Milwaukee Wave soccer team hopes for better season in MASL in 2022-23 – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ian Bennett is as big a cheerleader as you can find for the Milwaukee Wave, his teammates, his predecessors, team owner Mike Zimmerman and their fans. Arena soccer, in general, too.
So with that, there’s a part of him who’d like to just forget about an agonizing, frustrating, embarrassing 2021-22 season in which the seven-time champion franchise finished below .500 for the first time in 29 years.
There’s also a part of him who can’t.
“I think you’ve got to have it in the memory banks because then you’re excited about this season,” said Bennett, who led the league in goals (50) and points (62) on a team that went 9-12 in the regular season and lost its two playoff games.
“It was such a crazy season. A lot of ups and honestly more down than in my career and the Wave organization. … Things didn’t come together. We banked on some guys that just really didn’t get it done and obviously it showed. Thank God we’re turning the page and we’re actually excited about this year.”
The page flips in earnest when the Wave kicks off its season by hosting the St. Louis Ambush at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The roster features a mix of old favorites such as Bennett and Marcio Leite; youngsters such as Javier Steinwasher, whose performance as a rookie was one of the highlights of last season, and his fresh-out-of-college brother Alex; and familiar MASL names such as goalkeeper William Banahene and defender Ben Ramin.
Banahene ranked third in the league in saves last season and sixth in save percentage for the Harrisburg Heat. Ramin led Utica FC in blocks.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we didn’t know what (last season) was going to look like,” coach Guiliano Oliviero said. “Some players didn’t come back. We lost a full year, where some teams did not. … I just didn’t feel like our preparation was great. It could have been better.
“The roster seems a lot stronger. The players that we brought in I think can make an immediate impact on our team, and it’s created competition with the veterans. Nobody’s spot on the team is safe. You’ve got to perform each and every day in practice, and that’s what makes you better at the end of the day individually and collectively as a team.”
About half the league already has begun play, including St. Louis (1-1). That’s a disadvantage in terms of game seasoning, but it has given the Wave more time to jell.
Count Banahene among those who appreciate the time. He arrived barely a month ago to begin the next chapter in his career.
“What they’re trying to accomplish is similar to what I wanted to accomplish, to be pushed and to make a run at a championship,” Banahene said.
“Being here when we were in Harrisburg, we’d fear Milwaukee. So you know (last season) was a fluky year and they had a lot of injuries. It’s just getting back on track as Milwaukee Wave soccer. I want to contribute to that.”
Since training camp opened, he has gotten an insider look at how skilled and precise a team the Wave is.
“Once preseason started, we just hit the ground running and it’s been super competitive, super informative and I’m just excited to be here and excited to get started,” Banahene said.
“It’s just learning personalities and what works with everybody, how they want me be as a keeper and how they want me to play with my feet.”
Bennett, who talked up Milwaukee when Banahene was weighing his options, was tickled to hear the new goalkeeper’s description of Harrisburg perspective on the Wave. But Bennett also knew how much of that reputation went out the window last season.
“The Wave was, like, a current. Now the Wave’s back, we’ll have some 50-foot waves you can surf,” said Bennett, who has won three championships since joining the franchise in 2009. “Our legacy is huge and now I think it was brought down a little bit, and I think people are not taking us seriously. I cannot wait because we’ve never really been the underdogs and I think a lot of people are not banking on us. We’ve got lots to prove.”
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