Photo by: Nolan Kromke
Baggot: A great start with a perfect fit for No. 8 men's soccer
September 30, 2024 | Men's Soccer
Great startt to season gets tested this week at McClimon
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
Wisconsin men's soccer coach Neil Jones remembers that early-autumn day two years ago when he first got a measure of Dean Boltz.
Jones pointed to a spot on the UW practice field where Boltz, a high school junior from the suburbs of Chicago, and his parents, Greg and Linda, stood watching the Badgers being put through their paces in the fall of 2022.
In subsequent conversations with the family, Jones learned that this lanky, skinny prospect – Dean was nearly 6-foot-2, but weighed around 150 pounds – had access to a deep, high-quality gene pool.
Jones heard about Greg, who started as a freshman and played four years of NCAA Division III soccer at Lake Forest College, and about Linda, who played Division I women's basketball at Southern California.
Jones also learned about Dean's grandfathers at Marquette – one played football and the other was a sprinter in track, respectively – and about Linda's sister, who played Division I soccer as a goaltender.
"There's some real athleticism in this family,'' Jones thought at the time. "Even though this guy is not a finished product physically and athletically right now, based on his genes, that's going to come in time.''
That time, apparently, is now.
Not only is Dean Boltz doing some age-defying magic on the pitch, the freshman forward is on pace to do some serious rewriting of the UW record book all while helping to fortify a championship culture within the program.
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Through eight games, Boltz has scored eight goals and added three assists for the seventh-ranked Badgers (6-1-1 overall, 1-1-1 in the Big Ten Conference).
Jones, in his third season as Wisconsin coach, said Boltz's game is about speed, athleticism and a high soccer IQ.
"He has a nose for the goal, a mentality to always want to score and the ability to score in multiple ways,'' Jones said.
The lone question Jones had about his resident phenom was his durability.
"Was he going to be robust enough to handle the Big Ten from a physical standpoint?'' Jones said.
So far, so good. Boltz had two high-grade scoring chances Friday night when UW battled Washington to a scoreless draw and accounted for the first goal of the match versus UCLA on the way to a 4-1 victory on Sept. 16.
For perspective, Boltz already has scored more goals as a rookie than four of the top five scorers in program history, including all-time leader Andy Rectenwal, who had two goals as a freshman in 1984 on the way to 46 career conversions and 120 points by the time his career ended in '87.Â
Greg Boltz was asked if he was surprised by his son's showing to date.
"We have a lot of confidence in him and we felt that there was an opportunity for him to have some impact,'' he said. "Would we have expected it to be this strong of an impact? Maybe a little bit.''
Asked the same question, Dean Boltz was a bit more direct, revealing a strong sense of awareness and maturity.
"What I've been able to do here is based off what this team has been able to do,'' he said. "I think it's really important that it's not just a couple of players on this team – not just the people scoring goals or getting the assist – it's the people keeping clean sheets, it's the people playing great defense every game, it's the people coming into the game and making a difference.
"Obviously it's a team sport. Everybody on this team contributes no matter what. So, although it's me doing well with goals, this team has been doing great so far and we're going to keep going because everyone on this team is working hard and fighting for one another.''
Jones' two previous clubs at UW finished 5-6-5 and 6-6-4 overall, respectively. He said the biggest upgrade in his current team his how smoothly all the pieces have seemingly fit into place. He mentioned the natural maturation of a sophomore class that includes forwards Roman Eisa and Markie Hrvojevic; midfielder Trip Fleming; and defenders Ryan Quintos, Ellis Jones, Will Smith and Andrew Chavez.
A year after going without a point, Fleming is second on the team with five goals, three assists and 13 points. He's cultivated a pronounced sense of chemistry with Boltz that can be linked to their Chicago-area roots. While Boltz grew up in Palatine, Tripp hails from Libertyville.
"Having a guy like that come in is pretty exciting,'' Fleming said. "We got along super well right away when he got here and we kind of formed that connection off the field.
"As the season started, I think we realized that we were going to have something good going. Obviously, he can put the ball in the back of the net. My job is to try and get it to him.''
