MEN'S SOCCER "We're maturing, there's no question,'' said
Trask, the second-year head coach. "The guys that played a majority of the minutes last year are sophomores and they've been hardened.'' Based on his own timetable, Trask admitted that "we're a little bit further along'' than he ex- pected although the 7-6-2 overall record might not fairly or accurately reflect the improvement. Then, again, the Badgers were 4-13-3 last sea-
son. "So obviously
we're a better team,'' Trask
said. "We
probably should be 8-5-2 and if we were then we'd be feeling pretty confident that we were in the NCAA tournament, which is our goal. "You might not make a bunch of noise, but you want to at least get there and get your guys' feet wet in the envi- ronment because everything changes when you get to the NCAA tournament.'' Thiermann can vouch for that; especially after going three-straight years at Notre Dame. "It means everything in the world,'' he said.
"I'd like to finish out my career by going there every year I've been playing. But, more impor- tantly, it's not about me individually. "It's about this team and where this program is heading and it would be unbelievable to go from the record that we had last year to making the NCAA tournament this year.'' Thiermann was recruited by the UW but opt-
ed for the Irish because there was more certainty about their commitment. He enjoyed the people and learned a great deal from the coaching staff. "But I didn't feel like I fit in with the team,''
34 ยป VARSITY OCTOBER 27, 2011
he said. "Wisconsin was an opportunity to start over again. I wanted to come home, be closer to family and finish out wearing the red.'' Chemistry is not an issue with these Badgers.
"The guys and their personalities mesh,'' said Thiermann, the team's fourth-leading scorer and captain. "We have a trust in each other.'' Trask, much to his delight, has seen the same
things.
"On a big campus, the most difficult thing to teach or get is team ca- maraderie,'' Trask said. "But these guys love to be around each other, both on and off the field. Through thick and thin, they're sticking togeth- er. That's a reason why we're more successful this year.''
