Willen decided to return to help Bulldogs repeat as state champs

~ The coaches rearranged positioning to capitalize on their skill players.

Notre Dame midfielder Ryan Willen spent much time during the offseason contemplating a return to the soccer field for his senior year after winning a state championship with the Bulldogs as a junior.

"Growing up as a kid, I played with all the seniors from last year," Willen said. "I played with Jack [Wedemeier] and Abe [Dirnberger] and all those guys. And it was just kind of special going out on top."

Willen said he also considered whether it would be best for him to focus strictly on his basketball career. The 6-foot, 8-inch senior already has received scholarship offers from the basketball programs at Lafayette, North Dakota State and the University of Texas Pan-American.

"I need to get bigger to play [college basketball]," he said. "Playing soccer, it's hard to gain weight and size when you're running two to three miles a day."

After spending considerable time weighing his options, Willen decided right before the fall season began to return to the team.

"I decided since it's my senior season, I'd try to come out and have some fun," he said. "I love playing soccer, too. It's just a lot of fun and there is no pressure. It's a little break from basketball, I guess."

Notre Dame coaches and players say they are glad to have him back because he is vital to the offense after the Bulldogs graduated their two top forwards -- Wedemeier and Dirnberger -- from last fall's team, which finished 26-1. Wedemeier set a school record with 30 goals last season. Both he and Dirnberger will play soccer for Quincy University this fall.

Willen, who scored 21 goals and added eight assists last year, joined Wedemeier, Dirnberger and then-junior Ty Williams (20 goals, 19 assists) as the top offensive players on the state championship team.

"Obviously [Wedemeier and Dirnberger] were both significant factors," Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said. "But when you've got two guys coming back who each scored 20 goals last year, you've got a lot to work with."

Wittenborn said that Notre Dame had always used four midfielders and just two forwards until Willen became a member of the team. Willen is such a presence in the midfield and such a smart player that the team was able to use three midfielders so they could put another player up front, Wittenborn said. Notre Dame's starting lineup with Willen includes a sweeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards. "Our goal scoring just took off last year with playing three guys at forward," Wittenborn said.

Wittenborn, who has also coached basketball and thinks that Willen is equally talented in both sports, said that the senior midfielder's height is a major factor.

"When you're 6-foot-8 and you read the ball as well as he does, you're a threat to score in the air on any cross or kick," Wittenborn said. "And when you play high-level soccer against some very good defensive teams, those are some of your best chances to score. Not many teams can put a 6-foot-8 guy out there, and especially a 6-foot-8 guy with his coordination and his [ability] to create the play and move to the ball. He's a difference maker."

Willen earned first team all-district, first team all-conference and second team all-state as a junior. Williams, the other returning offensive threat, earned first team all-conference, first team all-district and first team all-state.

"Ty [Williams] is a fantastic playmaker," Wittenborn said. "He's probably the quickest I've ever had with his back to the goal and the defenders behind him to be able to turn and to beat those guys. He just has an uncanny ability to beat one or two guys out in the corner and that forces someone else to come guard him. So either he's going to get a shot or he'll find somebody to dish it off to."

Replacing Wedemeier and Dirnberger will be senior Mark Himmelberg and junior Brock Dirnberger, Abe Dirnberger's cousin. Himmelberg played with the varsity team during the playoff run last year and, although he did not see considerable minutes, he did score the game-winning goal in the state championship game. Wittenborn said Himmelberg, a three-sport athlete, has a hard shot and moves well to the ball.

Brock Dirnberger was a top scorer on junior varsity last season with close to 25 goals and would have been able to start on most other varsity teams. The junior, who is only about 5-5 and 125 pounds, has a nose for the net, Wittenborn said.

Adding two new players up front is not as easy as it sounds, especially for Willen and Williams. They are used to playing with Wedemeier and Abe Dirnberger.

"Every soccer team I've played on since fourth grade, I have been on with Jack and this will be the first year playing on a team that he's not on besides JV my sophomore year when he was on varsity," Willen said. "With Ty, we played together almost all of grade school and Abe -- we just all played together for so long. It's different playing without them. You get used to the way someone plays and now it's just like you have to get used to someone else."

But Willen added that Dirnberger and Himmelberg are good soccer players and the transition has been made easier by the two quick starting midfielders, juniors John Unterreiner and Josh Robert.

"I think it will be a little difficult playing with new players," Williams said. "The guys last year we had traveling together growing up and we had played together for about 10 years. Give it some time and we'll create some chemistry and it will work out. We got to work harder to create that chemistry and know where each other is going to be on the field."

For Dirnberger and Himmelberg, it has also been a transition to play with Willen and Williams.

"We all have different styles because we all played on [different teams]," Himmelberg said. "Brock is a year younger, but I did get to play with him for a full year on JV during my sophomore year so we kind of got used to each other. I've seen Ty play enough that I know how to work around him. ... Eventually it will click."