Men's Soccer Set to Open Season at Denver

8/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Aug. 30, 2007

MILWAUKEE - The 2007 Marquette men's soccer team will begin its season at Denver at noon (MDT) on Friday, August 31. The starting squad for Marquette will feature five freshmen, but that is something that isn't on the mind of head coach Louis Bennett. The fact that his side is prepared and ready is more the focus of the Marquette coach, who starts his second season at the helm of the Golden Eagles.

"I'm relatively happy with what we accomplished in the preseason," Bennett said. "We've created a positive atmosphere and a team environment. No one has been blown away with what we've thrown at them and everyone has welcomed the challenge of the new season."

The squad at the game's beginning will be young. At most, three juniors will find a spot in the starting 11, with the rest being freshmen and sophomores.

The anticipated starting lineup for the season opener is freshman Steve Purdy in goal. Defenders will include junior Duncan Silvert-Noftle, sophomore Billy Von Rueden, sophomore Tim Jallow and freshman Scott Miller. The midfielders will be sophomore Michael Greene, freshman Stefan Antonijevic, junior Dan Addis and freshman Anthony Colaizzi. Either junior Aleksandar Bjelic or sophomore Mehdi Eslami will find a spot at the defending midfielder at gametime. The forward will be freshman Sam Etim.

Purdy starts in goal ahead of sophomore Matt Pyzdrowski, who is still recovering from a concussion in an exhibition contest earlier in the month. Also missing from the roster heading to Denver are freshman Niklas Dagervik and Adam Frydman.

"No one came into the season with a starting spot, but Pyzdrowski, Niklas and Adam would have added significant depth," Bennett said. "Now, about 15 guys have shown they deserve playing time. We don't have to worry about what we don't have. We are ready to play. It would have helped to have the added depth, but you can't expect to have everyone fit for the whole season."

The reserves making the trip to Denver include senior Mike Carlson, freshman Josh Curry, freshman Josh Belfrage, freshman Matt Stummer, sophomore Tom Lynn and junior Michael Tabory. Belfrage is returning to Colorado to play in front of his hometown fans.

The group of 11 starters and seven reserves will be battling the elements and a tough Denver squad. The altitude will pose an issue for the Golden Eagles as will the strength of the opponent. Denver is coming off a win over Stanford and a tie to no. 11 California.

"We're not making an issue out of the altitude. If we were playing two games this weekend, we would adjust our lineup and substitute a little more, but not for one game," Bennett said. "The bigger issue is that we have to deal with a very formidable, straight-forward, defensive-oriented, physical Denver squad."

Having played the Pioneers last season, Bennett and his side should know what to expect. However, Denver is under a coaching change. Bobby Muuss is in his first season as the Denver head coach, and little information has been exchanged about the Pioneers two exhibitions.

After its contest with Denver, Marquette returns home for a bit of quick adjusting. Two days later, MU visits UIC for a contest with the favorite of the Horizon League. UIC was a top-10 team a season ago, winning the Horizon League and the Flames advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.