WAYNESBURG, Pa. (August 20) – The Waynesburg University men's soccer team seeks its third-consecutive winning season and a return to the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament in 2025.

The Yellow Jackets begin their season at Wooster on Aug. 29.

2024 Season Review: Waynesburg notched a 7-6-4 overall record and tied for sixth place in the PAC standings with a 3-3-4 conference mark. The Jackets missed out on the final spot in the conference tournament due to a tiebreaker.

The Jackets still secured results against four PAC Tournament qualifiers, including Franciscan and Grove City, the PAC Tournament finalists.

"Last year's season ended in an underwhelming fashion, but still had a ton of positive takeaways," said fifth-year head coach Treg Lunger. "It takes a lot to be successful in this league, and we hope that the lessons learned play a key role in the 2025 season."

Waynesburg boasted the No. 2 scoring offense in the PAC at 2.29 goals per game and ranked third in the league in assists, points and fourth in goal differential and shots on goal percentage.

The Jackets bid farewell to four-year stalwarts Connor Jacobs, Seth Massotti and Michael Francus who graduated last spring.

2025 PAC Preseason Poll: Waynesburg was picked to return to the PAC Tournament by the league's coaches who slotted the Jackets fifth in the 12-team poll.

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)

Key Returners: The Jackets return all seven players who scored multiple goals last fall, including a trio of former all-conference honorees.

"The team features a number of high-production players," said Lunger. "We still aim to be a production-based team but need to have a higher standard for how we keep the opposition out of our frame consistently."

Sophomore midfielder Sarpong Kwabiah (Odenton, Md. / Meade) claimed PAC Newcomer of the Year honors after a breakout debut season. He led the Jackets with eight goals, five assists and 21 points and added All-PAC and All-ECAC honors to his resume after the season.

Kwabiah ranked third in the PAC in points per game, fourth in goals per game and sixth in assists per game. He burst on to the scene by recording a point in nine of his first 10 appearances and had four outings in which he contributed to at least two goals.

Junior forward Zachary Johnson (Raceland, Ky. / Saint Joseph Central Catholic) was an All-PAC First Team and PAC All-Tournament Team pick two seasons ago. He finished second on Waynesburg with six goals and 14 points last fall after setting the program's single-season record with 12 goals in 2023.

Junior defender Mason Lewis (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Township) secured All-PAC Honorable Mention designation last fall after leading the squad with 1,363 minutes played. He scored in Waynesburg wins over Carlow and Westminster.

Joining Lewis as returners along Waynesburg's back line are senior Taylor McFarland (Wheeling, W. Va. / Wheeling Park) and sophomores Noah Biser (Wake Forest, N.C. / Wake Forest) and Sam Norris (Natrona Heights, Pa. / Highlands).

McFarland is a three-year starter and scored in a win over Thiel last season. Biser was the only player on Waynesburg's roster to start all 17 games and scored an 89th-minute goal to deliver the Jackets over La Roche. Norris started 13 games as a freshman and played nearly 1,200 minutes.

Senior forward Michael Kanu (Columbus, Ohio / Tree of Life Christian) had a breakout season as one of Waynesburg's most dangerous substitutes in 2024. He tallied five goals and three assists to finish third on the squad with 13 points. The Jackets were unbeaten in the six games that he recorded a point, including against PAC Tournament qualifiers Allegheny, Chatham and Grove City.

Sophomore forward Josh Smith (Dover, Ohio / Dover) notched five goals and two assists as a freshman. He scored in three-straight September games, including the game-winner in the Jackets' PAC opener against Westminster. Smith also scored Waynesburg's lone goal in a tie with eventual PAC champion Franciscan.

Junior forward Matthew Serrano (North Potomac, Md. / Thomas S. Wootton) recorded eight points on three goals and two assists last fall. He scored in three-consecutive games in September, including a one-goal, two-assist outing at Carlow.

Senior defender/midfielder Beau Hawkins (Great Mills, Md. / Great Mills) appeared in 13 games, made seven starts and had one assist. Junior midfielder Braden Esbenshade (Lebanon, Pa. / Mount Calvary) played in 16 games and scored at Thiel.

Sophomore midfielder Will Scott (Manassas, Va. / Colgan) played in a dozen games and made seven starts. Senior midfielder Nick Bryan (Olathe, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest) played in nine games with five starts and scored at Thiel.

Sophomore forward Liam Mowbray (Cumberland, Md. / Allegany) scored twice in nine appearances off the Jacket bench. Junior defender Aidan Groves (Hampstead, Md. / Delone Catholic) played in seven games and scored at Carlow.

Junior goalkeeper Zach Reed (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton La Salle) played five halves as Waynesburg's No. 2 goalie. He made 14 saves and allowed four goals. He was in net for Waynesburg's draw against Allegheny and split a shutout at Carlow.

Newcomers: Waynesburg adds a 10-man freshman class to the mix for 2025.

"There are ten new faces to WUFooty," said Lunger. "We add depth to a number of positions, and will likely have a good opportunity for freshmen to have an impact. We look forward to seeing a high level of competition on a daily basis in training."

Looking at the Schedule: The Jackets have seven nonconference fixtures before beginning an 11-game PAC slate, starting at Westminster on Sept. 24.

The Jackets play four of their first five games on the road at Wooster, Mount Union, Pitt-Greensburg and Baldwin Wallace.

In October the Jackets play three-game homestand against Thiel, Saint Vincent and Chatham before a three-game road swing at Franciscan, Hiram and Geneva before the finale against Grove City. Franciscan, Geneva and Grove City filled the top three in last year's PAC standings.

The PAC Tournament features the top six teams in the conference standings with the top two seeds receiving an automatic spot in the conference semifinals. The winner of the PAC Tournament earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

Last Word: "Our goal is the same, to compete for a PAC title," said Lunger. "We need to be humble enough to learn from last year, but hungry enough to know we are capable of more. We have a ton of confidence in this group and look for them to set a tone of excellence regardless of what is going on around us during the season."