Brookfield East's first win over Marquette in a decade vaults it to No. 1 soccer ranking
AREA RANKINGS
School (W-L-T), last week
Brookfield East (6-0-0), 3
Arrowhead (6-0-2), 1
Marquette (4-1-0), 2
Homestead (5-0-1), 4
Wauwatosa East (5-0-1), -
Whitefish Bay (2-2-1), 6
Westosha Central (5-0-1), 9
Waukesha West (5-0-2), 8
Elkhorn (7-1-0), 7
Cedarburg (3-1-2), 10
Others considered: Brookfield Academy (5-2-0); Lake Country Lutheran (6-1-0); Living Word Lutheran (4-1-0); New Berlin Eisenhower (4-0-2); Nicolet (6-2-1); Pius XI Catholic (4-1-1); Shorewood (4-2-1); St. Thomas More (5-1-2); Union Grove (5-2-0); West Bend West (7-1-1).
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Brookfield East
Since a 3-0 Brookfield East win over Marquette in 2013, matchups between the Greater Metro Conference rivals have been rather one-sided. That at least was the case until last Tuesday, when Brookfield East defeated Marquette 2-1 for their first win over the Hilltoppers in a decade. Second-year head coach Brody Kraussel was pleased to see his team rise to the task last Tuesday.
"You'd be lying if you said it was just another game, we lost 1-0 here last year in a game that really could have gone either way. I thought for 70 minutes of the game we outplayed them, just the last 10 minutes got a little bit hairy," Kraussel said. "It means a lot, it's a morale booster, it's a kick-start into having a continued good year."
Sophomore Emre Evran was the offensive leader for the Spartans, scoring in the fifth and 21st minute to put his team ahead 2-0 for most of the game. Evran, who played varsity as a freshman, has a new sense of moxie about him this year according to his coach.
"He's way stronger, way faster. He's more of a 'put your nose down, make one move and go with it' -type player," Kraussel said. "This year he's got a confidence and a swagger about him that he didn't have as much last year being 14 and competing against 18-year-olds."
Evran, who had watched the program for years as a fan when his older brother Beran was on the team, was excited to see its growth over time come to a head with Tuesday's win.
"I think we really proved ourselves today," Evran said. "I think we showed why we're No. 1 today."
A late Marquette goal from Kobe Ampaw in the 78th minute on Tuesday made things interesting in the final seconds, but Brookfield East was able to hang on for the 2-1 win. Kraussel said the relationships his players have on and off the pitch have made a difference early-on this season.
"They've got a team camaraderie that is really welcoming to everybody, and there's all sorts of banter and all have really good relationships outside of soccer," Kraussel said. "It shows when they come to training and when they play that they all really, really like each other. That's something I did not see that as much last year."
He added that a defense led by NCAA Division I recruit Ryan Berghauer has helped stifle opponents once again in 2023.
"He plays center back so it isn't as glamorous as the goal scorers, but if you watch the game, you know Ryan's the heart and soul of our team," Kraussel said.
The Spartans improved to 6-0 on the season with wins over Marquette and Muskego, 6-1, last week.
COMING UP
Brookfield Academy at Living Word Lutheran, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: A pair of Midwest Classic Conference teams off to strong starts to their respective seasons meet to run back a matchup that ended in a 1-1 tie at Brookfield Academy in 2022.
Homestead at Wauwatosa East, 7 p.m. Thursday: Our No. 4 team entering the week matches up with our No. 5 team in a Greater Metro Conference showdown that went 3-1 in favor of Homestead last season.
Shorewood at Whitefish Bay, 7 p.m. Thursday: Two state-ranked teams in their respective divisions in the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll meet in a nonconference rematch of a 1-0 Whitefish Bay win last year.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield East's win over Marquette vaults it to No. 1 soccer ranking
