Marietta College's men's soccer team had to look no further than Marietta High to land a couple of good ones in Wes Riley and Shawn O'Connor. The two former Tiger booters could have an immediate impact on the Pioneer pitch this upcoming season.
MC, 1-14-4 overall in 2010, is coached by former Tiger Stephen Rose.
In his senior season at MHS last fall, Riley did it all, scoring 21 goals and setting a school single-season record of 16 assists. More importantly, he helped lead the Todd Morris-coached Tigers to a 17-2-2 record and to the the regional tournament.
As far as postseason accolades go, Riley was first-team All-Ohio, which was also a first for the program. In its long and storied history on the soccer pitch, Marietta High had never had a player achieve this honor.
Riley was also named the 2010 Southeastern Ohio Athletic League (SEOAL) Player of the Year.
An all-around athlete at MHS, Riley was also a basketball standout during the winter and a pole vaulter on the track and field team in the spring.
Attending Marietta College, Riley will be following in the footsteps of his father Steve, who played and starred on the Don Schaly-coached Pioneer baseball squad from 1980 to 1983.
O'Connor should toughen up the Marietta College defensive unit.
At MHS, his solid play at the sweeper position was instrumental in helping the Tigers post seven clean sheets and limit opponents to 17 total goals for the entire season.
O'Connor was also an SEOAL honoree.
Riley and O'Connor will be joining former Tiger teammates' Chris Stollar, Zach Hill and Keith Schwendeman, who all will be playing in their sophomore season at Marietta College.
Last season, Stollar was MC's starting keeper, and Hill and Schwendeman each saw significant playing time as either a bench player and occasional starter. Schwendeman actually ended up being the Pioneers' second leading scorer with three goals and one assist.
Morrison to kick for Lake Erie Storm
Last fall as a senior, Matt Morrison was an All-Ohio honoree on the MHS pitch and a place-kicker on the Tigers' football team.
This upcoming season, Morrison will be focusing more on kicking on the gridiron as he will be attending Lake Erie College, an NCAA Division II school in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Lake Erie's nickname is the Storm.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor, and can be reached at 376-5441 or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