Fleming and Boltz have collaborated on three goals to date.
"Good players are like a moth to a flame,'' Jones said. "They get attracted to each another and they're always on the same page.''
The freshman class is more than Boltz, though. Midfielder Matt Zachemski, who played on the same Chicago-area club team as Boltz, and midfielder Julian Kuhr, whom Jones says is a "bulldog in the middle of the field,'' have made their presence felt. Meanwhile, Matisse Hebert has started all eight matches in goal for the Badgers.
"This is the best team that I've had here in my short time,'' Jones said. "It's a quality team, a really fun bunch of guys to be around every day. I'm loving being around this team.
"They're showing a lot of characteristics of teams that I've coached in the past. Timely goal-scoring, great team culture, a team-first mentality at all times and the desire to improve.
"We have a long way to go for sure; we're only halfway through the season. We've had a great start, but it's just a start.''
Jones also insisted on credit being passed along to his three assistant coaches – Nate Boyden, Dan Bermingham and Ryan Osborne – for their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Grad student midfielder Noah Glorioso, grad student defender Robert Burlew and senior forward Kevin Andrews have also had a prominent impact on the team.
Boltz made his presence felt immediately, accounting for three goals and an assist in the season-opening 4-0 victory over Marist, adding two goals and an assist during a 5-1 triumph over Illinois-Chicago, and the game-winning conversion during a 2-1 win over Marquette.
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"My husband and I are both very competitive and we see that in him,'' Linda Boltz said. "But it takes more than just being athletically gifted. It takes some grit and determination. We definitely see a lot of that in him.''
A huge moment in this growing process for UW comes this week when it hosts perennial powerhouse Indiana (2-3-4, 1-1-1) and Rutgers (3-5-2, 0-2-1) at the McClimon Soccer Complex, where the Badgers have won five straight matches.
It's an opportunity Boltz thought about when he committed to Wisconsin over Cornell, Notre Dame and Penn State.
"I just felt welcomed here,'' he said. "I really like the culture of not just the team, but the coaches and how they work together and the environment they're trying to create here. I liked how the team was forming and I thought it was a perfect fit.''
UWBadgers.com Insider
Wisconsin men's soccer coach Neil Jones remembers that early-autumn day two years ago when he first got a measure of Dean Boltz.
Jones pointed to a spot on the UW practice field where Boltz, a high school junior from the suburbs of Chicago, and his parents, Greg and Linda, stood watching the Badgers being put through their paces in the fall of 2022.
In subsequent conversations with the family, Jones learned that this lanky, skinny prospect – Dean was nearly 6-foot-2, but weighed around 150 pounds – had access to a deep, high-quality gene pool.
Jones heard about Greg, who started as a freshman and played four years of NCAA Division III soccer at Lake Forest College, and about Linda, who played Division I women's basketball at Southern California.
Jones also learned about Dean's grandfathers at Marquette – one played football and the other was a sprinter in track, respectively – and about Linda's sister, who played Division I soccer as a goaltender.
"There's some real athleticism in this family,'' Jones thought at the time. "Even though this guy is not a finished product physically and athletically right now, based on his genes, that's going to come in time.''
That time, apparently, is now.
Not only is Dean Boltz doing some age-defying magic on the pitch, the freshman forward is on pace to do some serious rewriting of the UW record book all while helping to fortify a championship culture within the program.
Â
Through eight games, Boltz has scored eight goals and added three assists for the seventh-ranked Badgers (6-1-1 overall, 1-1-1 in the Big Ten Conference).
Jones, in his third season as Wisconsin coach, said Boltz's game is about speed, athleticism and a high soccer IQ.
"He has a nose for the goal, a mentality to always want to score and the ability to score in multiple ways,'' Jones said.
The lone question Jones had about his resident phenom was his durability.
"Was he going to be robust enough to handle the Big Ten from a physical standpoint?'' Jones said.
So far, so good. Boltz had two high-grade scoring chances Friday night when UW battled Washington to a scoreless draw and accounted for the first goal of the match versus UCLA on the way to a 4-1 victory on Sept. 16.
