Post Game Quotes: James Madison
12/1/2018 8:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Michigan State Head Coach Damon Rensing
Opening statement…
There's a couple of people that need to be thanked here. First off, our grounds crew, Amy Fouty, event management, Seth Kesler, Denzel Jones. I'm sorry I'm missing names, Jared Knoodle, but to get this field ready if you think about where it was Monday night after the weather, to have this field ready and play the way that it plays is a true credit to our athletic department. I thought the way that they handled everything was first class. Second, I certainly want to congratulate Paul Zazenski and JMU on a great run and a great season. Obviously as you guys saw that took everything we possibly had to win this game and they're a very good team. They're well coached and what a great season, and we wish them all the best. As for tonight for me, I mean I'm just so proud of this team. I've said this a couple times already as coaches we kind of do the same thing every year. We facilitate; we run the same training sessions. It's the players that make the end results, and it's the players that determine what their season is going to be like and we've been pushing them. We've had a lot of great teams here but a lot credit to these guys and two of these seniors and the leaders and everybody to pull through on an exceptional victory tonight. I'm just so proud of this team and happy for them. As far as the game goes, I like the way it started I mean I thought we created good chances, and we knew that James Madison was lethal on the counter and they countered very well. They got one goal there, and I thought our guys showed great resilience. We talked about being patient, we had 45 minutes to score. We thought if we got the one the second will come, and we had two great plays. I think Farai (Mutatu) left it out for Ryan, he finished it and then Connor Corrigan I tell you I couldn't be more proud of a guy. If you guys only know what he went through only to come back and get the game-winning assist. That's special and then obviously to put two goals away so what a team effort, very proud of the boys and we are excited to be the third team to represent the Big Ten in the Final Four College Cup.
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On what it means to be in the Final Four…
 There's a group that I left out and that's the soccer alum. We've been playing soccer since 1956 you know the '67 and '68 teams we celebrated, and I don't know if you guys know but there had to be 50 alum in the stands supporting us. You know I've been involved in this program for 25 years as a player, as an assistant and as a head coach, and I think the common goal is to always try to get here and I think you thought that you could as a player. But I probably didn't realize the situation back in the mid-90s but to keep chipping away and also to start making the NCAA Tournament consistently and then you start to make deep runs and to get there or not, but for me this is for all the alums that put so much time and effort and resources and I'm just very proud to represent them. I think the other person that had to be thanked is Joe Baum, the longtime head coach here for 32 years, my mentor. We wouldn't be here, we wouldn't have this opportunity if it wasn't for Joe Baum.
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On how losing in the Elite 8 last year helped prepare them this year…
Well, I think being in these games you realize that you don't have to play perfect, and we certainly didn't play perfect tonight. Like I said James Madison was very, very good but you just keep plugging away and we told our guys we weren't going to change how we played until the last 7-8 minutes of the game and we really didn't change how we played until we had the 2-1 lead with the last eight minutes and then we just held on for absolute dear life.
On how getting a lot of shots was big in order to win…
I think we always wanted to pressure and be dangerous. You want to get as many chances as you can, but I think part of it is James Madison scored a great goal and when they have the lead, they're going to protect so the team who's losing is probably going to garner more shots. For a while there we really didn't get a ton of great chances and then I thought it started to come in the second half and finally we broke through.
On his seniors stepping up…
No they've have, and they've done that most of their career. They're a resilient group. They're great kids, they work hard but I think if you're going to have year in the NCAA Tournament seniors need to play and they need to play well, and you can just go down the list whether that's Ryan (Sierakowski) and Connor (Corrigan), (John) Freitag who doesn't get a lot of credit that scored the game winning against Louisville. DeJuan (Jones) has done so much in just pace and threatening. Jimmy Hague you know what you can say about him, he's as good as there is in the country as far as goalkeepers and I'm sure I'm missing some. By the way, there's seniors like Luke Menne, Zach Kovan and guys that don't play that work just as hard in training. They push these guys that are on the bench and it's a great ten group of seniors. Hunter Barone scored, so they've almost all had a hand in something and I'm very proud of them.
