Marquette University Athletics
1998 Men's Soccer Review
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
With a season-ending loss to Memphis in the Conference USA semifinals in Tampa, Fla., coach Steve Adlard's Marquette men's soccer team concluded the 1998 season with a 9-11-1 mark. That the Golden Eagles were in Tampa at all was a shock to many around the league.
Chosen to compete for the league title in the preseason, the Golden Eagles struggled through the early-season schedule, battling injuries and offensive woes as they got off to a 2-6 start. The poor start was not indicative of the play of goalkeeper Jim Welch, however. The senior co-captain proved in the season's opening match that he would be a force to be reckoned with all season, making six saves to help the Golden Eagles stop Wright State 1-0. Junior forward Kevin Eiler, making his first appearance for the Golden Eagles since the 1996 season, provided the game winning score.
After a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Oakland, Marquette opened a five-game road trip with a 3-0 victory at UMKC. As he would do for the remainder of the season, junior college transfer Jeremy Evans came off the bench to spark the Golden Eagle offense, netting two goals. Welch recorded his second shutout of the season and took one step closer to becoming the all-time Marquette leader in that category.
The Golden Eagles then faced the daunting task of battling five teams, three of them ranked, in the following two weeks. Adding to the Marquette burden were several injuries to key Golden Eagles: senior striker Tim Tappel and sophomore defender Joe Gallo, both expected to be starters, hadn't played all season due to a broken fibula and ACL surgery, respectively, and their absence had cut into the Marquette bench. The Golden Eagles would drop their next five decisions, mustering only four goals in that span.
Despite a solid showing, Marquette opened that losing streak with a 2-1 loss at #24 Akron. Following a 3-0 loss to instate rival UW-Green Bay, the Golden Eagles opened the C-USA slate with back-to-back losses at #17 UNC Charlotte and UAB. It was the first time that Marquette had opened the C-USA schedule with an 0-2 mark.
The final loss in that streak, a 2-1 overtime thriller with #17 Saint Louis, was a turning point, however. Adlard had made several lineup changes leading up to the match with the C-USA-leading Billikens and they started to make a difference in that game. The most dramatic of these changes was the switch of Andy Hunter from center midfielder to sweeper. The intense sophomore added a more physical presence along the backline, where he would stay for the remainder of the season. The Saint Louis game was also notable because the Marquette goal was scored by Sean Reti. The dynamic freshman striker had started every game so far, but had been bottled up by double-teams for much of the time.
Reti's goal awoke a talented Marquette offense that had been waiting to break out. Seniors Steve Govin and Martin Conway saw to it that it would remain potent. Govin netted the game-winning goal with under two minutes left in regulation to give MU a 1-0 win over Memphis, kicking-off a four-match win streak. Conway connected for the game-winner in back-to-back games against UW-Milwaukee, 1-0, and Drake, 2-0. The victory against UWM returned the Milwaukee Cup to the Marquette campus for the first time since 1993.
The shutout of the Panthers was also the 23rd of Welch's career, making him the all-time Marquette leader in that category. Welch had previously set a new standard for Marquette career saves.
The Golden Eagles evened their record at 6-6 with an important 2-0 victory at Louisville. However, consecutive losses to C-USA foes Cincinnati and South Florida put Marquette in jeopardy of facing a play-in game on the road to get into the C-USA Tournament. Following a 0-0 overtime tie with Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles went to DePaul for one of the most important games of the season. Tappel, having just returned from his injury in the past week, helped Marquette lock up the #6 seed in the tournament with the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over the Blue Demons.
After losses to powerful Florida International and Jacksonville squads, Marquette concluded the regular season with a 2-0 win at home against Northwestern. Newcomers Reti and Marshall Morehead scored for the Golden Eagles.
Marquette then returned to Birmingham, Ala., for a C-USA quarterfinal match with UAB. The Blazers had scored two goals in the last 10 minutes to defeat Marquette in the regular season, and Marquette would avenge that bitter loss with a 3-1 overtime victory. The Golden Eagles got a goal from the versatile Ryan Taylor with only four minutes left in regulation to tie the game before Govin's game-winner and an insurance goal by Reti advanced Marquette to the semifinals.
A 3-0 loss to Memphis in the C-USA semis did nothing to diminish the effort that the Golden Eagles had spent to turn their season around. Despite the losing record, Welch was named to the All-C-USA First Team following a season in which he had played every minute, made nine shutouts and became Marquette's all-time leader in shutouts and saves. The unquestioned leader of a Marquette defense that was till one of the toughest in the league to crack, Welch provided stability in a season of multiple starting lineups and inconsistency.
Establishing himself as one of the new leaders of the Golden Eagles was Taylor. A workaholic defender, Taylor led by example on the field, playing with tenacity wherever he was needed. The junior from Kansas City wound up starting all 21 contests, playing at both midfield and back. He finished the season with five points on two goals and an assist, all career highs. Sophomore defender Jeremiah Bass was a repeat pick to the All C-USA Third Team and showed his flexibilty by also moving up to the midfield in several outings. Sophomore Mike Adrian also played a number of positions after missing the first few games. Junior Chad Garofola continued to exhibit consistently solid play along the backline and tallied the first goal of his career.
Expected to miss the entire season, Gallo came back from his knee injury to start against UNC Charlotte in the season's sixth game and provided a stabilizing influence. He would miss several other games to injury, though, appearing in only nine games.
It was the play from two surprising sources in the backfield, however, that helped the Golden Eagles rebound from their slow start. Sturdy sophomore Hunter immediately gave the Marquette backline a physical presence. His confidence and knowledge of Adlard's system gave the Golden Eagles a potent defensive combo in he and Welch.
Also contributing in the Golden Eagles' end was freshman Jason Hood. One of the quickest players on the team, Hood brought an aggressiveness to the pitch that had been missing when he moved into the lineup late in the year.
Though the inconsistent offense struggled through much of the season, there were several impressive performers for the Golden Eagles. Reti concluded a fine debut campaign by being selected to the C-USA All-Freshmen Team. He was among the league-leaders with 44 shots, and he and Govin paced the Golden Eagles in scoring, with 12 and 13 points, respectively. Govin led Marquette with five goals, while Reti and sophomore midfielder Donny Mark each tallied a team-leading four assists.
Junior college transfer Evans and transfers Morehead and Nate Winkel each became part of a rotation of midfielders that could give opponents a different look in each match. Morehead concluded the season with nine points, good for third on the team, on four goals and an assist. As he had done the previous year, Conway heated up down the stretch, finishing with six points on two goals and two assists. Winkel collected four points, while senior midfielder Brian Lehky provided two assists.
Although Marquette fell below expectations with its 9-11-1 mark, the 1998 Golden Eagles may be better remembered for their competitive spirit in the face of adversity. Their rebound from a discouraging opening month of the season symbolized the character of a squad that would end its year making a run for the C-USA Tournament title.
