KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – An eighth-straight postseason appearance and fourth-straight trip to the Cascade Conference Tournament semifinals highlighted the 2024 season for the Oregon Tech men's soccer team. However, for the five returning starters and 19 returning players on the squad, the side is hungry to continue their success in 2025.
 
Tech lost a pair of senior standouts – leading scorer Andrew Pasang and All-CCC keeper Ryan Solis – along with four other starters from the squad that ended the year, 9-8-3, but upset rival Southern Oregon in the league tournament. The CCC coaches noticed it in the preseason tabulation – penning Carroll College as the favorite, ahead of SOU, Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific and College of Idaho.
 
"Everyone defines success as winning games and lifting trophies," said fourth-year head coach Sean McManamon. "We were pushed to seventh in the preseason poll – but this shouldn't matter to us. They know we play one game at a time, winning three points at a time – that will win you the big picture."
 
The loss of Solis, who is now on McManamon's coaching staff, is a big one – as the 2-year starter played every minute of every game during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Filling the void was a key emphasis in recruiting.
 
Three newcomers join redshirt freshman Jonathan Laitinen in the quest to be the netminder. True freshman Noah Harwood had an impressive high school and club career at Grant High, transfer Harvey Bolland moved from England to Northwest College in Wyoming and had a tremendous two seasons, while Kian Arias was dominant at Rogue CC, leading the club to the NWAC semifinals.
 
"That is what we are working through – who is going to be that stand out guy – the guy who will be in goal on Thursday for the opener against Benedictine," McManamon said. "We know we have four quality keepers, any one of them has the ability win the spot."
 
One spot on the field is solidified, as seniors Cooper Hunt and Bridger Meyer will anchor the central defense. The 6-foot-5 Hunt earned All-CCC honors in 2024 and is a 3-year starter, while the 6-foot-2 Meyer played all but six minutes last season – giving the Owls a formidable force in front of the opposing goal.
 
"It's great to have such a big presence at the back," McManamon said of his senior duo. "Their ball winning ability and their style of play to keep possession can change our build out. I am excited to see how they can work for each other during their senior year and provide us experience and leadership."
 
Five returners are in the mix for the outside back spots, with three of the players – senior Patrick Chan, senior Ben Bradshaw and junior Reese Fletcher – starting at least one game in 2024. Chan started 15 games last year, Bradshaw – who has played all over the pitch during his career – started four, while Fletcher, who redshirted last season, earned two starts. Add sophomores Tidus Paet-Vegas and Andre Ramirez, along with freshmen Sammy Villalta, Eric McGuire and Nelson Romero to the mix – giving the Owls plenty of options.
 
"The hardest part will be selecting the 11 that will be on the field as we have a lot of depth," the head coach said. "We have 30 guys who are ready to go. The key is identifying which players work well together and building that chemistry."
 
The Owls will look to transfer Kasey Smith in the holding midfield role – having started the past two seasons at Northwest College after traveling to the States from his home in England.
 
"We have experience in Kasey, who played the holding mid spot for two years at Northwest and can provide a spark," McManamon said.
 
Around him, a mix of returning players and transfers will patrol the midfield, giving the Owls options. Senior Sylver Schweiger has moved from an outside back spot into the midfield, hoping to create more opportunities, while junior Grayson Barker is set to have an expanded role after serving in a reserve role the past two seasons. Merrick Tambio scored two goals and assisted on three others as a freshman, while both Lucas Kay-Wong and Dmitri Mendez are definitely in the conversation. Add in Cristian Sanchez from Walla Walla CC and Juan Diego Botello from Rogue CC and the midfield group is as talented as any spot on the OIT roster.
 
"Midfield is one of the toughest lines to play, you play box to box," McManamon said. "We have to find those outside backs, as Sylver is starting to find more of an attacking role and want to push him a bit up the field – but need to be able to improve on our delivery and the end product. Grayson has been playing great, is a grinder and does exactly what we ask. He is so meticulous with his defensive set up. In attacking roles, Merrick is so technical on the ball and is allusive and Lucas is a high-energy guy – our strength is our depth to be able to rotate players and not lose the level of play."
 
For the Owls to be successful, the club will have to improve in the offensive third – as after averaging 50 goals a season between 2021-23, the production dipped to 29 goals in 2024.
 
"We can't have our leading goal scorer have five goals – we have to have someone shine out and right now, we don't know who that will be," McManamon said. "We can't rely on one person to be the guy everyday. Our entire attacking line has to step up and be more clinical around goal."
 
Five returners are competing for time up top, including junior 6-foot-4 Dalton Rideout, looking to return to his freshman season form, where the forward scored six goals. Speedy Cash Cota is the top returning scorer, tallying three goals and three helpers as a freshman, while three second-year players – Anthony Aguiar-Casillas, Cannon Spooner and Andrew George look to make an impact. The trio of Moises Lopez Carillo, Elias Castro and Lachlan Stenhouse all have the opportunity to join the party in the box – Lopez Carillo coming off a redshirt season, Castro scoring nine goals last year at Rogue CC, with Stenhouse playing at a high level on the west coast of Australia.
 
"Dalton and Andrew have been really good target-9s for us and looking for them to get on the end of things as we are expecting more delivery in the box," McManamon said of his strikers. "Cannon has been playing well in that 10 role. Cash is very electric and quick and has that natural hunting instinct to find himself on the end of things. Moises has been a very dynamic, well-rounded attacker."
 
Tech opens the season Thursday, hosting Benedictine Mesa – the lone home match until the middle of September. The Owls will close out non-league play with dates at George Fox, Simpson, Arizona Christian and Park Gilbert – before the grind of the 12-match league table.
 
"I felt this Spring, players stepped into leadership roles and took ownership of this team – a much more connected group who understand who we are and our goals for the season," McManamon said. "We aren't going to lower our sights because we didn't get as far as we wanted to last season – we have to push for that spot and the opportunity will present itself in the end to go lift that trophy."