On the feeling of celebrating with his staff…
 If you're going to have a successful year, Ben Pirmann and Cale Wassermann are two of the best assistants in the country. I would say Paul the head coach at JMU might have been one of the best and now he's the head coach so congrats to him but it's a staff. It's not me, it's not just the players. We've got a great staff and I was just very proud and thankful for what those guys have done, and they don't get a lot of recognition. The assistant coaches, Micah (Collins), they've all been great, and they were brilliant this whole NCAA Tournament.
On TJ Bush's play tonight…
He's very good. He's a big-time goalkeeper along with some of their other players. They're a big-time team. You know, there's a reason why they beat North Carolina, Virginia Tech and High Point. I think the goals were like 7-1 or something. There was a reason. They pushed us. Game probably could've gone either way; We were fortunate this happens to be our year, but (Aaron) Ward-Baptiste, the 14 Yannick (Franz), the goalkeeper, the 19 (Tom Judge) the left back had a ton of pace. They were all… That's a very, very good team. They're as good as anybody we played this year.
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Forward Ryan Sierakowski
On his two goals…
On the first one, I think we were building up from the back and I ended up on the wing and there was a little bit of a combination play and Farai was central, so I interchanged with him. I just continued my run in the box and he had a great first touch to play me through and I was in the right spot at the right time and found the corner. On the second one I was high, I was pushing the line and I saw Connor streaming down the left. I told (Michael) Pimlott to play it or whoever it was in the midfield and they clipped a great ball through. Connor took it down and I knew he would serve it so I made a run in front of that defender and was lucky enough to slide it away.
On what it means to make it to the College Cup…
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It's unbelievable. This has been a goal of ours since I got here, and it was devastating losing to Indiana last year and ever since that game it was… This was what we've been playing for, what we've been grinding for and to do it in front of a crowd like that was unbelievable. I couldn't have dreamt it up any better.
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On how special it was to host again and head to the Final Four in front of a home crowd…
I mean, just getting into the tournament wasn't a lock so that was nervy time for us and once we saw our name come up and hosting UIC, we knew that could've been potentially our last game at DeMartin, so we wanted to leave it all on the field and that win was special. Then to go on the road, we did against Louisville and Georgetown, we definitely didn't anticipate hosting again and as soon as we knew we were going to host James Madison we just… I don't know. It was unbelievable, like the crowd… Rowdies were great tonight. Everyone who came out was loud and supportive and it was unbelievable.
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Defender Connor Corrigan
On if he thought Ryan was going to get to the ball on the second goal…
Yeah, I knew he was. And credit the coaches, they've been working on those early one-time balls across the box the day before every game so once I was in that position I knew Ryan would be there without a doubt and that we'd get the goal.
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 JMU Head Coach Paul ZazenskiÂ
Opening statement…
Extremely proud of our guys and our effort tonight. We just were unfortunate to get on the right side of the score line. Credit to Michigan State – I mean, a phenomenal team, well-coached team. We knew when we were 1-0 up, that we had a long ways to go before this one was done. They had 10 seniors, and they just came on late and got those two goals in the second half and credit to them. But couldn't be more proud of our guys throughout the year and in this game. Just very, very proud of our efforts.
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On if allowing two goals in the last 20 minutes was a tough pill to swallow…
Yeah it absolutely was, but that's what good teams do. When you play against a team like Michigan State you can't give them extra chances. I thought we were unfortunate not to score a few of our own. You know, we had one or two that could've bounced our way and went in but that's, like I said, at this stage in the game in the Elite Eight, you can't give good teams extra chances and they buried them, so credit to them.Â
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On how special it was to get this run in the tournament in his first season as head coach…
Yeah, credit to my guys. They believed in what we preached from day one. We had a very clear and distinct way that we wanted to play and defend and keep the ball moving, circulation, possession-wise and these guys just executed all year. Credit to them and the way they responded throughout the year to adversity; Winning some tough games, losing some tough games, to get us to this point. But yeah, I mean our little run is just a testament to what their potential is. I think the future is bright and it's because of the guys sitting beside me and all the other guys – They've just done a phenomenal job.
