Marquette University Athletics
Steve Adlard's Coaching Diary
10/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Once a week during the soccer season, Steve Adlard, Marquette University's head men's soccer coach, will share his thoughts on the Golden Eagles' squad.
October 6, 1999
Q: Coach, a couple of 1-0 wins last week against Memphis and No. 12-ranked Creighton. That had to be exciting for your team.
A: The 1-0 score line against Memphis last Friday had both good and bad in it. We played quite well but for the first time in awhile, missed some open chances. We totaled them up and it came to seven, which makes it sound like we could have won the game easily. But, in reality, you never convert on all your scoring chances. But the problem with it was that it kept the game close and kept Memphis enthused. They kept pushing and created some pressure and ultimately a little tension for us.
That led into Sunday's game with a bit of uncertainty. We weren't nervous or afraid -- we knew that we could play. Where the uncertainty came in was that we knew we had to take our chances in order to get a result against Creighton. Of course, the way it came down was that the game was played close all the way through. They had the first shots on goal and it looked like very confident. We were playing fine but didn't generate any offense early, and then suddenly we generated some offense and nearly scored twice. Creighton was fortunate that we didn't score, so we go into halftime at 0-0 with the belief that we could do something.
Apart from two lapses in the second half where we gave them some opportunity they didn't earn, the last 15 minutes you could feel the momentum shift and we really generated some offensive pressure. We had a near miss, one cleared off the line, one that was deflected wide when it was going in and then we finally got the goal with a little less than two minutes on the clock. Ironically, it came on a mistake that they made. They gave us the ball, we played the quick pass to an open man who hit a quick shot. The irony was that we created all this opportunity for ourselves and didn't get anything and fed off them when they gave us a half-of-chance. I thought that we played a tremendous game and that overall it was a great high-level game of soccer. Creighton is a fine team and I'm not just saying that because we won. I genuinely felt that those were two high-level teams playing very well. The upshot was that we got a result against them, built our confidence some and now realize that we have reached a point where we can live with the top groups in the country, Creighton was ranked #1 in the nation a couple of weeks ago. This means that we can compete with anybody in the country, but we are still in the stage of learning how to get the result. I think that we added a piece to the puzzle, but I still think that we have a way to go.
Q: Where do you think you are right now? Are you where you want to be considering the makeup of this team?
A: I think we're a little ahead of where I thought we would be. I thought that after two games we were clearly showing signs that we had talent to compete, we just didn't know how to get a result. As you look back, there were a couple of games that we probably should have won, but maybe that's part of the learning process. Where are at we at today? We're playing very well and playing well against everybody. Normally, Marquette has struggled against weaker teams to get a result, teams that have had bad runs or have no history, we've sort of sneaked out a 1-0 or a 2-1 win. For the first time in awhile, we are actually putting these people away. I think the optimism is there that we can continue to win most of our games. The boys are not overconfident nor or they are stressed about preserving something. They've got Wisconsin on Wednesday (Oct. 6) and that is as far as they're looking. I think that the minute we start looking over our shoulder at our record or start to look forward to a game beyond the one we're playing, we will come unraveled.
I can tell them and warn them about the dangers, but until they experience them, they won't learn from them. There's optimism and a bright light at the end of the tunnel here. I think this team here will ultimately become a great team. I'm very pleased with both the effort and commitment and the team chemistry is outstanding at this point and I think that has taken us a long way.
Q: What insight can you give about Wisconsin?
A: There are a lot of concerns playing Wisconsin. They've been and up-and-down team, a few wins, some bad losses. They played Creighton and dropped everybody in deep and made Creighton break them down. I suppose they tried to score a goal on the counter attack but that didn't work. But Creighton had to work for about 81 minutes before it got the second goal to put the game away.
Against Ohio State, they were leading at halftime but subsequently allowed a handful of goals in the second half. So, what changed between those games has to be in the style of play. We can't get a read on what style they are going to come out and play against us. But, truthfully, this game has been close as long as I've been here. It's been a one-goal game most years and I would say today that they will give a tremendous effort and play very hard and with passion. In the end, they may come out with a result and that would be disappointing for us. But facing the reality of the situation, what goes around comes around and somebody is going to do it to us. I do think, however, that we will play very, very hard because we really are trying to move on.
Q: After the Wisconsin game, you get back into Conference USA with a road game at UNC Charlotte on Sunday.
A: Charlotte is a concern for a couple of reasons. First, they basically have last year's squad back and they were a tremendous team last year. They were an NCAA national semifinalist recently and they are a talented group. Playing there has always been tough assignment. For some reason, they haven't gotten done in the conference to date. They won the Wake Forest Tournament two weeks ago, which is a great tournament to win. Their record in the conference doesn't fit with their overall record or their history. My assumption is that they are not firing on all cylinders, something is missing in this picture. But, in my heart of hearts, I can't believe that this team will not come through and win a string of games from now until the end of the season. I just pray that it starts the week after we play them.
Q: This week you are ranked No. 5 in the Great Lakes Region, up from the No. 9 spot the previous week. Are the rankings something your players watch.
A: Yes. You really can't avoid it. The coaching staff can try to play it down as much as we like and remind the players that the people doing the polls are not going to put you in on the basis of one victory. It's done on the overall development of the program. I think that one of the nice things about working your way up gradually is that you don't get carried away. I mean if you start the season with a win against the No. 1 team in the country, then you are probably going to be No. 1 and get carried away with yourself. I would say that being ranked is a measure of respect. It's almost like somebody saying, "Marquette can play." It's credibility for the program and a confidence boost for the players.
