Replacing a legend is no walk in the park. Fans expect results that the legendary put up with ease, even if the high expectations might be too much to ask from the replacement. Jimmy Johnson replaced Tom Landry, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys for decades, and parlayed it into two Super Bowl victories. Whoever is the next starter at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers has the biggest shoes to fill.

Right here in Milwaukee, a legend committed the mother of all betrayals: Louis Bennett left the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to coach men’s soccer for Marquette University.

A roster full of players who didn’t know what it was like to be absent from the NCAA tournament got their first taste of disappointment last season when first year coach Jon Coleman’s squad lost to Butler in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament. No postseason, no accolades, no fuzzy feelings at the end of the year.

Coleman, who was a player and then an assistant under Bennett at UWM, stayed behind instead of giving in to the Marquette greed to take his first head coaching job in college. Following the amazing come-from-behind victory over Marquette nearly a year ago, UWM tumbled through the next five matches, losing four and tying one. The Panthers picked themselves up, however, and finished at a sub par 8-9-2.

Milwaukee lost three of its top four point scorers from a year ago, leaving Colin Baker and Martin Castro as the top remaining offensive players from 2006. The departure of graduates Craig Mallace, Steve Sperl, Troy Spielmann and Billy Meier leaves a lot of holes to fill. That’s where Castro will come in.

A fleet-footed forward with superb goal-scoring potential, Castro will be asked to take on a much larger role in the Panther offense this year. Together with Baker and senior Zeke Dombrowski, Coleman’s second year likely will be better than his first.

The loss of Meier is a huge blow, as he was a top defender and the UWM Male Athlete of the Year for 2006-07. A committee of players, including incoming freshmen Joe Keller and Calvin Mai, will have to pick up the slack if UWM is going to keep the pressure off Grant Fernstrum in front of the nets this season.

Let’s just hope when UWM topples Bennett’s Golden Eagles on Oct. 31, the victory is only a footnote on another NCAA tournament season.

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