Men's Soccer Season Prospectus

8/29/2019 10:44:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Golden Eagles led by strong senior class

By: Communications

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's soccer team begins its 56^th season of competition on Friday evening when the UAB Blazers come to town.

MU went 7-9-3 in 2018 and made a run to the BIG EAST championship game before falling to Georgetown, 2-0. Returning for the Golden Eagles are 10 players who've started games in the past, including four All-BIG EAST players from a year ago.

Captains:

10 Luka Prpa (Sr., M, Wind Lake, Wisconsin)
- Started all 51 games he's played in at Marquette, accumulating 51 points (17 goals, 17 assists)
- He ranks 15^th all-time in career points at MU and needs 17 this season to break into the top 10
- Three-time All-BIG EAST selection (first team in 2018, second team in 2017, all-freshman team in 2016
- 2016 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
7 Patrick Seagrist (Sr., D, Streamwood, Illinois)
- Has started 45 of the 47 games he's played
- Scored three goals and dished out six assists last season (12 points)
- Four-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week in 2018
- 2018 First Team All-BIG EAST selection

Returnees with Starts in 2018: Marquette returns 10 players with starting experience, including six seniors and four sophomores. As a team, the Golden Eagles scored 26 goals last season, and 21 of those goals (80.8 percent).

1 Cedrik Stern (So., GK, Freidberg, Germany)
- Started four games and saw action in five as a true freshman keeper
- Earned his first career win as a starter against DePaul (Oct. 31, 2018)
- Saved three shots in his first start against St. Louis (Sept. 14, 2018)
8 Alan Salmeron (So., M, Cicero, Illinois)
- Saw action in 12 games, starting nine, as a true freshman
- Fired five shots, one on goal in 2018
11 Connor Alba (Sr., F, Waukesha, Wisconsin)
- Started in 47 of the 51 games he's played in during his MU career
- Finished third on the team with four goals last season
- Has 11 goals and eight assists in his career
16 Josh Coan (Sr., F, Indianapolis, Indiana/Pitt)
- Scored three goals and dished out three assists as a junior
- Transferred from Pitt after his sophomore year
- MU was 3-0 in games he scored in last season
20 Leo Villa (Sr., D, Green Bay, Wisconsin/Parkside)
- Started 15 of the 16 games he played in last season
- Scored his lone goal as a Golden Eagle against Creighton (Oct. 24, 2018) in the 80^th minute to send the game into overtime
- Transferred from Parkside after his sophomore year
22 Zak Wegner (R-So., M, Hartland, Wisconsin)
- Started in 18 games in 2018 for MU
- Tallied one assist in 19 games
26 Josh Hancock (So., D, Torquay, England)
- Saw action in 12 games, starting in nine in 2018
- Notched an assist in his first career start against Valpo (Aug. 26, 2018)
29 Oliver Posarelli (Sr., D, Verona, Italy)
- Started in 15 of the 19 games he played last season
- Transferred from Montana State after his sophomore year in 2017

Redshirts Ready to Rumble: Eight Golden Eagles redshirted during the 2018 season and several could have an important role this season.

2 Gabe Kash (RFr., D, Marshall, Illinois)
- Redshirted in 2018
- Saw action in 127 minutes combined in the three exhibitions
4 Christian Albelo (RSo., M, Alexandria, Va.)
- Saw action in nine games in 2017
- Redshirted last season
- Ranked as No. 17 recruit in the nation in 2017 according to Top Drawer Soccer
5 Manuel Cukaj (RSo., D, Mannheim, Germany)
- Started in 10 games as a true freshman in 2017
- Redshirted in 2018 because of injury
- Named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2017
18 AJ Franklin (RFr., F, Streamwood, Illinois)
- Redshirted in 2018
- Ranked in the top-10 in Illinois H.S. history for career goals (139)
- Tallied seven shots (two on goal) and one assist in exhibition play
21 Alex Mirsberger (RFr., M, Brookfield, Wisconsin)
- Redshirted in 2018
- First team all-state selection in 2017
- Played in all three exhibitions, starting the final two
27 Jett Blaschka (RFr., M, Orlando, Fla.)
- Redshirted in 2018
- Led Montverde Academy to consecutive undefeated seasons in high school
- Saw action in the first exhibition at Loyola Chicago
32 Jackson Weyman (RFr., GK, Evanston, Ill.)
- Redshirted in 2018
- Played in all three exhibitions, starting against Milwaukee Torrent
- Saved both shots he faced

Newcomers Expected to Make an Impact: MU head coach Louis Bennett and his staff welcome in eight newcomers to the program this year. Here are a few who could make an impact early on.

3 Jonathan Robinson (Fr., D, Evanston, Illinois)
- Played club for Chicago Magic PSG Academy
- Played 89 minutes in exhibition action, totaling three shots
6 Louis Yuill (Fr., D, London, England)
- Arrived for the spring semester in January 2019
- Played in 95 minutes of action in the exhibition matches
15 Christian Marquez (Fr., F, Berwyn, Illinois)
- Has seen action in all three exhibitions, starting in two
- Scored his first goal as a Golden Eagle on a header in the first half vs. Notre Dame
- In 154 minutes of exhibition action, he's scored one goal and has four shots (two on goal)
19 Sam Thornton (Jr., F, Rotherham, England)
- Transferred from Division II Gannon University (Pa.) after last season
- Led the PSAC with 11 goals in 2018
- Started in two exhibitions for MU and scored the game-winning goal against Milwaukee Torrent on Sunday

Class Breakdown:

Forwards: 8
Midfielders: 7
Defenders: 9
Goalkeepers: 4

Position Breakdown:

Seniors: 6
Juniors: 3
Sophomores: 8
Freshmen: 11

Schedule:

Marquette begins the season with two games on opening weekend. The season lid-lifter takes place Friday, Aug. 30 at 7:05 p.m. against UAB. MU heads back to Valley Fields on Sunday for a noon kick off against UC Davis.
The first three non-conference games will be live streamed on GoMarquette.com.
The Milwaukee Cup takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Milwaukee is set to host the game at Engelmann Stadium.
Seven of the nine BIG EAST games will be televised on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
BIG EAST play begins on Friday, Sept. 20 against Creighton at Valley Fields.
Senior Night is Saturday, Nov. 2 against Seton Hall.
Six teams make the BIG EAST Championship, which begin Saturday, Nov. 9 with first round action. The semifinals are set for Wednesday, Nov. 13 with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17.
The higher seed plays host for each BIG EAST tournament game.

Tickets and Promotions:

Tickets for all regular season home games are on sale now. Single game tickets are priced at $5 while groups of fifteen-or-more are $2 per person. Season tickets are $45 and include admission to all games as well as an exclusive Marquette Soccer scarf.
Single game and season tickets are available online here. For groups, call the ticket office at 414-288-4668.

Keep up with the Marquette men's soccer program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteSoccer) and Instagram (@MarquetteSoccer) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteSoccer).