The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's soccer team will travel to several different sites around the region this fall, but no trip on the schedule compares to the one made over the last two years by four of its student-athletes.
 
Sophomore Chris Roche (Manchester, England/Sale Grammar School), freshmen Alex Bull (London, England/William Ellis), Tom Coull (Leeds, United Kingdom/St. John Fisher) and Robert Jones (Glasgow, Scotland/Uddingston Grammar) each traveled 4,000 miles to attend UW-Whitewater from the United Kingdom. All four have made significant contributions this fall as the team entered the week with a 6-3-1 overall record, striving for a coveted berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
While their respective paths to joining the Warhawks are different, their initial contact with UW-Whitewater began in the same way. All four attended Soccer Icon USA, a placement program for prospective student-athletes run by managing director Joe McLaughlin, a former soccer professional who assesses every player who is accepted into the program.
 
McLaughlin and his staff run tryout sessions throughout the year in London, Manchester, Glasgow (Scotland) and Shrewsbury. Roche estimated that between 50-100 high school age boys attend each tryout.
 
Soccer Icon USA then selects students the organization feels are ready to compete at the college level and recommends each student to institutions of higher education in the United States based on the student's soccer skill level, athletic ability and academic interests.
 
McLaughlin is a good friend of Warhawks head coach Tony Guinn, a native of Northern Ireland.
 
Roche, a marketing major who has started seven matches as a defender this season, received offers from several NCAA Division II programs, but said UW-Whitewater was a perfect match for him based on his area of study and the large size of the school.
 
All four players also mentioned the ability to continue their studies while competing in high-level soccer – something not usually possible at higher education institutions in the U.K.
 
"What really swung it for me was that they're known for athletics," Bull said. "Even though I know I'm never going to become a professional, the soccer part was a big draw for me. I wanted to keep on playing … most of my friends that played (as youth) go to universities in England and don't play anymore."
 
Jones, who tallied an assist during the Warhawks' rally from 3-0 down in the second half to force overtime against Carthage last Wednesday, said it was the "perfect scenario" to be able to play soccer while furthering his education.
 
"The thing with soccer in the U.K. is if you want to play past the age of 16, then it's going to be a full-time thing," Jones said. "You're either going to be playing professional or semi-professional, and it would be a complete commitment. You wouldn't be able to further your studies unless you came back to it later on."
 
All four players were impressed with what they saw on the Web about UW-Whitewater. Coull said he was especially impressed with the facilities when he arrived on campus in August.
 
"When I came for preseason, I was really amazed by the sports facilities," Coull said. "Nothing in England could really compare to this. You'd have to play professionally to see these kinds of facilities and the level of commitment you see to each sports team."
 
Coull and Roche also mentioned the friendliness and positive outlook of those they came into contact with upon stepping onto campus.
 
"Everyone is so friendly here compared to back home," Roche said. "We have a lot of jokes and good banter in England, but it's really a different culture. Everyone here is more genuine compared to back home – not that people back home aren't genuine."
 
Senior captain and leading scorer John Gottwald (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee), who played for one season with former Warhawk and Milton Keynes, England, native Edward Horrocks, said the team has benefitted greatly from the infusion of talent from the U.K.
 
"They're definitely technically very good, as far as their spacing goes, their positioning on the field and their talking," Gottwald said. "A big thing in soccer is that a lot of people don't communicate well, and they're coming over from a different country. They don't know anyone, and they're still talking more than a lot of kids on our team."
 
After a match this Wednesday at Concordia (Wis.), UW-Whitewater has a week off before hosting North Park (Ill.) on Oct. 8. The Warhawks then begin a three-match road stretch on Oct. 12 at St. Norbert before finishing the regular season with four straight home games starting on Oct. 25 against Chicago.
 
UW-Whitewater looks to finish strong and make an impression on the NCAA selection committee to be considered for an at-large bid as an independent.
 
After back-to-back losses, the Warhawks wrapped up the week with shutout victories at Augustana (Ill.) and at home against North Central (Ill.).
 
UW-Whitewater hasn't allowed a goal defensively in a win since Aug. 31 at Lake Forest (Ill.). Offense has been a point of emphasis for the team.
 
"We always have a lot of chances because we've got good players, but we've had a bit of bad luck," Bull said. "We haven't scored as many goals as we would have liked, but that kind of thing always comes if you keep making the chances. After a while, they'll start to go in."
 
The Warhawks enter the second half of the regular season with confidence and embrace the team's skill set, which is as wide-ranging as the hometowns listed on its roster.
 
"As people, they fit right in, because they're our age," Gottwald said. "I think kids from anywhere in the world, when you're going to college, you're having fun. I think them coming over and incorporating some of what they've grown up with and learned really helps us as a team to become more diverse in our play."