Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer to Open Season at Loyola (Ill.)
8/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 23, 2006
MILWAUKEE -
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Hired in December 2005 as the sixth coach in Marquette men's soccer history, Louis Bennett has seemingly had a long time to prepare for the start of the 2006 soccer season, but that isn't necessarily the case. Coming to Marquette well after the 2005 soccer season ended, Bennett's recruiting window was shortened as well as time spent getting to know a new team.
But, Bennett and his staff, as is their custom, have been working hard to play catch up. With three ties in exhibition play, the Golden Eagles seem to be at least on par with the opposition. The real test comes Friday, August 25 at 7:30 p.m. when Marquette visits Loyola (Ill.).
"We're doing a very good job of showing that we are a difficult team to beat," Bennett said of his three exhibition draws.
Marquette's defense and goalkeeping were on display on in the first two ties, 0-0 draws to Northwestern and IPFW respectively. Part of what has made the preseason interesting for Bennett is the undecided situation at goalkeeper. Senior Marc Dettmann and freshman Matt Pyzdrowski are in a battle for the starting spot. Both shared equal time in the preseason, but the competition for the job has been intense.
"There is no real clear cut choice as to who is going to be the starter and that's the way we like it," Bennett said. "They've been real competitive in the preseason trying to earn the starting spot and at this point, it's still yet to be decided."
While the starting keeper spot has yet to be determined, one thing is for certain and that is the fact that Bennett is familiar with his first opponent, Loyola (Ill.). Bennett has faced the Ramblers 13 times as head coach at Wis.-Milwaukee when the two were Horizon League opponents. He owns a 10-2-1 record against Loyola.
Marquette has dominated the series with Loyola, winning 11 of 12 contests and owning a 15-0 scoring advantage in the last five meetings. However, it has been 16 years since the two teams faced and the squads are obviously vastly different.
Loyola proved to be potent in its one exhibition contest, defeating Division II Lewis, 4-1. Loyola played three different keepers in the contest. Brad Sommer saved two shots in 30 minutes and should be the starting keeper against Marquette on August 25. Loyola is led by second year head coach Brenden Eitz, who went 7-9-2 last year.
Following the meeting with Loyola, Marquette returns for its home opener on Sunday, August 27 at noon, facing Denver.
MU and Denver meet for the first time in three seasons, a match Marquette won 2-1 to open the season in 2003. Four current Golden Eagles -- Bennett Lafferty, Nathan Sabich, Matt Blouin and Rob Walton, played in that contest. According to Blouin, the situation at Marquette is vastly different than it was when he was a freshman.
"It's a lot more intense around here than it has been in the past," Blouin said of the new coaching staff. "I like the way that they have us focused in training and the amount of film and scouting we do on our opponent. I like the situation I'm in as a senior."
Denver was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation preseason standings. The Pioneers went 7-10-1 last season and are looking to rebound from that finish. Denver returns 19 players from a year ago, including two of its leading scorers from a season ago in Greg Fiddick (four points) and Ben Mendozza (seven points). Denver also has 12 newcomers to the roster. Denver coach Chad Ashton is in his eighth season and owns a 74-80-12 record.
