Andreas Fotland and Mads Konrad Horgoien stand over a ball, after a full day’s work that got them to the closing moments of the match. Taking a deep breath, Horgoien knows exactly what he needs to do, and in one swing, he caps off another performance with another clinical finish.
However, this match is far from Valley Fields, and Horgoien has not just slotted away a set piece to claim a win on the road, they have just finished the 18th hole at a golf course outside of Oslo, Norway. Now, they will be getting dinner together in the capital city.
It’s summer 2025, Fotland had just committed to play soccer at Marquette — where Horgoien would be entering his first season on the team as a sophomore — so his fellow Norwegian and soon-to-be teammate made it a point to introduce himself.
“We didn’t know each other before,” Horgoien said. “But when we both knew that we had committed here, and we linked up in Norway, I think it it was like-minded or was like-minded from the start.”
Before they were performing under the lights of Division I soccer, the two had multiple years of professional experience in Norway. Fotland played for Åssiden IF in the Norwegian fourth division, and Horgoien for Stjørdals-Blink in the second.
Nonetheless, the two admit that they were sold by Marquette head coach David Korn’s pitch to play Division I soccer.
“We got a great impression of what we were going to,” Horgoien said. “I felt like this was a safe option where they considered the both of us as people and as football players.”
Despite the warm welcome they received from the program, both still had to make some major adjustments when they arrived in Milwaukee, 3,900 miles away from their home country. That meant relying on each other, the only two Norwegian players on the team.
For Fotland, one of the biggest benefits of having the assuring friendship of Horgoien was overcoming a significant communication barrier.
“My English wasn’t that good in the start, it was quite scary,” Fotland said, “It’s always nice to have someone to reach out to that shares the same culture and knows what you’re talking about.”
After that initial cultural bridge, building their relationship with each other and the rest of their teammates has allowed them to experience life off the field more than they ever expected, saying their American peers have been nothing less than warm and welcoming since their arrival to campus.
“We joke with them, they joke with us,” Fotland said, “That’s how we stay positive and enjoy ourselves throughout the week.”
Alongside social adjustment, the transition to American college soccer was also a unique hurdle from the pitches of Scandinavia.
Even from opposite ends of the field — as Horgoien is a forward and Fotland a defender — they both admit that there is an unspoken synergy between them which stems from their athletic upbringings under a shared Norwegian philosophy of how the game is played.
“We have that similar understanding of the game,” Fotland added.
“We kind of know how the other works, where we want the ball, when we want the ball, when not to play the ball, etc.” Horgoien said.
As of Oct. 8, Fotland has started in all but one game for the Golden Eagles, missing a home game against Chicago State with a red card. Horgoien has played in 9 of Marquette’s 11 games, and in his third start of the year netted two goals against UIC, including a match winner in the 75th minute.
80′ | MU – 5 | UIC – 4
Mads Konrad Horgøien puts MU ahead with his second goal of the match and his fourth on the year. pic.twitter.com/bI6zGTBsD3
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 8, 2025
Months after their initial meeting in Norway, the bond between Fotland and Horgoien has only gotten stronger.
In between road trips, home games and training sessions, the two have found time to explore the city together and adapt to a life in America which is starkly different from their time in Norway. This includes making time for an occasional golf match, just like back in Oslo.
“We see a lot of strange things for us as Europeans, but it’s also nice that we get to see another culture and experience this beautiful country,” Horgoien said.
Whether it is on the pitch or off, the relationship the two have formed has enabled them to make the most of their time at Marquette.
This article was written by Eamon Bevan. He can be reached at eamon.bevan@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @EamonBevanMU.