TIFFIN – Coming off their first OAC Tournament Championship in school history in 2014, the Heidelberg University men's soccer program will usher in a new era in 2015. Ryan Carruth takes the reins as head coach and will look to build on the program's recent success.

"We have lofty goals," said Carruth. "We want to develop this program to be amongst the elite Division III soccer programs in the country, but we want to do it the right way."

With a new coaching staff and a new system to be implemented, the willingness of the players to learn and adapt will be paramount.

"Heading into the 2015 season we will be squarely focused on the process of getting better every day, one day at a time," stated Carruth. "We're talking about being intentional about our journey, rather than anxious to arrive at the destination."

Heidelberg took some important first steps with Carruth shortly after his hiring back in January. The spring season was a new beginnings of sorts, with new faces, new ideas, and new expectations. Coach Carruth was very happy with the progress of the group and believes that there is a strong desire within this core of returners to continue to push towards new heights.

"I really put some challenges on these guys during the spring and they did a wonderful job embracing those challenges and buying into raising the standards," said Carruth. "The program had some success last season and rather than rest on our laurels we recognize that there is always another level. There is always room for improvement."

A solid group of players return from last year's squad and they will be looked to for leadership on and off the field. For both the returnees and the incoming student-athletes, a large piece of the puzzle will be the ability to adapt.

"The challenge for our returning core will continue to be embracing change," said Carruth. "New coach, new players, new standards, new way to look at the game. We are going to be playing much differently, which means that guys are going to be asked to do different things. This can be tough for juniors and seniors who have cemented habits."

As the program gets set to welcome thirteen new players into the program, Carruth is confident that the upperclassmen will welcome these newcomers with open arms. The freshman class includes 13 new members from seven different states and two foreign countries. Carruth is very adamant about the need for the new players to make a quick transition to life as a student-athlete at Heidelberg.

"It will be critical that these guys get off on the right foot academically and be disciplined with time management, nutrition, and rest. They need to create good habits right away in how they are going to live their lives around here if we are going to be successful on and off the field. Another challenge for the first year guys, who may have been top dogs at their clubs and high schools, is to invest themselves into the four year process of growth and development," said Carruth. "There can be growing pains for first year players and they'll need to have the resilience to deal effectively with adversity – the ups and downs."

As the Student Princes enter the season, a focus on relationships and culture will be prioritized focus as the program moves in a new direction.

"Is the soccer important? Absolutely," stated Carruth. "How we want to defend, how we want to attack, the tactical agreements we subscribe to which get players on the same page – this is all very important. But we believe that the quality of our team culture and the strength & authenticity of the relationships we have with one another will help us thrive regardless what obstacles we come up against."

The 2015 season will be one for growth, both by the new coaching staff as well as the players as they adjust to the new direction of the program.

"If there's one guarantee we can make about a college soccer season, it's that there will surely be adversity to face," said Carruth. "How we respond as a group and as individuals will ultimately define us."

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: Heidelberg will open their campaign on September 1st at home against Adrian on the natural grass pitch of Hidden Valley Soccer Complex.

Another key non-conference contest for Heidelberg will be on September 6th, when they travel to Kenyon for a rematch of their first round NCAA Tournament match a season ago. The Lords enter this season ranked 9th in the country by the NSCAA.

The Student Princes will also host a pair of night games (Light the Night) on the turf at Hoernemann Stadium during the season, September 9th against crosstown foe Tiffin and on September 22nd against Thomas More.

The first OAC match of the season will be on October 3rd when the Berg travels to Otterbein.

PRESEASON PREDICTION: The Student Princes are placed in a tie for 2nd in the 2015 preseason OAC predictions.  This preseason ranking is based solely off of the previous year's regular-season standings.

For the complete Ohio Athletic Conference release, click here.