When not playing soccer, junior Liam Guske enjoys watching hockey and football, playing video games, and watching movies. His favorite movies include the “Dark Knight” trilogy and “Transformers” franchise.
Specifically, his favorite sports movie is the 2004 film “Miracle”, a fictionalized movie based on the 1980 U.S. men’s ice hockey team.
The film focuses on the importance of team culture to success. It is only once the team realizes that they no longer play for their college teams and now play for the U.S. that they begin to play well together.
It emphasizes the importance of team chemistry, something that has been critical to Guske’s success as an athlete on the Seton Hall’s men’s soccer team.
“We all hang out 24/7,” Guske said of his teammates. “It’s nice having a good group, especially off the field, because I think that helps on the field. I’m a big believer in team chemistry.”
This year’s men’s soccer team has been one of Seton Hall’s most successful in a long while. The Pirates finished the regular season with a record of 11-5-1, their most wins in a season since 2005.
Guske contributes this success, partially to the team culture.
“Everyone that came in [this year] meshed well and pretty instantly with us,” Guske said.
Guske’s journey with soccer began at 4 years old for a club team in Jacksonville, Florida, where he played until he was 15 years old. It was at 15 that he decided to try out for Orlando City’s MLS NEXT team.
“My old coach at Jacksonville said, ‘Stay another year, develop more, I think you may need it.’ But I felt like I bet on myself and knew what I had,” Guske said. “The first year wasn’t the easiest thing, there was heavy competition between me and another guy. The second year I think I really took off.”
During his second year in Orlando, his team won the MLS NEXT Cup. The next year, he moved to the U23 team, training with Orlando City’s first team on occasion.
When deciding where to play in college, he said he felt the team culture at Seton Hall created an ideal place for him to grow as a player and student.
“The players, when I came on my visit, I saw how close they were and that it was a good group of guys,” Guske said. “I thought it would be a great place for me.”
Coming into his first season at Seton Hall, he was not expecting to be in the starting lineup. There was already a senior in his position, but due to an injury in the lineup, he was given the opportunity to start.
Guske has started every single game he has played at Seton Hall since then. In both his first and second seasons at Seton Hall, he ranked second in number of minutes played.
This season, he was made captain of the team. To him, this means having the trust of his coaches and an obligation to “lead by example.”
“I feel like I’ve taken a big step in the right direction this year,” Guske said. “Been playing well and back to my old self which I kind of feel like I strayed from my sophomore year.”
When asked about the difference between playing at Seton Hall and Orlando City, he cited a difference in physicality, saying the intensity of collegiate soccer “keeps you on your toes” and “makes you make decisions quicker.”
Guske plays left-back; he said he’s always loved and excelled on defense. He has been awarded Big East Defensive Player of the Week multiple times while playing for Seton Hall, but he makes sure not to dwell on these accolades.
“It’s a team sport at the end of the day, and I wouldn’t win those awards without a team effort,” Guske said. “My best skill growing up was always 1v1 defending. I really enjoy shutting people down, proving that I’m better than them.”
Another important theme for Guske is family: He has two brothers who both play soccer and a younger sister, and he considers them his best friends.
“Owen, my oldest brother, is the one I look up to most in my development as a player and a person,” Guske said. “The only reason I got into Orlando was because he had a foot in the door. My younger brother, Colin, we lived together for a year and a half before I came here, just us. I admire his hard work, his discipline, his determination.”
Guske’s sister, Sydney, is a bit younger than him and his brothers, but he said she would always play soccer with them when they were younger.
When asked about his parents, Guske said, “[They] always come to every game that they can, they’re really involved with us. They’ve made so many sacrifices.”
According to Guske, his family also influences the sports teams he supports. Although he is a Manchester United fan, he also considers Chelsea to be a second favorite team because it is the team his siblings support.
Guske’s dad is from Detroit, so from that side of the family, he said he gets his love of the Detroit Lions and Detroit Red Wings. From his mom’s side, he gets his love for the Miami Dolphins, and the Jacksonville Jaguars from his hometown.
On Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m., Guske and the rest of the Seton Hall men’s soccer team defeated Villanova, 1-0, for their final game of the regular season at Owen T. Carroll Field. They now look forward to the Big East Quarterfinal on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Ace Crawford is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. Ace can be reached at grace.crawford@student.shu.edu.
