Sept. 2, 1999
The 1999 Northwestern Wildcat men?s soccer team returns a veteran crew that has gained valuable playing experience over the past two seasons. The Wildcats return eight starters from a year ago and look to a solid recruiting class to step in and contribute from day one.
?It will be through the upperclassmen?s dedication and experience that this team will find the edge to be a winner,? said head coach Michael Kunert, who is entering his 18th season in charge of the Wildcat program.
The strength of this year?s team will be its defense. Juniors Nick Spoerke and Brandon Swalve, will anchor the back for the ?Cats. Swalve was limited by injury to 16 matches last season, but he still led the team in game-winning goals with three and was named to the second-team All-Big Ten team. Spoerke started six games while seeing action in 18 contests.
Kunert expects some newcomers to step in and play right away in the back. Freshmen Douglas Gibson and Justin Lesch have the ability, but need to mature quickly to free Swalve to move to center midfield. Veterans Daniel Doman (11 games in ?98), Paul Van Huysen (13 games) and Dennis Mooradian (two games) also will vie for playing time.
?If we can move Swalve to midfield, then playing Swalve and Trevor Nelson together would increase the strength of our midfield and give us our best lineup.? said Kunert.
With a strong defense in place, the Cats will be looking to be more of an offensive team this year. Kunert has talent and depth to choose from at the midfield positions with veterans Nelson, Swalve, David Mooradian and Grant Trimble.
Injuries cut short the 1998 season for Mooradian and Trimble. Mooradian played in 18 matches and notched two goals, while Trimble played in only two games, but had four shots and a goal in limited action.
?When Mooradian (David) does well, the team does well as the other players feed off his energy,? said Kunert. ?We hope Trimble can stay healthy and add some punch to our lineup.? Other returning midfielders with game experience include Drew Warnick and Frank Lawson. Warnick started 19 games last season while Lawson had 13 starts and played in 19 contests.
?Concentrating just on defense, doesn?t win matches,? said Kunert. ?We need to be more aggressive around the goal.?
Up front NU returns last year?s leading scorer, Jon Cantwell. Cantwell led the team with eight goals and 18 points last season. His ability to play this season is questionable this year due to injury. If healthy, Cantwell, a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 1998, has proven he can score from either the forward or midfield position.
Other experienced forwards vying for playing time are Jun Kim, J.D. Wine and Louis Litrenta. Kim played in 19 contests, starting 17, and was the fourth leading scorer with five points. Wine saw action in 19 contests, starting eight, while Litrenta competed in 15 games.
Another necessity for the success of the 1999 team will be the play of senior goalkeeper Matt Keeler. Goalkeeping has been one of the team strengths the last two seasons and there is every reason to believe that it will be again this year. Keeler was third in the Big Ten with 99 saves a year ago and registered five shutouts.
?Keeler is a brilliant leader on and off the field,? said Kunert. ?He can step his game up at anytime and he doesn?t second guess himself even if things aren?t going well. We can expect great things from him in the goalkeeping position.?
Backing up Keeler will be junior Chris Berlin who played in three games last season and recorded a 1-1 record.
?This team has what it takes to win and the attitude to go along with it,? said Kunert. ?There shouldn?t be any reason we can?t finish with a winning record. If all the pieces fall into place, including good performances by the incoming freshmen, this could be our best team in a few seasons. But no one wins on potential.?
This season?s schedule has 11 home contests and only eight road games. The Big Ten slate has the Wildcats playing four of its six contests at Lakeside Field. Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan State are home games while Penn State and Ohio State are on the road. This year?s Big Ten Championship will be held in East Lansing, Michigan.
?With our talent level and great attitude, we know one thing for sure, it will be fun to watch this team play,? said Kunert.