Posted 9/15/06
UW-Platteville's Ben Terpening has been named to the inaugural D3kicks.com Team of the Week for his performance in leading the Pioneers to the championship of the Flower City Classic in Rochester, N.Y. The sophomore from Waunakee earned tournament MVP honors as he scored in both Pioneer wins over St. John Fisher and University of Rochester. The Pioneers make their home debut Saturday, Sept. 16 vs. UW-Superior at 2 p.m. in Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
You earned MVP honors and were named to the Team of the Week at D3Kicks.com at the Flower City Classic for your performances. How exciting was that for you?
"The games were amazing! After we won, we came back from the first game and thought 'WOW this is amazing.' It was worth the 16-hour drive just for that game alone. To play Rochester and to beat them with a game-winning goal is unbelievable. The crowd was going crazy and the so was the women's soccer team. It felt like we had more fans than Rochester did so that was exciting."
Do you think that your wins in New York will bring anything to the team this year?
"Definitely. We are already getting nationally recognized for rank because we are at least top 40 now in the ranking and we got some votes for the top 25. Now that we know we can play some of the best teams in the nations, let's see what we can do for the rest of the season."
The Pioneers went 9-7-4 in the 2005 season. Do you have any predictions for the outcome of the Pioneers for the 2006 season?
"Definitely over ten wins. I hope we get into the NCAA tournament, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to this year."
As a player, what are your strengths and is there anything you think you need to work on?
"There are always things to work on. Some things I bring to the team is a strong scoring ability; helping the team offensively, and speed."
What is it like being a student athlete here at UW-Platteville?
"I like it. It's challenging, but it's not that bad. I think I can manage both being a student and an athlete. It's worth it."
Interview by SID student assistant Heather Schaufenbil