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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Season a ‘brick’ in the wall

The 2010 season for the Marquette men’s soccer program went down as the best season since coach Louis Bennett took over as coach in 2005. Marquette had its best overall record (7-8-4) and Big East record (3-4-2) in Bennett’s five-year tenure.

Bennett wouldn’t say this was the best team he has had at Marquette but said statistically, this has been the best team he has coached at Marquette.

The season ended later than any in Bennett’s Marquette career — the Big East Championship quarterfinals where Marquette lost 2-1 at then-No. 12 Notre Dame. It was quite an effort considering the men lost 4-1 at Notre Dame on Oct. 13.

Freshman defender Eric Pothast said beating St. John’s and advancing to the Big East Championship quarterfinals was the highlight of the season.

“It was just something about their atmosphere there and the field, going away from home and in the Big East tournament and getting a 3-1 result,” Pothast said. “It showed everyone in the country, not just in Milwaukee but it made news in the soccer world, that Marquette is going in the right direction, and that we’re a legitimate team that needs to be taken seriously.”

Marquette, in addition to accumulating the most wins since 2005, recorded a result against then-No. 3 Connecticut in a 1-1 tie at Valley Fields  on Oct. 1. It was the highest-ranked opponent a Marquette team had ever faced.

The biggest question entering the season ended up becoming one of Marquette’s biggest strengths: the goalkeeper. Redshirt sophomore David Check finished the season with a .774 save percentage, ninth best in the Big East, and led the conference with 89 saves.

Bennett called Check the “surprise of the season” because he had never played consistent minutes before.

“We knew he was a fantastic shot stopper, and he stepped into the role of quality goalkeeper this year,” Bennett said. “When opportunity meets preparation, it equals success, and I’d say he’s pretty far along the road of success.”

Offensively, this group of Golden Eagles performed better than the 2009 version — it had five players post five or more points whereas, the 2009 version only had three.

Mallace said a balanced offensive attack was a key for this season’s success.

“We had people stepping up all over the field putting the ball in the back of the net, and that’s what we need,” Mallace said. “You can’t just have one guy or two guys doing all the work. So when everyone contributes, good stuff happens.”

The leader of this year’s group was Mallace (18 points on six goals and six assists), who also led the conference in shots (71) and tied for sixth in points and assists.

Bennett said the key to Mallace’s improved play in 2010 has been his maturation.

“He managed his aggressive play, the quality of his passing, and his game management and people management were superb this year,” Bennett said. “He definitely became more of the mature player we were asking of him last year and did it this year.”

This was Marquette’s second consecutive season qualifying for the Big East Championship. For Bennett and company, this is a step in the right direction, but there’s more to be done. When qualifying for the Big East Championship, winning matches there, and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament become the expectation of Marquette, then the team will be where Bennett wants it to be.

“This (season) has been a brick in that brick wall we’re building,” Bennett said.

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