MIDWAY, Ky. - Stu Riddle knows what it takes to build a successful collegiate soccer program.

After playing professionally all over the world, Riddle began a coaching career that saw him spend more than a decade at the NCAA men's Division-I level, where he helped change the fortunes of three different programs.

Taking over a Western Michigan team that went 3-15-1 the season before his arrival, Riddle had the Broncos in the Mid-American Conference championship game in his second season.

He then moved to Buffalo (N.Y.), where in year four, the Bulls put together a 12-4-3 record before the program was shut down.

Undeterred, Riddle found new success at Northern Kentucky, where he won the Horizon League Coach of the Year award after leading the Norse to a regular-season conference championship in 2020.

So when Riddle, who stepped down at NKU following the 2021 season, wanted another crack at being a head coach, he says he saw "a great deal of potential" in an open job at Midway University.

The Eagle administration saw great potential as well, hiring the decorated D-I coach in January, with the two sides believing the 2025 season will be the start of a great partnership.

"I've always looked at the jobs I've taken in the past and sort of analyzed the location and the facilities," said Riddle, who also served as an assistant for a top-25 Bowling Green (Ky.) team in 2024 "And I think we've got a fabulous location here, touching distance of Lexington. And of course, a brand new turf field.

"It ticked all the boxes and I'm looking forward to the challenge of making this team better."

Riddle has been pleased with the early returns, saying the team had an "exceptional" spring, one highlighted by an exhibition match against Asbury, where the Eagles won 2-0 while allowing just one shot.

It was a great start for a Midway defense that returns several key players, including goalie Connor Vincent, who was first in the River States Conference and sixth in the NAIA with 107 saves in 2024.

Offensively, Midway is looking to add more pop to a lineup that produced 24 goals in 18 games last season. 

Riddle believes he can find great balance with the help of new players like Brayden Gillman and Elijah Orren, who both made the River States Players to Watch list. Like his coach, Gillman comes from the Division-I ranks, having previously played at Purdue Fort Wayne (Ind.).

The influx of talent has gotten the attention of RSC Coaches, who picked Midway to finish fifth in their preseason poll. This was Midway's highest finish in that poll since 2018.

Riddle, however, was unmoved by the prediction, saying it was "not worth the paper it's written on." His players seemed to agree, saying getting things right in the locker room first will help produce the desired success on the field.

"Culture's a big thing we've been really trying to emphasize," junior center back Blake Warner said. "If we can get the culture there, we feel like, day-by-day, we're going to get better."

Added Connor Vincent: "Once we can just get everybody to buy in, I think we're going to be a real problem."

The Eagles begin the 2025 season with a short trip to Georgetown College at 6 p.m. Sunday. Not on team's original schedule, the matchup was added on Aug. 16.