March 30, 2009

FARIBAULT, Minn. -- According to head coach Louis Bennett, the Marquette University men's soccer team continued making strides this past weekend in its effort to develop a group of players who will ultimately provide the Golden Eagles the best opportunity to win come fall.

MU played in a pair of 60-minute exhibition matches Sunday at Shattuck-St. Mary's School. In game one, the Golden Eagles shut out the Minnesota Thunder, a professional squad and member of the United States Leagues (USL) First Division, by a final tally of 1-0, before falling to Graceland University by the same margin.

"This weekend, because we've had injuries, I was concerned about the tenaciousness and the focus that we would bring to the games," said Bennett. "But today, certainly in the first game, it was very positive. I've been very happy about the way we've been training, and that should be expected to be reflected on the field."

Game one featured a Marquette lineup that was similar to the lineup Bennett had used for much of the 2008 season. Although it took a few minutes for MU to settle in on the synthetic playing surface, the Golden Eagles netted the game-winner in the 16th minute, moments after Billy Von Rueden sent a diving header wide left of the goal.

Nick Kay was credited with the decisive goal off a cross from Anthony Colaizzi, who was the recipient of beautifully played through ball by Calum Mallace in the midfield.

"Being better organized and being able to get after a team like the Thunder is important," Bennett said. "I wanted to stress them out and get under their skin. It was very much like a BIG EAST game, because of their size and ability. I thought we were disruptive, and that worked in our favor. That was the biggest difference between the first game and the second game."

Goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski, who earned the acclaim of Bennett and associate head coach Stan Anderson with his play Sunday, was awarded the clean slate and has allowed just one goal in 120:00 minutes so far this spring.

In game two, Pyzdrowski was moved to central defender, as Bennett held true to his promise to juggle his on-field personnel that included a pair of freshman keepers splitting time between the posts and three rookie forwards, in addition to playing others out of position.

"Playing some guys out of position will only enhance our squad and provide us with some direction going into the fall," said Bennett. "The fact is, we're finding that combination of players, that chemistry, that will help us win."

Graceland was able to exploit MU's lack of organization in the opening minutes of game two and used a combination to get the ball in the box for an easy goal just seven minutes into the game.

Marquette's final opportunity to score the equalizer came in the 56th minute when Dan Addis' header off an MU throw-in was saved by the Graceland keeper.

"We didn't engage and we didn't disrupt Graceland until 20 minutes into the game, and by then we had already given a very, very sloppy goal away," said Bennett. "That's partly because of the personnel on the field, but at least we're discovering that now."

It was the first outside competition MU had faced since its spring season-opening trip to Florida earlier this month, as injuries forced Bennett to cancel the annual Blue and Gold spring match, which was originally scheduled for March 21.

"What I'm happy about, so far this spring, is we're rapidly approaching a point where individuals can recognize themselves and their role," said Bennett. "But I would have liked two wins [Sunday], but the second game was a discovery game, basically discovering we've got some work to do with some certain people.

"Publicly, I like these guys. I think they're doing the right things off the field. I think they're doing the right things in the classroom. They're working their tails off, but whether they can convert that into their performances on the field, I think it's been proven that some of them can.

Marquette will return to action with two more exhibition matches slated for Saturday, April 4. The Golden Eagles will host UW-Parkside at Valley Fields at 9 a.m., followed by a contest against UW-Milwaukee, to be played at Shorewood High School, at 7 p.m.