MaxPreps 2013 Soccer Early Contenders: Wesleyan Christian Academy boys

You don't have to look far or wide to realize where soccer success starts at Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.).

Eleventh-year coach Scott Reitnour played for and served as captain on three nationally ranked teams at Houghton College during his collegiate playing career. He later served as an assistant coach on successful teams at Houghton and Alfred University.

Today he not only leads one of the top boys fall soccer teams in the nation at Wesleyan Christian, but coaches a United Soccer League Premier Development League side during the summer, the Southern West Virginia King's Warriors, of Beckley, W.Va.

See all the 2013 Fall Soccer Early Contenders



The 2013 fall season should bring more of the same type of success for Reitnour and Wesleyan Christian, which went undefeated and untied last year in winning its second-straight North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A title. It finished No. 3 in both the MaxPreps national computer rankings and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, and is one of 10 fall boys teams to be honored as a national title Early Contender, presented by adidas and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Reitnour, who has twice been named NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year, has to replace seven starters from last season's 25-0 team, 15 players in all. But midfielders Drew Mostoller and Kirby Robbins, plus goalkeeper Connor Bell, lead a veterans group that has only known championships and success during its tenure at Wesleyan Christian.  Eight players will be called from a sub-varsity team that also went undefeated last fall.

It's no coincidence that Reitnour coaches in a USL development league during the summer. Premier development is part of the tradition he's helped inspire over the past decade at Wesleyan Christian.

See the entire Wesleyan Christian Academy photo gallery

Local outlook: ”The Wes Trojans have an outstanding boys soccer program that the Triad area of North Carolina can be proud of. Over the years, they've turned out some super players, including Jamath Shoffner (played some pro and coached college soccer), Aaron Tooley (personal soccer trainer), Robert Tucker, Robbie Hicks, Dennis Hanlin and others. I coached at least three of those guys back on the youth level and they were smart and good even then."
- Andy Durham, GreensboroSports.com (@gsosports)
{PAGEBREAK}

State classification: NCISAA Class 3A

Enrollment: 330



Athletic director: Glen Foster

2012 finish: 25-0 (No. 3 NSCAA poll; No. 3 MaxPreps computer rankings)

Head coach: Scott Reitnour

Years at school: 10

Career record: 181-43-23

Notable team achievements: 12 NCISAA state championships, including appearing in the last three finals, and winning the last two.



Notable soccer alumni: Numerous professional and collegiate players at NCAA Divisions 1, 2, 3 and NAIA levels.

Notable non-soccer facts about school: The 2012-13 basketball team finished ninth nationally in MaxPreps Academy Top 10 and won the NCISAA Class 3A title, led in part by U.S. U-16 National Team player Harry Giles... Tampa Bay Rays rookie outfielder Wil Myers is a Wesleyan Christian graduate... Wesleyan Christian is the largest private school in the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem) area.
{PAGEBREAK}

Key Player Losses:

D Bob Gigliotti (UNC-Greensboro)

M Brandt Bronico (UNC-Charlotte)

Craver Stamey

Matthew Schroeder



Grant Martin

Key Returners:

M Drew Mostoller

M Kirby Robbins

GK Connor Bell

MF Cooper Robbins



Matt Owens

Caleb Carr

Rising Contributors:

Jr. Matt Wilson

Jr. Creighton Dawsay

Eight players moving up from an undefeated JV team
{PAGEBREAK}

Toughest Game: "We don't really measure our games by our opponents. We try to measure our performance in each game according to our own standards for ourselves. This is in keeping with our ‘Play to a standard' philosophy. Therefore, we honestly look at each game as equally tough since we consider ourselves to be our opponent," Reitnour said.



Question Marks: "We will have to replace 15 players from last year's team, including seven starters. Scoring is an area of special concern as we lost 85 percent of our scoring. We have many good young players that will have to step in and fill that void," Reitnour said.

National Look: Wesleyan Christian entered the 2012 national rankings within the first few weeks of the season's opening and continued its climb throughout the fall. North Carolina is a respected soccer state on the national scene.

In Summary: "I am particularly excited about the team chemistry of this group and their youthful zeal. They feel a healthy pressure to live up to the Wesleyan standard and tradition."
- Head coach Scott Reitnour
{PAGEBREAK}