MSOE's Jordan Werner on Goal Scoring Frenzy
| Published: 10/02/2012 |
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Story by Rob Harrington
Eleven games into the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Raiders season, Senior Striker Jordan Werner (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Montini Catholic H.S.) is hoarding the team’s goals like canned tomatoes. Except in this case, neither his teammates nor coaches find it strange. MSOE Coach Jimmy Banks, “Jordan has always been a dangerous player, but this year he has ratcheted it up a notch. He is more proficient in front of the goal and is scoring in more ways. And while he has the majority of our goals, it is not because he is the only one being a threat.” Werner has 15 goals on the year including two consecutive hat tricks versus Northern Athletics Conference foes, Rockford and Marian. More impressively, Werner has scored in eight of the team’s eleven games and has buried over one third of his opportunities.
So, why have you not heard of Werner? Last season Jordan spent a year in MSOE’s exchange program at Lubeck University in Lubeck, Germany. Without Werner, MSOE was still a formidable opponent, finishing second in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Tournament to DIII powerhouse Dominican. With Werner, MSOE is more dangerous than ever. Werner thinks the team can challenge for a conference title again, “If we can keep up our current form, my expectations are pretty high for this team. I am confident we will be able to contend for the conference championship.”
Werner’s main attribute is speed. Werner holds the NAC Conference Championship record in the indoor 55 meter dash with a time of 6.43 seconds. In the outdoor 200 meter dash, he holds the overall conference record, with a time of 21.64. Werner has enjoyed being a two sport athlete and thinks the sports have complimented each other. ”The teams are full of great guys and coaches, so it has been a blast. Track has helped my speed on the pitch and soccer keeps me in tip top shape for the track season. It’s great that the sports complement each other so well.”
Werner expects to score goals, but certainly did not visualize having 15 goals, eleven games into the season. “As a striker, I am expected to score goals, but the quantity at this point in the season is a nice surprise. The biggest factor, honestly, has to be my teammates. They are doing a great job finding me with quality balls, and that makes the goals come a lot easier.”
NAC and DIII opponents can breathe a sigh of relief, though, as Werner is currently a senior who will, most likely, not be utilizing his remaining year of eligibility. He is excited to put his degree to work. “I am an Electrical Engineering major and MSOE has a great job-placement rate. As a senior I’m starting the job hunting process and beginning to realize the value of a degree from MSOE.”
Coach Banks thinks Werner will finish the season even stronger, “Jordan is scoring goals, no doubt, but he is doing so much more. I don’t know if he is going to keep scoring goals at this rate, but I see his impact getting even better as he develops an even better rhythm with the other attackers.” Banks added, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, “Now, I just have to figure out how to change his mind about not using his last year of eligibility.”
There are at least eleven NAC schools who would love to play devil’s advocate in that conversation.
