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Jake Slemker
Jake Slemker was named head coach of the Wright State men's soccer program in July of 2018 after being involved as a player, assistant coach and associate head coach for the Raiders.
During his time on the WSU staff, the Raiders have risen to new levels of excellence, advancing to four Horizon League finals, posting four double digit winning seasons and recruiting two national Top 40 classes.
2017 marked the fourth straight season that the Raiders finished in double-figure wins as AJ Paterson and Dan Bent were named to the first team as Paterson was named the Player of the Year and Bent was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Stefan Rokvic, Sam DeRoy and Joel Sundell were selected to the second team as Brayden McNitt and Florian Hoffmann were chosen to the freshman team. Paterson was drafted by the New York City Football Club of the MLS.
With all the success of the program, 2016 showed leaps in improvement, culminating in Wright State's first Horizon League regular-season championship. The Raiders returned to the championship game for the third straight year and fourth time in six seasons.
Other highlights of the magical season included eight Raiders honored by the Horizon League. Peguy Ngatcha received the Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year honors. Ngatcha, Eric Lynch, Jake Stovall and Kaique Fernandes were named to the first team and Jackson Dietrich and AJ Paterson received second-team honors. Austin Kinley was added to the Newcomer Team.
Ngatcha, Lynch and Stovall were named to All-Ohio Teams while those three were joined by Dietrich on the All-Regioan Teams. Later, Stovall and Ngatcha became just the second and third Raiders ever selected in the MLS Draft. Stovall was chosen by the Seattle Sounders, the reigning MLS Cup champions, in the third round while Ngatcha was picked by the Colorado Rapids in the fourth round.
2016 also saw additions to Wright State's overall list of signature wins that include Cincinnati, Fullerton, West Virginia, Portland, Marquette, Kentucky, San Diego State as well as a ties at Ohio State and at #17 Virginia Tech.
2015 saw plenty of jumps in the Raider soccer program, including a national ranking. The Raiders finished with 12 wins overall and advanced to the finals of the Horizon League Tournament. Ngatcha and Lynch received first team HL honors, Sam DeRoy second team and Dietrich and Eric Hutton were named to the Freshman Team. Dietrich was also named the Freshman of the Year.
In 2014, sophomore forward Lynch was selected as the Player of the Year and three other Raiders received All-League honors. He was joined on the First Team by sophomore forward Ngatcha and senior defender Emeka Ononye while defender Austin Polster was selected to the All-Freshman Team. The team also showed results on the field with the most wins at WSU since 2001 and advancing to its second Horizon League finals in four seasons.
Elder and Ononye received second team honors in 2013 as Stovall and Lynch were named to the Freshman Team. Lynch was also named to the final TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 Freshman College Players list. As a team, the Raiders advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament, losing to eventual champion UIC on their home field.
2012 saw the completion of the Rinzler Student Sports Complex with team rooms, restrooms and concessions. 2012 also saw the emergence of Elder as he was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-League and a Freshman All-American while Derek Zuniga was selected as a Second Team All-Horizon League honoree.
Just as improvements were made to Alumni Field, the home of the Raiders, in 2011, the men's soccer program also made a noticeable improvement in wins and Horizon League placement. After being picked to finish last in the league's preseason poll, Davis led his team to an 11-7-2 record overall and a 5-2-1 league mark, good for a second-place tie. WSU then advanced to the championship match of the Horizon League Tournament against Loyola before falling 1-0 in overtime.
The team also garnered five All-Horizon League honors, including two First Teamers in Brian Cothern and Bryce Rockwell-Ashton while Craig Feehan, Justin Laird and Gustav Svensson were selected to the All-Newcomer Team. Feehan was also named the league's Newcomer of the Year.
Slemker joined the Wright State staff in March 2010 after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Scottsdale (AZ) Community College. While at SCC, that program hit new heights with most wins (12) in school history in 2009 when they defeated defending national champions Yavapai. SCC also made their first Play-Off appearance ever in 2008.
A native of Englewood, Ohio, Slemker played for the Raiders from 2003 to 2006 and was a four-year starter in the backfield. Following his WSU career, Slemker played professionally with the Dayton Dutch Lions, Arizona Sahuraos, Cincinnati Kings Albany Admirals and Cleveland Internationals.
Slemker graduated from Wright State in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and earned a master's degree in applied behavioral science in 2012.
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