In his second season as Head Coach for the Houghton Men's Soccer Team, Scott Reitnour is blending tradition and progress in hopes of building on the team's efforts from last year. Continuing to settle into their new identity as a squad, the Highlanders are poised to put an offseason of hard work to good use against a schedule of familiar foes and three first-time matchups.
 
2025 Season Recap
Ending their 2025 season with a 4-12-1 record, the Highlanders were unable to earn a postseason berth. James Fay, the sophomore forward, was honored with an All-Conference Third Team selection, and Daniele Schivo was chosen for the Empire 8 Tomorrow's Leaders list.
 
Insights from Coach Reitnour
Q: What are your team goals for this season?
A: "Our team will strive to seek first the Kingdom of Jesus and his righteousness; to play for an Audience of One; to love God and serve each other in tangible practical ways; and, to impact our local communities through sports ministry. Essentially, we hope to cultivate a culture, wherein each individual seeks to love Christ; to love his neighbor as himself; and, to become a man built for other people. We aspire to play beautiful, competitive, aesthetically pleasing soccer that will challenge and strengthen our opponents and entertain our fans."
 
Q: What are the keys to meeting those goals?
A: "We will need to stay unified, love each other well, and model an unparalleled collective work ethic. Our incoming freshmen have matriculated nicely into our program, match model and playing system, and we will need to continue to harmonize our young incoming talent with our experienced, savvy veteran leadership. If love, unity and industriousness become habitual within our culture, we will prove formidable. Our goals will be met when each man strives for the peace of mind that comes from doing the best of which he is capable."
 
Q: What do you feel are the team's greatest strengths heading into the season?
A: "Our greatest strengths heading into the season are: our veteran leadership, our unified team culture; our vastly improved technical capacity and our collective tactical acumen."
 
Q: Are there any particular games/matchups that you and the team are excited for? 
A: We play against the Houghton University Highlanders every single time we step on the pitch.  The pressure on our team is the pressure we have created with internal expectation.  We desire to honor our Lord, and we want to make the University proud of the HUMS program.  There is nowhere to hide from the watchful eyes of our alumni; they set the standard and we aspire to exceed their expectations.  The toughest opponent each Highlander faces is the man he sees in the mirror.
 
Personnel Losses
The starting lineup for 2026 will be without two of its consistent pieces from last year, as Daniele Schivo and Carter Benham both graduated from the program following their 2025-26 efforts. The two combined for nearly 1800 minutes played throughout their final season with the Highlanders.
 
Key Returners
Accompanying James May in returning for the Houghton offense in 2026 will be Samuel Edwards and Nata Souza. Graduate student Mason Cool and junior Elijah Bailey will be key pieces back for the Highlanders, both holding captain positions for the squad.
 
Newcomers
The incoming class for Men's Soccer is certainly an exciting group, including twelve freshmen and one transfer. Creating fresh looks for the Highlander team as well as a connection with Coach Reitnour's approach, the new faces within the roster will undoubtedly be a positive force for Houghton's competitive tradition.
 
The pursuit of a beautiful performance on the pitch will be a key factor for the Highlanders in the 2026 season. Keeping excellence for the purpose of God's Kingdom as the central tenet of their efforts, the Houghton Men's Soccer team will strive towards giving their absolute best each time they lace up and take the field.