Northwestern University Athletics
The 2000 Men's Soccer Outlook
7/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 31, 2000
First Match: Saturday, Aug. 26 vs. Loyola-Chicago, 4 p.m.
The 2000 Northwestern men's soccer team heads into the new season looking to build on the success of the second half of last year. In the final five games of the 1999 season NU managed four wins and its first ever multiple win Big Ten season. The Wildcats went 2-3 in the conference and also won its first ever Big Ten Tournament game, defeating Wisconsin, 2-0. They eventually fell to eventual national champion Indiana (2-0), but the wheels were put in motion to continue toward success.
"We played the way we were capable of playing," said head coach Michael Kunert. "I knew we had a good team, we just needed to get some guys back from injury and after that things just started to fall into place for us. I'm glad we took advantage of it like we did."
Leading this year's squad will be a trio of seniors, Brandon Swalve, Nick Spoerke and Paul Van Huysen. Both Swalve and Spoerke were named second team All-Big Ten for their outstanding defensive play. Spoerke is the mainstay of the defense, as he started all 20 games last year and emerged as the defensive leader on a defensive-minded team.
"For the second straight year we are going to ask Nick to anchor our defense and I have no question he will do an outstanding job," said Kunert.
The most vocal of the three, Swalve started all 18 games he played and was third on the team in shots on goal (19).
"Brandon is a natural leader, on and off the field," said Kunert. "He can step his game up at any time."
The defender/sweeper, Van Huysen, plays bigger than his 5-9 frame. He scored one goal on just six shots and was the instigator in many Wildcat goals. His intense and physical play is a must for the Wildcats to be competitive in the Big Ten.
To round out the defensive side of the ball, NU returns sophomores David DeHorn, Daniel Doman, Doug Gibson, Justin Lesch and Nate Grobe. In just their first year of collegiate soccer four of the five saw action in at least 14 games, with DeHorn playing in all 20. He scored two goals and tallied two assists shooting 17 times.
Doman was limited to just five games due to an early-season injury. Gibson played in 16 games, starting 10, while Lesch started 12 games and Grobe saw action in 14.
"I expect our defense to play very well. We have a lot of young experienced athletes returning and we expect them to excel," said Kunert.
With such a young defensive squad returning, Northwestern needed to sign only one defender to its 2000 recruiting class: Ian Herrick from Syosett, New York.
The 'Cats concentrated on the offensive front and found forwards Jawad Korudia from Palatine, Ill., Eric Lloyd from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Matt Miclea from Lake Villa, Ill., and Michael Trudell from Wayzata, Minn.
"I think we did a good job of finding quality players that will fit our program," said Kunert. I'm excited to see what they can accomplish in collegiate soccer."
The Wildcat attack figures to be a strong point in 2000, as NU returns three of its top four goalscorers from last year including leading scorer Jun Kim. Kim led the team with five goals and four assists last season.
Other experienced forwards looking to make a big impact in the goal-scoring column are sophomores Paul Elkins and Steven Jedlinski.
Elkins played in 18 games as a freshman and started 16 of those contests. He had only seven shots on goal but was a steady contributor in the Wildcat offense. Jedlinski saw action in ten games, starting two.
Senior J.D. Wine will also be another major contributor. Last year he scored one goal on four shots while playing in 15 matches.
"We need to be more aggressive up front," said Kunert. "We have to attack to the goal and apply pressure to the keeper."
In goal, NU has to deal with the early departure of first team All-Big Ten selection, Matt Keeler. Keeler decided not to come back for a fifth year which leaves the goalkeeping duties to senior Chris Berlin. Berlin saw 128 minutes of goal time a year ago, allowing two goals. On the year, he had eight saves and a 1.41 goals against average.
"Chris has big shoes to fill with Matt leaving," said Kunert. "Chris is a good athlete with great hands. It'll be a test for him, but I'm confident he'll play well."
The 2000 men's soccer team brings a mix of seasoned veterans and experienced youth to Lakeside Field this year. Using last year's late-season success as a catalyst, NU looks to build and go further into the postseason in 2000.
