(L-R) Freshmen Joey Fitzgerald, Alan Kim, Kacper Chrapczynski, Noah Madrigal and Thomas Priest listening to Coach Bennett talk before their Oct. 14 scrimmage
MSOC Notes, Quotes and Highlights
10/30/2020 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
2020-21 RosterOct. 28 Full ScrimmageOct. 28 Scrimmage HighlightsOct. 28 - Alan Kim and Noah Madrigal InterviewsOct. 21 Scrimmage HighlightsOct. 14 Full ScrimmageOct. 7 Scrimmage Highlights
The Golden Eagles competed in four intraquad scrimmages this month
MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's soccer team completed its fourth intrasquad scrimmage of the fall on Wednesday afternoon. The Golden Eagles have scrimmaged each of the past four Wednesday's as the coaching staff has been able to get a look at how the team is going to look for the 2021 spring season.
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The Golden Eagles, who ended their 2019 season with an 8-9-1 (4-5-0 BIG EAST) record, return 15Â letterwinners and added 12 newcomers this fall.
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"We're losing several guys from a very successful senior class," Bennett said. "Our staff worked hard to find a bevy of talented players who we can develop to step in and fill some holes in our roster. We're excited about the talent and versatility of our newcomers."
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The fall scrimmages allowed MU to try a number of different lineup combinations while participating in live game action. That experience is something that Coach Bennett doesn't take for granted.
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"Amongst the abnormalities we've experienced during this pandemic, our staff has tried to make things feel as normal and safe as possible for our team," Bennett said. "On the field, there are several key returners that we have to mesh with a dozen new pieces. This time with the team has allowed us to set our standards and build on the culture we've established here."
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In the first scrimmage of the year on Oct. 7, redshirt junior Zak Wegner opened the scoring with a beautiful one-touch goal to get the navy team on the board. Fellow junior Lukas Sunesson, who tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals in 2019, tied up the game with a penalty kick in the second half. The scrimmage finished in a 1-1 draw.
"I try to be as calm as possible," Sunesson said about his approach to penalty kicks. "I try to breathe and just be calm. I pick where I'm going to shoot before the game in case that chance comes. So I knew I was going to go for that right corner."
"My movements off the ball have been a big adjustment I've had to make to get more comfortable in the college game," Madrigal said. "Once I get the ball, I try not to take too many touches and just look to find my spots to help the team however I can."
Despite having success in the past two scrimmages, freshman Alan Kim noted that it took him several weeks of practice before he really felt comfortable on the pitch with his new teammates.
"I felt really lost the first couple weeks of practice, but I've really been able to find my way recently," Kim said. "The coaches and the guys are giving me confidence to go out and play my game, so that's what I've been doing."
Quotables:
-Head Coach Louis Bennett: "It's huge when you have guys that understand the culture and how we want our program run. We have some really good players here and our job is to put them in the right places to be successful and help the team."
-Assistant Coach Danny Jarosz: "We've seen a lot of progress from the first couple weeks. With all our new players, it took us awhile to get on the same page. Now we're getting into the swing of things and learning to play Marquette soccer."
-Junior Lukas Sunesson:Â "We all miss the competition so much right now with the season being cancelled, so being able to at least go out there and play against each other is something we need right now."
-Redshirt Junior Zak Wegner: "It feels great to be back our here with the team. It's been a difficult few months with the pandemic, but being able to practice and be around the guys again is just really exciting for all of us."
-Junior Cedrik Stern: "This has been a great opportunity to compete against one another. We've been put in scenarios that are as close to game-like as possible. They help us as a team and individually."
-Freshman Alan Kim: "When I go into each game, I try to be as dangerous as possible and as direct as possible. That's a mentality I learned from my coaches and team. I just want to impact the game and help my team have success."
-Freshman Noah Madrigal: "It feels great to be out here with the guys wearing the Blue & Gold. I've been waiting to do this since I've committed, and it's just really exciting."
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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).
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The Golden Eagles, who ended their 2019 season with an 8-9-1 (4-5-0 BIG EAST) record, return 15Â letterwinners and added 12 newcomers this fall.
Â
"We're losing several guys from a very successful senior class," Bennett said. "Our staff worked hard to find a bevy of talented players who we can develop to step in and fill some holes in our roster. We're excited about the talent and versatility of our newcomers."
Â
The fall scrimmages allowed MU to try a number of different lineup combinations while participating in live game action. That experience is something that Coach Bennett doesn't take for granted.
Â
"Amongst the abnormalities we've experienced during this pandemic, our staff has tried to make things feel as normal and safe as possible for our team," Bennett said. "On the field, there are several key returners that we have to mesh with a dozen new pieces. This time with the team has allowed us to set our standards and build on the culture we've established here."
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In the first scrimmage of the year on Oct. 7, redshirt junior Zak Wegner opened the scoring with a beautiful one-touch goal to get the navy team on the board. Fellow junior Lukas Sunesson, who tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals in 2019, tied up the game with a penalty kick in the second half. The scrimmage finished in a 1-1 draw.
Prior to the Oct. 14 scrimmage, Wegner and coach Bennett were interviewed about the progress of the team at that point and how they were continuing to improve day-by-day.ÂIt was great to see the lads back in action yesterday for our first intrasquad scrimmage of the year at Valley Fields!
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 7, 2020
Zak Wegner (@zakw46) and Lukas Sunesson scored goals for us in a tightly contested 1-1 draw.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/tXrsq0ZVyu
The live streamed intrasquad scrimmage ended in a 1-0 victory for the white team after a controversial foul in the box resulted in another Lukas Sunesson penalty kick goal, which proved to be the difference in the match.ÂJunior Zak Wegner (@zakw46) and head coach Louis Bennett (@Loobe21) discuss the first few weeks of fall practice, tomorrow's intrasquad scrimmage and much more.
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 13, 2020
We'll be streaming the scrimmage from our account on Thursday night at 7 p.m.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/woCbl6jPRR
"I try to be as calm as possible," Sunesson said about his approach to penalty kicks. "I try to breathe and just be calm. I pick where I'm going to shoot before the game in case that chance comes. So I knew I was going to go for that right corner."
Lukas Sunesson's penalty kick goal in the second period put the white team up 1-0.
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 16, 2020
The junior from Sweden talks about his approach and mindset when it comes to PK's.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/UnYvpdOGCZ
The team's third scrimmage was a little more lopsided than the first two. Ottawa University (Ariz.) transfer Cristian Gennaro netted a brace while freshmen Alan Kim (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy HS) and Noah Madrigal (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame HS) each tallied goals in a 4-0 win for the white team.Felt great to be back out on the pitch with the lads again 〽#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/kfPOQvcdFZ
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 17, 2020
On Oct. 28, MU played its fourth scrimmage of the fall and the freshmen stole the show. In the team's second live streamed scrimmage of the fall, Noah Madrigal netted a brace in the navy team's 2-1 victory over the white team. Fellow freshman Alan Kim scored for the white team, his second goal in the last two scrimmages.🎥 highlights from yesterday's 4-0 scrimmage victory for the white team.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/2eWHGJ5F4Z
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 22, 2020
"My movements off the ball have been a big adjustment I've had to make to get more comfortable in the college game," Madrigal said. "Once I get the ball, I try not to take too many touches and just look to find my spots to help the team however I can."
Despite having success in the past two scrimmages, freshman Alan Kim noted that it took him several weeks of practice before he really felt comfortable on the pitch with his new teammates.
"I felt really lost the first couple weeks of practice, but I've really been able to find my way recently," Kim said. "The coaches and the guys are giving me confidence to go out and play my game, so that's what I've been doing."
The Golden Eagles plan to scrimmage in each of the next three weeks before heading home for Thanksgiving break. MU is tentatively slated to start its 2021 season in early February.Noah Madrigal (@noah_magical) netted a brace while Alan Kim (@alanmkim) scored his second goal in the past two scrimmages during the team's latest intrasquad!
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 29, 2020
They spoke about how their first fall with the team has gone so far.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/hxJmz3tHz3
Quotables:
-Head Coach Louis Bennett: "It's huge when you have guys that understand the culture and how we want our program run. We have some really good players here and our job is to put them in the right places to be successful and help the team."
-Assistant Coach Danny Jarosz: "We've seen a lot of progress from the first couple weeks. With all our new players, it took us awhile to get on the same page. Now we're getting into the swing of things and learning to play Marquette soccer."
-Junior Lukas Sunesson:Â "We all miss the competition so much right now with the season being cancelled, so being able to at least go out there and play against each other is something we need right now."
-Redshirt Junior Zak Wegner: "It feels great to be back our here with the team. It's been a difficult few months with the pandemic, but being able to practice and be around the guys again is just really exciting for all of us."
-Junior Cedrik Stern: "This has been a great opportunity to compete against one another. We've been put in scenarios that are as close to game-like as possible. They help us as a team and individually."
-Freshman Alan Kim: "When I go into each game, I try to be as dangerous as possible and as direct as possible. That's a mentality I learned from my coaches and team. I just want to impact the game and help my team have success."
-Freshman Noah Madrigal: "It feels great to be out here with the guys wearing the Blue & Gold. I've been waiting to do this since I've committed, and it's just really exciting."
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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).
Players Mentioned
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