Mark Patterson might be the biggest overachiever at Northwestern, but it still came as a shock to his teammates that he – the fourth-string, walk-on goalkeeper – was to be the subject of a newspaper story.
“Wait, Mark Patterson or (sophomore defender) Mark Blades?” senior Will Briley replied when asked about his fellow keeper. Even when reassured, Briley had to inquire once more, unable to hide his surprised expression.
“Patterson? The goalie?”
Yes, Patterson: the goalie. Patterson: the triple major in mathematics, philosophy and mathematical methods in the social sciences. Patterson: the one-time club team keeper who, thanks to departures, injuries and a bit of luck, is now a member of the nation’s ninth-ranked soccer program.
It began last winter, when the Wildcats were down to one goalkeeper after losing Rich Nassif to graduation, Justin Pines to the football team and current starter Misha Rosenthal to shoulder surgery.
Looking for a second goalie to help out in practice, coach Tim Lenahan gave the NU club team captain a call, asking if Patterson could come to a tryout.
While many students expressed interest in the opening, the St. Louis Park, Minn., native impressed Lenahan with his enthusiasm and work ethic and was offered a spot on the winter squad.
Despite never considering playing anywhere above the Division-III level when applying for schools, Patterson was suddenly on an NCAA tournament quarterfinalist from last year.
“When most people first heard about it, they wanted to make sure it wasn’t a misunderstanding,” Patterson said. “My parents were absolutely thrilled. I’d come home and call them after practice about playing with Dave Roth and getting scored on by Brad North, who’s now in the MLS (Major League Soccer), and all these crazy things.”
Though initially worried about how he would fit in on the team, Patterson said he was immediately embraced by his new teammates, a reaction Patterson said “sort of shocked me.”
Walk-on or not, he was treated like any other player. In the spring, Patterson even got to see in-game action, playing a shutout half between the pipes against the University of Chicago.
“Oh, man, I was extremely nervous,” Patterson said. “Being out there actually playing with this team is just an experience like nothing I’ve ever felt. But the defense played better than any other defense I’ve ever played with, so I ended up touching the ball, like, twice. So I think the team would have done just as well with my mom in goal.”
With the end of the academic year, Rosenthal’s return and the arrival of freshman goalie Drew Kotler, Patterson was, for all intents and purposes, no longer needed.
But NU, which lost 10 players to graduation last year, elected not to fill its roster with freshmen. Liking the attitude, energy and other intangibles Patterson brought to practice, Lenahan decided to keep him on the team.
Twelve games into the season, Patterson still seems excited about the Division-I lifestyle, with its free gear, sideline trainers and, incredulously enough, “Gatorade at practice.”
“He’s new, but he’s a 21-year-old, triple major, so he has a little different perspective,” Lenahan said. “And I think he’s able to show that to some of the younger guys, too. That, ‘Guys, this is awesome just to be here.’ And you don’t always have that appreciation.”
When confronted, Patterson almost shrugs off his standing as an overachiever, playing down the title of “triple major” as merely “an easy way to remind people that I came in here as just a regular student.”
Though the swing dancing, Dean’s List-making senior did admit that things have been more hectic of late as he applies to graduate school. Patterson, who’s eyeing the London School of Economics, said he hopes to earn his Ph.D. in Philosophy and ultimately teach.
As for soccer, Patterson knows that he will never again have an experience like this one. And though the odds of his garnering any significant playing time are slim, he does hold out hope for an appearance at the Cats’ final home game.
“I think on Senior Day I might get to spend a few minutes playing forward or something like that,” Patterson said. “But yeah, I keep that in the back of my head, just dream about those three or four minutes, you know, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to contribute to this team on the field in the real game.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
