The Virginia Wesleyan University men's soccer team earned a major milestone by securing the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 edition of the ECAC Division III Men's Soccer Championship. The announcement was made on November 10 by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

This top-seed status reflects the strong season that VWU has put together. As host of Pod 1, the Marlins will also enjoy home-field advantage for the first round of tournament competition.

VWU will open its campaign in Pod 1, hosting the quarterfinal round on Saturday, November 15, vs. No. 2 Franciscan University Men's Soccer at 12 PM.

Pod 2 is hosted by FDU Florham, where William Patterson will face SUNY Maritime where the winner will play FDU Florfam.

Pod 3 is hosted by McDaniel, who will take on Juniate, and Pod 4 is hosted by Rutgers Newark who will play Goucher.

The Virginia Wesleyan men's soccer program comes into the tournament with a 12-5-1 record and ranks 33rd in the NCAA NPI Ranking system. They have the third best defense in the ODAC, allowing only 14 goals all season, and have the fifth-best offense in the league.

The Marlins offensively are led by senior Zach Bittler with nine goals and four assists, followed by Ryan McAdams, who is second on the team in goals with six. JaMarhe Wills was third in scoring with four goals and an assist, and teammate Giovanni Zizza led the team in assists with five and tallied two goals.

Defensively, the Marlins are led by Aaron Deans and Josh Nevins, one of the best center back duos in the region, who both lead the team in minutes played. Anchoring the defense is goalkeeper Ben Haynes, who is fourth in the conference in goals against average and is fourth in the conference in saves.