UW-Eau Claire men’s soccer team participates in tournament over the weekend

    Eau Claire men’s soccer team spends the weekend getting involved in the soccer community

    More stories from Kelsey O'Connor

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    Photo by Kelsey O'Connor

    UW-Eau Claire Gold plays at Eau Claire Blue in the championship game.

    This weekend wasn’t about winning for the UW-Eau Claire Men’s soccer team as they participated in the second annual Karl Andresen Memorial Futsal Indoor Soccer Tournament in the McPhee gymnasium. Rather, it was about honoring an influential man who helped shape the foundation of the Eau Claire soccer program.

    The tournament was created in memory of Karl Andresen, a professor at UW-Eau Claire, who founded the men’s soccer team at a time when soccer was not well known in the United States. As their coach, the team ranked second in the nation twice.

    The tournament included a wide range of age categories. With a maximum roster of eight players, the men’s team split into two separate teams: Eau Claire blue and Eau Claire gold. They played against four high school teams on Saturday and volunteered as referees on Sunday.

    Both teams ended up in the championship game, and Eau Claire gold took the win. However, for the Eau Claire men’s team, the tournament was more about the opportunity to get involved with the community and get practice during the offseason, said one of Eau Claire’s co-captains, Peter Beiswanger.

    “It is just a good chance to get touches on the ball,” said Beiswanger. “Obviously we want to remain competitive during the actual season, but in the offseason it’s important to do the best we can to get touches on the ball and compete at a high level as much as we can against each other and against any other teams we can get in.”

    UWEC Gold plays UWEC Blue in the championship game.

    Although the tournament was less competitive than what Eau Claire is used to, Beiswanger said he felt that playing indoors offered different challenges for the players.

    “Indoor makes you be a little more technical,” said Beiswanger. “It’s not as much working space, so we have to manage the space we have. It really forces you to get your touch down and it’s great for off season work.”

    Dillon Haasl, the other co-captain of the men’s team, felt the team could have done better against the teams that they were playing, but the focus was more about community involvement. For next season, Haasl’s game plan is pretty simple.

    “We’re just going to keep practicing and get more touches on the ball,” said Haasl.

    The team enjoyed getting out and playing against other teams during their offseason. They hope the tournament will continue to grow and become more competitive so the tournament can become annual.