The Wisconsin men’s soccer team had gone more than 240 minutes of play without a goal coming into Saturday night’s game against Michigan, and the trend continued for much of the game.

Finally in the 80th minute, senior forward Jacob Brindle provided a spark off the bench and scored to put Wisconsin up 1-0, ending the drought that had spanned the better part of four games.

However, even with Brindle’s seemingly late-game heroics, Wisconsin ended up losing the match 2-1 in overtime after the Wolverines responded with two goals in the next 18 minutes.

Despite the loss, UW was encouraged to put an end to their two-game goal drought and finally put a ball into the back of the net.

Brindle’s goal came as part of a formation the Badgers have not used much this season. The formation consisted of Brindle and freshman forward Tom Barlow playing up top while starting freshman forward Mark Segbers dropped into the midfield. The formation makes for a more dynamic offensive attack, and head coach John Trask said he likes how the formation produced.

“It’s a fine balance. With that formation, we don’t feel we defend as well because Mark [Segbers] and Chris [Mueller] are a bit younger and still learning how to defend in those wide spots,” Trask said. “There is no question that we are much more dynamic going forward with this lineup. Jacob is truly a box finisher, so we like to have him up there.”

Brindle, who scored eight goals for the Badgers last season, had only found the back of the net once this season prior to Saturday night. A big reason for this is because of the inconsistency of Brindle’s minutes for the team thus far.

Nevertheless, Brindle was able to take advantage of his limited minutes — he played just 36 Saturday night — and found a ball to strike past Michigan’s goalkeeper, breaking the team’s goal drought, as well as a goal drought of his own.

“The goals just haven’t been falling for me the last few games,” Brindle said. “On my goal I thought [Chris] Mueller was actually going to finish it, but it just bounced off him and I was just there in the right place and able to put it home. It was really good for my confidence.”

While Brindle may not be playing as much as he would like to, his mindset has never wavered.

“I’m just always trying to do the most I can when I get in the game,” Brindle said. “The minutes are the coach’s decision, not mine. So, when I do get my minutes, my priority is to help my team to the best of my ability.”

Part of the reason for Brindle’s limited minutes is Trask has found him to be a much stronger player in the second half of games. With Barlow and Segbers carrying much of the offensive load throughout the game, adding a fresh Brindle to the mix in the second half creates a powerful dynamic for the Badgers.

“Jacob seems to have a way bigger impact later in the game. It may be because Tom [Barlow] and Mark [Segbers] really challenge the other team physically and wear them down,” Trask said. “Jacob, in the second half, has been a much better performer than when we have had him in the beginning of the game in a starting role or even coming off of the bench in the first half. He’s accepted that and he has been able to find a different gear later in the game when the opposition is a little more tired.”

Adding Brindle to the already strong duo of Barlow and Segbers, who have combined for six goals this season already, forces Trask to move some pieces around. With the addition of Brindle to the lineup, the biggest piece Trask is forced to move is Segbers, the team’s leading scorer.

Because Brindle is a strong threat in the box, Trask drops Segbers to an attacking midfielder role. While it isn’t Segbers’ usual position, he doesn’t feel he has to make a big change to his game.

“It’s not that much of an adjustment,” Segbers said. “I’m still trying to get forward and create attacking chances. But I also have more of a responsibility to get back and mark up on the guy out wide. I can’t take breaks, so it really keeps me a lot sharper during the game.”

With Saturday’s goal coming from this formation, Trask plans to utilize this formation more often.

Trask sees progress in the young team’s growing chemistry, which will need to improve to see winning results, but still sees a lot of room for growth.

“I know the combinations between our players are going to start coming together the more these guys are getting to know each other,” Trask said. “It’s the same in basketball. It’s the same with a wide receiver and a quarterback in football. It’s all about timing and chemistry for our guys at this point.”