Munoz has big goals

Off to a hot start this season, WolfPack’s top returning scorer hopes to continue playing career

Photo Provided by Madison College Athletics

Madison College’s Christian Munoz is off to a strong start this season with seven goals in six games.

Ethan Maurice, Staff Writer

Scoring a goal in a soccer game is a tough enough feat, much less a goal in six straight games.

It’s something professionals like Jamie Vardy did last year for Leicester City and Luis Suarez did this year for Barcelona.

Madison College’s Christian Munoz started off the season by scoring in six straight games. While his consecutive game goal streak came to an end when his team was shut out on Sept. 14, he is one of the top scorers on his team with seven goals and an assist.

Munoz is just as interesting off the field as much as he is on it. From the town of Walworth, Wis., Munoz was an Academic All-American last year. He said he finds school work easier to do in college because he is motivated to continue his dream of playing soccer at higher levels.

“If I want to go somewhere to play soccer, I know I’ll need good grades,” Munoz said.

If he isn’t scoring goals for the WolfPack, you might be able to catch him playing Fifa with his friends, playing tennis and going for walks downtown. He also enjoys shooting hoops in his free time.

But all these things aren’t a distraction. Christian Munoz is focused. He says that when he watches soccer, even on TV, he is usually watching to make himself better.

“I’m always trying to pick up something, always watching his movement off the ball,” he said of his favorite player, Luis Suarez, whose feats he hopes to continue to emulate.

Diving into Munoz’ world, it’s clear you are going to get hit by a few soccer balls.   Almost every conversation with him circles back to sports.

When asked what he would do if he didn’t make it in soccer, Munoz said: “Tennis. I was pretty good at that in high school, and I think I might go back to that.”

OK, it seems like if you fell into Christian Munoz’s world you could get hit by all types of sports equipment.

Finally, when asked what he would do if he broke his leg or blew out a knee, he looked beyond sports.

“I think I would like to go into business,” he said, adding that he would like to own his own business but would be open to working with another firm.

Munoz made it clear that, while he hopes that his soccer career will continue well after this season, his goals remain with the WolfPack team right now.

“I really think that we have a realistic chance of going undefeated,” he said of his hopes for the remainder of the season.

This really sums up where his head is focused.  His main goal is, and always has been to win a championship. He said the excitement level for the team is very high, and that they have high hopes.

Munoz’s feats on the pitch are quite remarkable. If he was to keep up this blistering rate of goal scoring, he would end up with 17 goals. This kind of clinical finishing, as well as good passing from his teammates behind him, is sure to win games for the WolfPack.

“The Andrews twins have been playing out of their minds lately,” he said when asked about recent games.

Munoz said one of his goals after Madison College is to go to a traditional four-year college to continue his education and his playing career.

One team that has recently been scouting at Warner Park home games is Beloit College, and with the goals coming in truckloads, more scouts are sure to come.

When asked what he hopes to do with the time he has spent at Madison College, he said he hopes to turn this into a professional career.

“After four years of college, I would play anywhere,” he said.

He also told me that he would love to play overseas, telling me he would be “excited” and “love the chance” to play in a place such as England or Spain.

“There is no sport that I am not good at, and nothing I don’t like,” said Munoz.

At first that might sound cocky, but this really sums up Christian Munoz. He is focused, and ready to keep the scoreboard lit up for the Madison College WolfPack.