Prior to this season, the Marquette men’s soccer team (7-5-2, 5-0-0 Big East) never had more than 10 players score a goal in one season during Louis Bennett’s five full seasons as the head coach.
This week, the team stepped over that line with two kicks. The first, in Marquette’s 1-0 victory over then-No.12/13 Notre Dame (6-3-4, 2-2-1 Big East) Wednesday, earned freshman midfielder Sebastian Jansson his first collegiate goal and status as the 10th Marquette player to score a goal this season.
Then, Saturday night, freshman defender Dennis Holowaty made himself the 11th player during Marquette’s 2-1 victory over then-No. 23/22 West Virginia (7-5-1, 3-2 Big East).
This season also marks the first time Bennett’s squad has started out 5-0 in Big East play. It’s currently first place in the Blue Division of the Big East, two points ahead of No. 1 Connecticut (13-0-1, 4-0-1 Big East).
Senior midfielder Calum Mallace called this the most balanced offense he’s been part of at Marquette.
“That is the beauty of our attack, we get support on the ball from all different areas,” Bennett said. “And it’s hard for people to pick us up. We’ve looked dangerous Wednesday and (Saturday).”
Freshman forward C. Nortey said the balanced offense makes life easier for him as, typically, the lone striker on the field.
“When everyone steps up like that, as the top striker, the one person up top, you feel like you have people ready to go,” Nortey said. “So when you jump up to flick the ball, you know that people will go and do something with the ball.”
Mallace, who led the team in points (18) and goals (six) as a junior, hasn’t had to play the role of Superman like he did in previous years. This year, he has five points on one goal and three assists. And he’s OK with that.
“I like to get forward, but being a transitional midfielder I have to get back as well too,” Mallace said. “And now it’s nice, when I’m a little tired, to see those guys going forward and you think, ‘Wow, we do have a good chance of scoring here.’”
Nortey is one of those players who have eased the burden on Mallace. Nortey leads Marquette in goals (six) and points (14). His last goal came in a 3-1 victory over Providence on Oct. 8.
“Nortey hasn’t scored the last couple of times, but he is such a handful to contain,” Bennett said. “He can hold it. He can outrun you. This is a lad that’s causing a lot of (problems). He always plays two versus one.”
A recent offensive phenomenon has been Jansson, who notched two goals in as many games this past week and was named the Big East Rookie of the Week on Monday.
“He’s smooth and he’s silky and when he can get ahold of the ball with a little bit of space he can create things,” Bennett said. “We knew he would be dangerous. And as soon as he got fit enough to play and adjusted to the way of the American game and the college game and then the way we play, we assumed he’d be able to do something.”
Nortey’s enjoyed getting accustomed to playing with Jansson.
“I always make the run front post, and I know he’s going to be back post. So when the ball misses me, I know he’ll be there,” Nortey said. “So sometimes I try to distract the first person (defender) so he’ll get the ball at the back.”
Jansson credited the balanced offense to the effects of time and practice.
“In the beginning of the season, we had so many injuries, so we had many people playing in new positions. And we didn’t really know how everybody was playing,” Jansson said. “As we practice it every day during the week, it gets more and more comfortable. And we know where our people are going to run. So you don’t have to look as much to know where they are, you just know they’ll be there, and you play the ball.”
