The UW-Platteville men’s soccer team was edged by the UW-Oshkosh Titans in double overtime, 1-0, in the final game of the regular season Nov. 2. The 1-0 loss was the Pioneers’ third of the regular season as they finished 13-4-1 overall. The Pioneers then waited to see if their season warranted one of the 64 spots in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, which was announced Nov. 10.

Photograph by Jessica Stoppelmoor
Junior defender Mario Millonzi goes for the kick in the Oct. 2 game against Luther College. The Pioneers defeated Luther 1-0.

“It was a weird process, we had a week off before we found out,” head men’s soccer coach Enzo Fuschino said. “We practiced, and they were good practices, but you could sense the uncertainty. Once the team found out, you could sense the determination. Everybody understood the importance of the event, that it was the first playoff game for the program.”

The Pioneers proved they belong in the tournament Nov. 13 in the first playoff game since the men’s soccer program started in 1964. The Pioneers faced the Wartburg Knights, who made the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA D-III soccer tournament in 2007. The game was scoreless until minute 67 when freshman midfielder Chris Brown stole a pass near midfield, fed sophomore forward B.J. Gottschlich, who took the ball down the right side and found senior forward Ben Terpening in the middle, who made his seventh goal of the season from 12 yards out and sent the Pioneers to a 1-0 victory.

“I got the ball down the line and saw Terp running down the middle,” Gottschlich said. “ I got the ball to him, hoping that Terp would do his job and put it in, and he did.”

The victory sent UW-P on the road to face Carleton College Knights, who defeated the Pioneers 1-0 on Sept. 4. The Knights entered the Nov. 16 playoff game ranked seventh in the nation. The Knights and Pioneers played to a 0-0 tie through the first half. The game remained scoreless until minute 79 when Carleton midfielder Wes Elfman took a pass from Ryan Cammarota and converted what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The soccer field at Carleton was well-worn entering Sunday’s game, as Carleton had hosted its conference’s championship the week before, and the women’s team had played a rain-soaked game Nov. 13.

“What gave us trouble was the field; it was a mud pit,” Fuschino said. “Our play is based on speed. In those conditions, it was hard to keep footing.”

The team now looks forward to next season with several key players returning. The Pioneers will lose three seniors: Defender Erik Anderson, forward Terpening, and midfielder Eric Christensen. The Pioneers will return with leading scorer, forward Gottschlich, goalkeeper Kris Bosshart, and 7 of their 8 leading scorers on the team.

“We’re going to lose three good players, but we should be strong next year,” Bosshart said. Gottschlich thinks the season was a memorable one for the men’s soccer program at UW-Platteville, with an overall record of 14-5-1, “It’s a huge step forward for the program. It puts soccer on the map for Platteville.”