, Uddipan Sarma, and Adam Morales, while several other players add both experience and the talent to help Austin College climb the standings in the SCAC this year.

Defensively, Austin College will be led by Sam Spencer and Justin Ajdukovich, who have each started in every season that they've been with the program. Last season Spencer proved himself to be a dynamic offensive threat as well, scoring four times while finishing with a team-best seven assists on his way to being named an All-SCAC performer, while Ajdukovich has been a stalwart peformer in the defensive third while starting 34 of the 36 matches in which he's appeared since joinging the program in 2023. 

Jayson Baldwin returns after earning the starting goalkeeper role in 2024, with the junior from Seattle logging more than 1,700 minutes between the pipes and making 56 saves in 20 starts. Baldwin will be battling with newcomers Patrick Bassett and Erik Beijen for the job in goal this year, giving Goyen three talented players to lean on to help anchor the defense. Goyen and new assistant coach Josue Bravo, a standout defender for Austin College who graduated this past year, will be looking for contributions from a number of first-year players as they aim to rise up the SCAC rankings and lock down a spot in the newly-expanded SCAC Championship Tournament, which will include six teams this year, an increase from the four teams it's featured in recent campaigns. 

Austin College opens up its season on Sunday at home, with the 'Roos set to host Howard Payne University at 5:30 p.m., and they'll be back in action on September 9 for another home match agaisnt Dallas Christian.