Â
Opening statement…
There's a couple of people that need to be thanked here. First off, our grounds crew, Amy Fouty, event management, Seth Kesler, Denzel Jones. I'm sorry I'm missing names, Jared Knoodle, but to get this field ready if you think about where it was Monday night after the weather, to have this field ready and play the way that it plays is a true credit to our athletic department. I thought the way that they handled everything was first class. Second, I certainly want to congratulate Paul Zazenski and JMU on a great run and a great season. Obviously as you guys saw that took everything we possibly had to win this game and they're a very good team. They're well coached and what a great season, and we wish them all the best. As for tonight for me, I mean I'm just so proud of this team. I've said this a couple times already as coaches we kind of do the same thing every year. We facilitate; we run the same training sessions. It's the players that make the end results, and it's the players that determine what their season is going to be like and we've been pushing them. We've had a lot of great teams here but a lot credit to these guys and two of these seniors and the leaders and everybody to pull through on an exceptional victory tonight. I'm just so proud of this team and happy for them. As far as the game goes, I like the way it started I mean I thought we created good chances, and we knew that James Madison was lethal on the counter and they countered very well. They got one goal there, and I thought our guys showed great resilience. We talked about being patient, we had 45 minutes to score. We thought if we got the one the second will come, and we had two great plays. I think Farai (Mutatu) left it out for Ryan, he finished it and then Connor Corrigan I tell you I couldn't be more proud of a guy. If you guys only know what he went through only to come back and get the game-winning assist. That's special and then obviously to put two goals away so what a team effort, very proud of the boys and we are excited to be the third team to represent the Big Ten in the Final Four College Cup.
Â
On what it means to be in the Final Four…
 There's a group that I left out and that's the soccer alum. We've been playing soccer since 1956 you know the '67 and '68 teams we celebrated, and I don't know if you guys know but there had to be 50 alum in the stands supporting us. You know I've been involved in this program for 25 years as a player, as an assistant and as a head coach, and I think the common goal is to always try to get here and I think you thought that you could as a player. But I probably didn't realize the situation back in the mid-90s but to keep chipping away and also to start making the NCAA Tournament consistently and then you start to make deep runs and to get there or not, but for me this is for all the alums that put so much time and effort and resources and I'm just very proud to represent them. I think the other person that had to be thanked is Joe Baum, the longtime head coach here for 32 years, my mentor. We wouldn't be here, we wouldn't have this opportunity if it wasn't for Joe Baum.
 Â
On how losing in the Elite 8 last year helped prepare them this year…
Well, I think being in these games you realize that you don't have to play perfect, and we certainly didn't play perfect tonight. Like I said James Madison was very, very good but you just keep plugging away and we told our guys we weren't going to change how we played until the last 7-8 minutes of the game and we really didn't change how we played until we had the 2-1 lead with the last eight minutes and then we just held on for absolute dear life.
On how getting a lot of shots was big in order to win…
I think we always wanted to pressure and be dangerous. You want to get as many chances as you can, but I think part of it is James Madison scored a great goal and when they have the lead, they're going to protect so the team who's losing is probably going to garner more shots. For a while there we really didn't get a ton of great chances and then I thought it started to come in the second half and finally we broke through.
On his seniors stepping up…
No they've have, and they've done that most of their career. They're a resilient group. They're great kids, they work hard but I think if you're going to have year in the NCAA Tournament seniors need to play and they need to play well, and you can just go down the list whether that's Ryan (Sierakowski) and Connor (Corrigan), (John) Freitag who doesn't get a lot of credit that scored the game winning against Louisville. DeJuan (Jones) has done so much in just pace and threatening. Jimmy Hague you know what you can say about him, he's as good as there is in the country as far as goalkeepers and I'm sure I'm missing some. By the way, there's seniors like Luke Menne, Zach Kovan and guys that don't play that work just as hard in training. They push these guys that are on the bench and it's a great ten group of seniors. Hunter Barone scored, so they've almost all had a hand in something and I'm very proud of them.
