The theme of the 2003 men’s soccer team could be youth. Thirteen new faces will suit up for the Wisconsin Badgers for the first time in 2003, with 12 of them being true freshmen. But despite the small army of newcomers, there has been no drop-off in team chemistry from last season.
“I said to [the players] the other day that I love the chemistry of this team, the cohesiveness. The comradery among the guys is outstanding,” head coach Jeff Rohrman said. “It’s a great group of guys, and if you ask the older guys, they’ll tell you the same thing. They’ve been very impressed with them, and they’ve integrated very well.”
Not only do the newcomers bring a positive attitude, they bring talent on the field. Among the 12 true freshmen are four NCSAA/Adidas High School All-Americans: defender/midfielder Aaron Hohlbein, forward/midfielder Reid Johnson, midfielder Aaron Witchger and goalkeeper Jake Settle.
“There are some good athletes and soccer players in this group. I think they can play at least two positions,” Rohrman said. “That is going to help us a great deal, in terms of being a team that can adapt to change and deal with adversity.”
Often overlooked among all the freshman hoopla is the talented core of veterans returning to UW, whom Rohrman is counting on not only for production, but to guide the young Badgers.
“There’s been a lot of hype about the freshmen and a lot of talk about them, but our leadership is going to have to come from our juniors and seniors,” Rohrman said. “Those guys have been through this and are experienced. They’re going to be the ones to lead our team in the right direction.”
“Certainly we are going to have our fair share of impact from the freshmen, but it is going to be that leadership group of juniors and seniors that will get us going in the right direction and keep us going that way.”
Providing some veteran leadership this season are the team’s three co-captains: senior midfielders Watson Vaughan Prather and Erol Goknur, along with junior goalkeeper Eric Hanson.
Also returning to the cardinal and white is Madison native Nick Van Sicklen. The junior forward/midfielder led Wisconsin in goals (seven) and points (19) last season, and tied Goknur for the team lead in assists with five.
Ultra-athletic sophomore forward Phil Doeh could also give the Badgers a boost up front. In his first season as a Badger, Doeh scored six goals, three of them coming in a win over Illinois-Chicago.
“The best thing that’s happened to Phil is he knows and understands what to expect now,” Rohrman said. “Just that year of experience has helped him a great deal. I think he’s still somewhat unpolished, but he’s so blessed with his athleticism that we’ve got to find time for him somewhere. He’s got pace, he’s got quickness; he’s just an outstanding athlete that we have to be sure we get on the field.”
The only non-freshman newcomer is junior forward Jed Hohlbein, who transferred from Southwest Missouri State after leading the Bears in scoring in 2002. Jed is the older brother of freshman Aaron Hohlbein. With four goals for UW in the spring season, the elder Hohlbein has already given the Wisconsin coaching staff a glimpse of what he is capable of.
“He’s a tireless worker,” Rohrman said. “He keeps people honest; he’s just a tremendous goal scorer. He’s going to score his share of goals for us this year, no doubt about it.”
With so many talented players to choose from, Rohrman has a problem most coaches would love to have: determining his starting lineup.
“There’s not much that separates the top 11 from the next four, five, or six guys,” he said. “I think we are certainly deeper than last year, and that is going to present us with some challenges this year, but it’s also going to give us some great options to go to should there be injury or whatever else.”
“It’s going to be challenging to find the 11 that are going to gel and make it happen, but I think we have certainly 14, 15, 16 deep that we can go with and not miss much as we make substitutions down the road.”
Along with finding his starting 11, another challenge for Rohrman in 2003 will be to keep his team playing at a high level throughout the entire season, something that has doomed Wisconsin teams in the past.
“One of the things I’m going to try to do is keep the schedule on an even keel,” he said. “In the past I think teams have gotten off to explosive starts; then they hit the Big Ten schedule and some tough non-conference games, and then you’re into the meat and potatoes of it. We’ve got some really good teams in September that really should help us prepare better for the rigors of October, which in the past has been the true sign of where your season goes. We have to play some of those tough teams well in September so we are prepared in October.”