Men's Soccer

SAA Men's Soccer Report - Sept. 8, 2025

CANTON, Ga.  – In week two of Southern Athletic Association Men's Soccer, Owen VanMarter and Luke Chandler have been selected as the athletes of the week.
 
Around the SAA:
SAA Men’s Soccer Schedule/Results
SAA Men’s Soccer Standings
SAA Men’s Soccer Stats
2025 SAA Men’s Soccer Tournament

Athletes of the Week:

Offense:
Owen VanMarter | Oglethorpe | SR | Hilton Head, SC – Oglethorpe's Owen VanMarter posted three great games in a busy week that featured a midweek game and two weekend tournament games. He tallied a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over Huntingdon, getting the assist on the game tying-goal and scoring to make it 3-1 in what would be a 4-1 win. The very next game, VanMarter scored the first two goals of a 3-0 win in Oglethorpe's John P. Salamone Invitational. The senior is up to four goals through five games this season, tied for the SAA lead.
 
Defense:
Luke Chandler | Trinity | SR | Glasgow, Scotland – Chandler led the 11th-ranked Trinity University men's soccer team to a pair of shutout victories at home this weekend, defeating Schreiner University (TX) 6-0 and Kalamazoo College (MI) 3-0. Chandler and the Tiger defense yielded just eight total shots across 180 minutes of action, notching its first two shutouts of the young season. None of the eight shots allowed by Trinity were on-target and Chandler also added an assist on the eventual game-winning goal of Friday's win over Schreiner.
 
 
Notable Performances:
 
Offense
  • Ryan O’Hara | Centre | SO| Lexington, KY – Ryan O'Hara scored his first goal of the season in the 59th minute of Centre's 2-2 draw on Sunday. He tallied 4 shots in total on the day.
  • Myles Walden | Millsaps | FR | Fort Mitchell, AL – Millsaps men's soccer freshman forward Myles Walden tallied a pair of goals and an assist, helping the Majors earn a win and tie in Texas last week. Walden assisted on the late-game-winner in a 1-0 triumph at ETBU on Thursday before scoring twice in the second half of a 2-2 draw at LeTourneau on Saturday. He totaled four shot attempts with both on target shots reaching the back of the net.
  • Matthew Ahl | Rhodes | SR | Winter Park, FL – Senior defender Matthew Ahl played a pivotal role in the Lynx’s offensive success this week, contributing on both ends of the field during back-to-back victories. In Rhodes’ dominant 3-0 win over Hendrix, Ahl recorded a goal in the 25th minute and later added an assist on Ben Novello’s goal in the 54th minute, showcasing his versatility and ability to impact the attack from the back line. He continued to be a steady presence in the 2-1 victory over Ozarks, helping control possession and limit opportunities for the opposition. Across the two matches, Ahl totaled one goal, one assist, and three shots, directly contributing to Rhodes success this weekend.
  • Alpha Bah | Sewanee | SR | Brooklyn, NY – Bah netted a pair of goals with one assist over two matches, both victories for the Tigers. In Wednesday's win against Berea, he scored twice in the first five minutes, picking up a loose ball and firing into an empty net and then converting a PK after being tackled in the box. In Saturday's victory versus Southern Virginia, Bah assisted on a Noah Bjorkman in the 59th minute, the final goal in the match for Sewanee. He has two goals and two assists through four matches this season.
  • Greyson Pinto | Southwestern | SR | Plano, TX – Pinto helped the Pirates go 2-0 on the week. Pinto played 67 minutes on Friday with six shots. Sunday was his best game of the season, contributing to all three goals. Pinto riffled a goal from the 18 and assisted on the other two goals. 
  • Samuel Theiss | Trinity | JR | Boerne, TX – Theiss led the 11th-ranked Trinity University men's soccer team to a pair of home wins over the weekend, defeating Schreiner University (TX) 6-0 and Kalamazoo College (MI) 3-0. Theiss notched three goals in the two games and has now scored in each of the team's three wins to open the season. He put the finishing touches on Friday's win over Schreiner, then also scored the final two goals of the win over Kalamazoo on Sunday night. His two scores against Kalamazoo mark his first career multi-goal game and he leads the team with four goals in three total games this season.
 
Defense
  • Cooper Cherry | Berry | JR | Canton, GA – A junior goalkeeper from Canton, Ga. Cherry picked up his third shutout of the season as the Vikings drew Greensboro 0-0. Cherry played all 90 minutes in goal recording two saves. Cherry is tied for first in the SAA in shutouts and leads the conference with .240 goals against average.
  • Finnegan Deem-Ranzetta | Centre | SR | Lake Oswego, OR – Finnegan Deem-Ranzetta was stellar on the back line in Centre's 2 draws over the weekend. He also scoring a game-tying PK goal in the 88th minute of the Colonels' 2-2 draw against Maryville on Sunday.
  • Sebastian Lewis | Oglethorpe | FR | Roswell, GA – Oglethorpe freshman Sebastian Lewis had a busy week and came up with three big games. Despite giving up an early goal in the midweek game against Huntingdon, Lewis and the Petrels turned around to keep the Hawks scoreless the rest of the way. Lewis followed this effort with a clean sheet, his first of the season, against Wisconsin Lutheran to start Oglethorpe's John P. Salamone Invitational Friday night. Capping it all off, Lewis tallied five saves in a 2-1 loss to North Carolina Wesleyan to finish the tournament.  
  • Henri Kettner | Rhodes | SO | Las Vegas, NV – Sophmore goalkeeper Henri Kettner anchored the Lynx defense with two impressive performances, leading Rhodes to back-to-back wins. Against Hendrix, Kettner recorded a clean sheet, stopping both shots on goal and commanding the back line throughout the 3-0 victory. He followed that up with another strong outing in the 2-1 win over Ozarks, allowing just one goal while securing a crucial save to preserve the lead late in the match. Across the two games, Kettner posted a 0.50 goals-against average with three total saves, helping Rhodes climb back to an even 2-2-0 record. 
  • Edward Kennedy | Sewanee| FR | Johns Creek, GA – Kennedy posted a goal and anchored the Sewanee back line in a pair of victories. The freshman defender put the Tigers ahead with a goal at the 8-minute mark Saturday versus Southern Virginia, his first goal of the season. He has stepped into the role of back line anchor, helping Sewanee post three shutouts and surrender just one goal in four outings this season, with a scoreless streak ending at 290:00 Saturday against Southern Virginia.
  • Raghav Sharma | Southwestern | SR | Austin, TX – Sharma anchored the defense in a 2-0 weekend for the Pirates that included just one goal allowed. Sharma also scored the opening goal against Schreiner on a snapping header in the box. 
 
2025 Men’s Soccer Report Archive (AOW Offense/Defense)
Week One (Sept. 2) – Grayson White/Nathan Vanhoeve
 
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