Q&A With UMBC Athlete Dan Louisignau

Three games into their season the UMBC men’s soccer team has yet to allow a goal.  Leading their strong defensive effort is senior goalkeeper Dan Louisignau.

Before the 2009 season Louisignau transferred to UMBC from Clemson but a torn labrum kept him out of action but midway through the 2010 season he was named the team’s starting goalkeeper and was a major part of the team’s historic run to their first ever America East title and first ever NCAA tournament victory.

In last season’s America East championship game Louisignau shut New Hampshire out and made a game-winning stop in penalty kicks before shutting William & Mary out in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

So far this season Louisignau had made 13 saves in three games with three clean sheets.

Patch:  You’ve had eight shutouts in 16 starts as UMBC’s goalkeeper.  What’s been the key to your success?

Dan Louisignau:  The fact that I let in goals half the games I’ve played means only 50 percent is not good enough for me.  That’s my secret; because of my failures I try to succeed so hard.

Patch:  Last year UMBC had it’s most successful season ever but championships are nothing new to you having won three at the club level.  What kinds of things were you telling the guys last year that had to get done to win?

Louisignau:  I’ve basically been telling them that we don’t quit.   We’re a team and we’re a family and if we’re not those then we’re losers so I just tell them to stick together regardless of the situation we were in.

Patch:  What’s the key to repeating as champions this year?

Louisignau:  If we stick together then we’ll win and I feel like we have the potential to be better than last year.

Patch:  Do you feel like there is no a target on your back after having such a successful season last year?

Louisignau:  I feel like there are a few teams that are gunning for us and the few teams that aren’t gunning for us they’ll know us after they play us and they’ll be gunning for us if not this year than next year.

Patch:  If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

Louisignau:  I have to say Hawaii.  I would live in Hawaii because I would get to fish and surf all day every day and that would be awesome.

Patch:  Who is your favorite athlete?

Louisignau:  It would be [Detroit Lions quarterback] Matthew Stafford I’d say because he had two shoulder injuries one year after another, so have I, and he came back from both.

Patch:  Mac or PC?

Louisignau:  I have a PC but I’d rather have a Mac.

Patch:  What is one thing you can’t live without?

Louisignau:  Socks.  I can’t live without socks.  I don’t know, they just feel so nice on my toes.

Patch:  What is your best memory of playing soccer at UMBC so far?

Louisignau:  Seeing how Chris Williams, John Paul Waraksa, Levi Houapeu, and all the seniors reacted after we won conference.  The whole team was happy but it was a great experience to see how happy they were.

Patch:  Who has had the biggest impact on you as a soccer player?

Louisignau:  One person hasn’t really had an impact so I’d say everyone who has ever criticized me because I just love proving people wrong and shutting people up.