For perspective, Boltz already has scored more goals as a rookie than four of the top five scorers in program history, including all-time leader Andy Rectenwal, who had two goals as a freshman in 1984 on the way to 46 career conversions and 120 points by the time his career ended in '87.Â
Greg Boltz was asked if he was surprised by his son's showing to date.
"We have a lot of confidence in him and we felt that there was an opportunity for him to have some impact,'' he said. "Would we have expected it to be this strong of an impact? Maybe a little bit.''
Asked the same question, Dean Boltz was a bit more direct, revealing a strong sense of awareness and maturity.
"What I've been able to do here is based off what this team has been able to do,'' he said. "I think it's really important that it's not just a couple of players on this team – not just the people scoring goals or getting the assist – it's the people keeping clean sheets, it's the people playing great defense every game, it's the people coming into the game and making a difference.
"Obviously it's a team sport. Everybody on this team contributes no matter what. So, although it's me doing well with goals, this team has been doing great so far and we're going to keep going because everyone on this team is working hard and fighting for one another.''
Jones' two previous clubs at UW finished 5-6-5 and 6-6-4 overall, respectively. He said the biggest upgrade in his current team his how smoothly all the pieces have seemingly fit into place. He mentioned the natural maturation of a sophomore class that includes forwards Roman Eisa and Markie Hrvojevic; midfielder Trip Fleming; and defenders Ryan Quintos, Ellis Jones, Will Smith and Andrew Chavez.
A year after going without a point, Fleming is second on the team with five goals, three assists and 13 points. He's cultivated a pronounced sense of chemistry with Boltz that can be linked to their Chicago-area roots. While Boltz grew up in Palatine, Tripp hails from Libertyville.
"Having a guy like that come in is pretty exciting,'' Fleming said. "We got along super well right away when he got here and we kind of formed that connection off the field.
"As the season started, I think we realized that we were going to have something good going. Obviously, he can put the ball in the back of the net. My job is to try and get it to him.''
Fleming and Boltz have collaborated on three goals to date.
"Good players are like a moth to a flame,'' Jones said. "They get attracted to each another and they're always on the same page.''
The freshman class is more than Boltz, though. Midfielder Matt Zachemski, who played on the same Chicago-area club team as Boltz, and midfielder Julian Kuhr, whom Jones says is a "bulldog in the middle of the field,'' have made their presence felt. Meanwhile, Matisse Hebert has started all eight matches in goal for the Badgers.
"This is the best team that I've had here in my short time,'' Jones said. "It's a quality team, a really fun bunch of guys to be around every day. I'm loving being around this team.
"They're showing a lot of characteristics of teams that I've coached in the past. Timely goal-scoring, great team culture, a team-first mentality at all times and the desire to improve.
"We have a long way to go for sure; we're only halfway through the season. We've had a great start, but it's just a start.''
Jones also insisted on credit being passed along to his three assistant coaches – Nate Boyden, Dan Bermingham and Ryan Osborne – for their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Grad student midfielder Noah Glorioso, grad student defender Robert Burlew and senior forward Kevin Andrews have also had a prominent impact on the team.
Boltz made his presence felt immediately, accounting for three goals and an assist in the season-opening 4-0 victory over Marist, adding two goals and an assist during a 5-1 triumph over Illinois-Chicago, and the game-winning conversion during a 2-1 win over Marquette.
Â
"My husband and I are both very competitive and we see that in him,'' Linda Boltz said. "But it takes more than just being athletically gifted. It takes some grit and determination. We definitely see a lot of that in him.''
A huge moment in this growing process for UW comes this week when it hosts perennial powerhouse Indiana (2-3-4, 1-1-1) and Rutgers (3-5-2, 0-2-1) at the McClimon Soccer Complex, where the Badgers have won five straight matches.
It's an opportunity Boltz thought about when he committed to Wisconsin over Cornell, Notre Dame and Penn State.
"I just felt welcomed here,'' he said. "I really like the culture of not just the team, but the coaches and how they work together and the environment they're trying to create here. I liked how the team was forming and I thought it was a perfect fit.''
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