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Otterbein University

Otterbein Athletics
 1 South Grove Street Westerville, OH 43081
Division 3 Ohio Midwest
Private Small Developing team
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Coaches

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Jason Griffiths

Jason Griffiths, holding a career record of 82-32-12, recently finished his seventh season as head coach of the Otterbein men's soccer program.


Griffiths, 35, has resurrected the program into claiming three Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season titles and another OAC Tournament Championship during his memorable first year in 2017. His Cardinals have also made three appearances in the NCAA Championships, hosting a pair of regional pods in the national event.


The Englishman emerged from a deep pool of applicants in early 2017 and immediately guided Otterbein to a 19-3 record, featuring a whopping 17-match winning streak to sweep through the league. It was the program's first OAC trophy since 2003.


After the COVID pandemic, he followed that by leading his 2021 team to a 15-2-4 record and unbeaten 7-0-2 mark in conference play. Despite being picked sixth in the league's preseason poll, the Cardinals soared up to No. 6 in the national rankings and shared the OAC regular-season title with John Carroll.


Griffiths, a 2x OAC Coach of the Year, watched his Cardinals advanced to the Sweet 16 (in Chicago) during that inaugural 2017 run and make the second round in 2021 before falling to eventual national semifinalist UChicago.


Otterbein has finished in the final set of national rankings twice (No. 11 and 24) under Griffiths, who has coached a pair of All-Americans in defender Jaden Lunger (2017) and forward Will Isaac (2021), along with CSC Academic All-American Mark Wischmeyer in 2023.


Griffiths joined Otterbein after three-plus years as a Senior Director of Coaching at Classics Eagles Soccer Club in Columbus, where he managed 30 coaches and teams, implemented year-round training sessions for all age groups, coached “elite teams” at regional/national events and spearheaded travel, presentation and summer camp responsibilities. He also served as an assistant coach for Otterbein from 2013-15, specializing in training and recruiting.


A native of Bracknell, England, Griffiths was a 2x all-conference and all-region selection at the University of Kentucky before being chosen by the New England Revolution with the 48th pick in the 2010 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He played one professional season before suffering a tough injury and retiring.


In addition to his experience at Classics Eagles, Griffiths briefly served as an assistant at Kentucky before moving to Ohio and beginning local stints with Locker Soccer Academy and Individual Fitness Solutions. Griffiths holds a United States Soccer Federation National “B” License along with his NSCAA level two goalkeeping certification.


He and his wife, Tara, who served as a graduate assistant for the Otterbein women's program in 2009 and 2010, currently reside in Dublin with their young sons, Blake and Jaxson.

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Liam Heard

Liam Heard enters his second season as a Graduate Assistant coach under Jason Griffiths in 2023, after recently completing a nice playing career for the Cardinals.


A 2022 graduate, Heard played a shortened career for Otterbein through the COVID-19 pandemic. He started 47 matches (at multiple positons) over two-plus seasons, helping the program deliver a combined 31-14-5 record while spending time in the national rankings.


As a senior, Heard started all 21 contests on the back line as a defender and helped Otterbein share the OAC regular-season crown before also making the NCAA Division III Championships. His group advanced to the second round and bowed out to eventual Final Four participant UChicago.


Heard received his bachelor's degree in sport management and compiled a near-perfect GPA in the process. He earned multiple Academic All-OAC awards and was voted CoSIDA Academic All-District as a senior.


A native of Wairarapa, New Zealand, he has coached at various clubs and academies both back home and in Ohio. He is currently working toward a master's degree at Otterbein while obtaining his USSF D license.

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