Sophomore midfielder Gijs Verheul scored just once last season from a center-back role; this season, the six-foot-four Dutchman leads Marist in scoring, and it is all because of a simple adjustment.
Head coach Matt Viggiano brought in graduate student center-back Liam Evans, giving Verheul the room to get further up in attack. Verheul has run rampant, scoring six times in 11 games, including twice against Fordham.
“In the beginning, the change to the midfield was pretty hard,” said Verheul after a 3-1 win over Rider. “In the first game, I didn’t play well. Now I have adjusted and am scoring, and it feels amazing.”
Verheul has been able to play a box-to-box midfielder role this year, sitting above the holding midfielder, senior Skyler Cunha. Cunha sits behind Verheul when the Red Foxes are in possession, allowing the sophomore to camp on the edge of the box, waiting for a second ball – a loose ball that occurs when a cross, pass or shot is deflected and sent away by the defense.
A perfect example of this comes from Marist’s 1-1 draw at Merrimack, in which Verheul scored the lone goal. Twenty minutes into the game, junior midfielder Kyle Evans received the ball in the box, forcing the defense to collapse. He played it to Gijs’ brother, sophomore attacker Chris Verheul. Merrimack surrounded the two Red Foxes and cleared the ball out on the ground.
Gijs Verheul waited on the top of the box, all alone, and sent a bullet into the net.
Another goal of Verhuel’s came against Mount St. Mary’s when he received a pass on the edge of the box. Senior attacker Jonathan Salguero crossed from the left wing, finding a wide-open Gijs Verheul. The ball took a deflection, forcing him to play it on the volley. He took a touch to keep it up and sent a spinning volley past the goalkeeper.
This goal, an earlier but similar example of the previous one, comes from Verheul making a trailing run and deceiving the defense before making himself known near the box.
A big challenge for defenses is covering the gaps that appear between the midfield and defensive lines, especially when having to track opposing players.
Having Evans and junior defender Ethan Ortiz behind him at center-back, as well as Cunha, allows Verheul to make runs into those gaps and emerge unmarked in a dangerous spot.
It is not just in the attack that Verheul is taking advantage of his new role; his ability to cover great distances allows him to track opposing midfielders, cover counterattacks and aid in the press.
Here, Marist wins a corner which comes to nothing. Merrimack’s goal kick goes to their right back, who is pressured by the Marist attack into playing backward. Verheul looks to Cunha to track a man, but realizes his partner is out of position.
As a result, Verheul quickly covered a lot of ground, cutting off a passing lane for the opposition and forcing them into a dangerous pass, which got intercepted. Although nothing results from the turnover, forcing the defense into pressure and turnovers near their goal is a good result from a press.
Verheul is, of course, a good enough player to score without all these tactical adjustments. His third goal of the year, his team’s fifth goal of the game against Quinnipiac, came from a corner delivered from the left side that seemed destined to be wasted.
Verheul adjusted his spot, flicking the ball with his heel in a desperate attempt to score. The shot trickled in off the far post, much to his surprise.
In Marist’s latest game, a 3-1 victory over Rider, Verheul scored his side’s first goal. The goal, a rocket of a header, came off a cross from the left side, played with Verheul barely even in the box. Verheul ran in and met the ball with force, sending a bullet into the net.
Two key teammates have allowed Verheul to excel this year: the Evans brothers.
Kyle Evans is an attacking midfielder in this lineup, but after looking at his position, he commonly appears as a second striker. His pressing creates space behind him, with neither side occupying it. Kyle Evans is being marked by the defensive midfielder or center-back nearest to him, which allows Verheul to creep into the attack.
By joining the attack, Verheul offers support to the four attackers ahead of him. Another bonus of having him in attack is that he is also the first and highest line of defense. If the attackers ahead of him lose it, Verheul has the speed and IQ to be able to cover the opposition counterattack.
The other Evans brother, Liam, arrived in Poughkeepsie via the transfer portal this offseason.. Evans came from Division II Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where he collected an all-American honor. In 2024, Verheul played center-back alongside Ortiz, but now Ortiz is alongside Evans.
Adding Evans to the squad not only provides a lot of skill and experience at the back, but it also allows and even encourages Verheul to creep further and further up the pitch. Having Cunha sit above the center-backs in a defensive holding role also makes it easier for the Dutchman to attack.
There are not many games left in the year, but with Verheul already on six goals, there’s a chance for him to get to 10. He needs to get hot, as does his entire team, but defender-turned-midfielder Gijs Verheul has the ability within the right system.
Edited by Mike Schiavone and Ben Leeds
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photo via Cassidy Connors
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