On the feeling of celebrating with his staff…
 If you're going to have a successful year, Ben Pirmann and Cale Wassermann are two of the best assistants in the country. I would say Paul the head coach at JMU might have been one of the best and now he's the head coach so congrats to him but it's a staff. It's not me, it's not just the players. We've got a great staff and I was just very proud and thankful for what those guys have done, and they don't get a lot of recognition. The assistant coaches, Micah (Collins), they've all been great, and they were brilliant this whole NCAA Tournament.
On TJ Bush's play tonight…
He's very good. He's a big-time goalkeeper along with some of their other players. They're a big-time team. You know, there's a reason why they beat North Carolina, Virginia Tech and High Point. I think the goals were like 7-1 or something. There was a reason. They pushed us. Game probably could've gone either way; We were fortunate this happens to be our year, but (Aaron) Ward-Baptiste, the 14 Yannick (Franz), the goalkeeper, the 19 (Tom Judge) the left back had a ton of pace. They were all… That's a very, very good team. They're as good as anybody we played this year.
Â
Forward Ryan Sierakowski
On his two goals…
On the first one, I think we were building up from the back and I ended up on the wing and there was a little bit of a combination play and Farai was central, so I interchanged with him. I just continued my run in the box and he had a great first touch to play me through and I was in the right spot at the right time and found the corner. On the second one I was high, I was pushing the line and I saw Connor streaming down the left. I told (Michael) Pimlott to play it or whoever it was in the midfield and they clipped a great ball through. Connor took it down and I knew he would serve it so I made a run in front of that defender and was lucky enough to slide it away.
On what it means to make it to the College Cup…
Â
It's unbelievable. This has been a goal of ours since I got here, and it was devastating losing to Indiana last year and ever since that game it was… This was what we've been playing for, what we've been grinding for and to do it in front of a crowd like that was unbelievable. I couldn't have dreamt it up any better.
Â
On how special it was to host again and head to the Final Four in front of a home crowd…
I mean, just getting into the tournament wasn't a lock so that was nervy time for us and once we saw our name come up and hosting UIC, we knew that could've been potentially our last game at DeMartin, so we wanted to leave it all on the field and that win was special. Then to go on the road, we did against Louisville and Georgetown, we definitely didn't anticipate hosting again and as soon as we knew we were going to host James Madison we just… I don't know. It was unbelievable, like the crowd… Rowdies were great tonight. Everyone who came out was loud and supportive and it was unbelievable.
Â
Defender Connor Corrigan
On if he thought Ryan was going to get to the ball on the second goal…
Yeah, I knew he was. And credit the coaches, they've been working on those early one-time balls across the box the day before every game so once I was in that position I knew Ryan would be there without a doubt and that we'd get the goal.
Â
 JMU Head Coach Paul ZazenskiÂ
Opening statement…
Extremely proud of our guys and our effort tonight. We just were unfortunate to get on the right side of the score line. Credit to Michigan State – I mean, a phenomenal team, well-coached team. We knew when we were 1-0 up, that we had a long ways to go before this one was done. They had 10 seniors, and they just came on late and got those two goals in the second half and credit to them. But couldn't be more proud of our guys throughout the year and in this game. Just very, very proud of our efforts.
Â
On if allowing two goals in the last 20 minutes was a tough pill to swallow…
Yeah it absolutely was, but that's what good teams do. When you play against a team like Michigan State you can't give them extra chances. I thought we were unfortunate not to score a few of our own. You know, we had one or two that could've bounced our way and went in but that's, like I said, at this stage in the game in the Elite Eight, you can't give good teams extra chances and they buried them, so credit to them.Â
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On how special it was to get this run in the tournament in his first season as head coach…
Yeah, credit to my guys. They believed in what we preached from day one. We had a very clear and distinct way that we wanted to play and defend and keep the ball moving, circulation, possession-wise and these guys just executed all year. Credit to them and the way they responded throughout the year to adversity; Winning some tough games, losing some tough games, to get us to this point. But yeah, I mean our little run is just a testament to what their potential is. I think the future is bright and it's because of the guys sitting beside me and all the other guys – They've just done a phenomenal job.
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Players Mentioned
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