Oct. 28, 2009

Written by Justin Saks

Despite returning a strong core of its players from the 2008 season, it has been a new comer that has really given the Torero men's soccer team a boost in 2009. The Toreros, currently ranked #22 nationally by SoccerTimes.com, are looking to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003. With only five games remaining on the season, the Toreros hold a 10-4-0 overall record and a 6-1-0 conference record that has them sitting atop the West Coast Conference.

The Torero offense has been led by freshman forward Patrick Wallen. Wallen, a native of Sweden, didn't arrive in San Diego until late August and had missed the first couple weeks of practice with his new teammates. "You want to come in with everyone, but my teammates were really good about it. It was no problem at all. They made it easy to be here so it wasn't that hard to get adjusted," said Wallen.

Even with the missed practice time, Wallen showed his teammates that he was up to speed by scoring a goal in his first game. Not only was it Wallen's first collegiate goal, but also the team's only goal in a 1-0 victory over cross-town rival San Diego State. "It felt really good to get that goal. It was definitely a special goal and it was really nice to celebrate with my team."

"It was a big game and it was a huge win. I want to win games for my team but it doesn't matter who scores as long as we win," said Wallen. He has taken on a lot of offensive responsibility for the Toreros and even though he is just a freshman he leads the team with seven goals, 19 points, and three game winning goals.

"Patrick has been huge for us in terms of goals. It is critical for us to have someone that can threaten oppositions and score goals," said Toreros Head Coach Seamus McFadden who is in his 31st season.

Wallen is critical of his own game and holds high expectations for himself. "I think I lived up to my expectations. I train hard and I think I have showed my coaches and teammates that I deserve to play. I want to score more goals, because I am a forward and that is my job. I want to score every chance I get. I think I can do better because I had some missed opportunities that I should have scored on."

It wasn't until his mid-teens that Wallen dedicated all his time to soccer. In his native Sweden he split his time as a kid playing both soccer and hockey. "At 16 I decided to just focus on one sport and I had just come off a great season in soccer. I had scored a lot of goals so I chose that. At times I regret not playing hockey, but I think I made a good decision."

Coach McFadden made a trip to Sweden to see Wallen play. "He was one of the top goal scorers over there and he had consistently scored goals," said McFadden. The problem was though that in the game McFadden went to see, Wallen was moved to midfield for the first half and was really under performing. "In the second half his coach moved him back to forward and he had a hat trick. It was then that I knew we had something special," said McFadden. With his move to the United States, there hasn't been that big of an adjustment for Wallen on the soccer field. "The game is not that much different here than it is in Sweden. It's the same round ball, two goals, and 11 players on each team. It is a little less aggressive so I have to be more careful but that's about it," said Wallen who has four yellow cards on the season.

The Torero soccer program is definitely happy to have an offensive talent like Wallen. Along with their national ranking, the Toreros have the number 5 RPI in the nation that should help them with their seeding and placement in the NCAA Tournament should they advance. For now though, the team has their goals set on one thing and that is winning the West Coast Conference.

"We want to be the WCC champs right now. If we get to the NCAA tournament I think we can beat anybody. We have a great starting 11 and great players coming off the bench. We can go pretty far and everyone wants to win. We are definitely going to surprise people," proclaimed Wallen.

Wallen has been the one doing the surprising in the WCC. "He is a handful for defenders to handle. He is so strong with his back to the net. He has a great physical dimension to his game and he can score goals. Those three things are the best part of his game. We are just scratching the surface and I think he can be a very good player by the time he leaves here," said McFadden.