TIFFIN, Ohio – The preseason nationally ranked Tiffin University men's soccer program is fired up to get the 2026 season started, as the Dragons look to continue their dominance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and at the national level.
Head coach Rudy Brownell enters his 20th season leading the men's program, and he is eight wins shy of reaching 300 career victories. Joining Brownell's staff this season will be assistant coaches Eric Haecker and Nathan Ewing along with graduate assistants Andreas Michael, Josh Wilson, Mamadou Keita, and Tate Newman. Keita and Newman remain at TU following successful playing careers for the program.
Tiffin, in a vote by the G-MAC's head coaches, was recognized as the Great Midwest Men's Soccer Coaches Preseason favorite. The defending regular season and conference champions garnered five first-place votes and 91 points, edging second-place Cedarville by one.
2026 Great Midwest Men's Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll:
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
Tiffin (5) |
91 |
| 2. |
Cedarville (5) |
90 |
| 3. |
Kentucky Wesleyan (1) |
73 |
| 4. |
Findlay |
72 |
| 5. |
Lake Erie |
69 |
| 6. |
Thomas More |
63 |
| 7. |
Ashland |
43 |
| 8. |
Walsh |
35 |
| 9. |
Ohio Dominican |
33 |
| 10. |
Northwood |
19 |
| 11. |
Malone |
16 |
First-place votes are listed in parentheses.
"We've got a good roster and when you're building a championship program, it's the little things that matter," said Brownell. "The talent, work ethic, and attitude are there, it's just about fine tuning those little details to continually get better."
An important part of the team this year is the leadership group which consists of Noah Purtz, Yaw Turkson, Zach Garcia, Nick Cherry, and Tanner Brentlinger.
"We have a lot of talented players and the squad we have this year is unbelievable," said Garcia. "Everyone has been locked in and given 110 percent every session."
Garcia and Cherry are two key returners, and both were All-Conference selections in 2025. Cherry posted 13 shutouts in goal while Garcia recorded the second-most assists in the G-MAC with eight. Brentlinger also plays a vital role in the success of the defensive backline.
Other key returners for the Dragons include Sam Brittain and Callum Ellington. Brittain, Ellington, Turkson, and Purtz each scored three goals last season.
Tiffin will also look to get contributions from impact transfers Bailey Winchurch, Garbhan Feeney, and Ruadhan Feeney. Winchurch is a senior defender who spent the last three seasons at McKendree University. He tallied three goals and seven assists in 3,480 minutes.
Garbhan and Ruadhan played together at Iowa Lakes Community College before transferring to different institutions in 2025. Garbhan played at Clayton State University and Ruadhan played for the University of Memphis.
TU begins the season at home tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 27 at 3:30 p.m. at the Paradiso Athletic Complex against No. 9 University of Charleston.
