On Monday, Sept. 5, the Men’s Soccer Team did not take off for Labor Day on Library Field. The Badgers left the field when the whistle was blown on the 90th minute, leaving the score board 6-1 while sending off their opponent, the Tampa Spartans (No. 8th), a long bus ride back to Florida. The Men’s Soccer program is coached by Steve Wieczorek who began coaching the Badgers in 2014 after coaching at Duquesne University. Wieczorek said, “I knew it was going to be a hard game on Monday against a tough team”. Wieczorek was also curious to see how the team would respond. During half-time Wieczorek brought the team into the locker room. He said the team ended the half with resilience and he wanted to preserve the lead along with staying positive. After the final whistle was blown the team jogged over to the spectators sideline to thank all 224 spectators who cheered loudly to congratulate the team on a well-deserved win.  

The captain of the team, Viktor Kvarnlof said in regards to Saturday’s game, “On Saturday we came short but on Monday we came with new energy and we all were hungry to get a better result”. Kvarnlof is a redshirt Junior from Norrtalje, Sweden. The captain said he always tries to lead by example by working hard and encouraging his teammates to do the same. Kvarnlof said, “I always push and support my teammates”. That became evident on Monday’s win. For the rest of the season both Wieczorek and Kvarnlof want to endor the goal to win more games than last season. Wieczorek said that a few key players to look out for this season are seniors Ibrahima Ndaw and captain Viktor Kvarnolf along with Alexander Lipinski who is a Sophomore transfer from Krefeld, Germany. Lipinski scored two goals and had one assist against Tampa and was the Athlete of the Week. On Sept. 22, the Men’s Soccer Team will return to Library Field to take on Delta State University. Be sure to find a spot in the shade to see if the Badgers snatch another win.