After another overtime draw at the hands of Loyola-Chicago Wednesday night, the Wisconsin men’s soccer team has a quick turnaround as they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes at home in a primetime match Saturday night.
In UW’s last match, especially during the second half, the team really struggled to advance the ball past the Loyola backline.
Freshman forward Mark Segbers, who was heavily involved in Wednesday’s offensive attack, believes that patience will be key if the Badgers want better luck this time around.
“In the second half, we knew we really needed a goal and as a result we kind of got away from our game and tried to force too many things,” Segbers said. “We need to be more patient and really wait for those gaps to open up. With patience we’ll be able to successfully make that final pass and get some shots on goal.”
The Ohio State backline won’t be any easier to penetrate Saturday. In fact, Wisconsin head coach John Trask sees strong similarities in the defensive tactics of both teams. So, the Badgers can ill afford to make the same mistakes they were making on Wednesday.
“I think there are a lot of the same characteristics between [Loyola and Ohio State]. Ohio State is going to be very solid defensively and tough to break through,” Trask said. “We are making some movements on goal and some of the quality going forward has been excellent. We just need to be a little more calculated in our final play on the ball. We are getting some decent looks on net, it’s just now a matter of being a little more clinical in and around the goal.”
Ohio State is used to having a much more successful team than they do this year, as the Buckeyes have posted a record of just 4-5-3 so far this season.
Nevertheless, at this point in the season, no opponent is going to come easy for the 2-8-2 Badgers, and Trask knows that Buckeye head coach John Bluem will have his team ready.
“For them, based on where they have been in the past, it hasn’t been a great season for Ohio State, but they’ve brought in some new pieces and have developed some of their guys,” Trask said. “They have had some great games, though. They beat a very talented Louisville team earlier this season, and I know Coach Bluem and his staff will have his team very prepared to play us on Saturday.”
Despite just coming off a disappointing result Wednesday, Trask knows his team will also be ready when they take the field under the lights Saturday night.
With the match being set on a Saturday night, the Badgers will be expecting a much more impressive crowd and better support after having a couple Wednesday home games as of late. The team’s official student support group, The Colony, will be at the head of that support.
“The last couple of games have been mid-week games, so we haven’t really had many fans,” redshirt junior defender Carl Schneider said. “Now, it’s Saturday night, Buckeyes are a huge rival, so we expect a good number of people. I know The Colony is supposed to be well-represented at the game, so hopefully it gets pretty rowdy for us.”
“I know our guys will be ready,” Trask said. “There is no question that on Saturday night, at home, with a big crowd, a big match against Ohio State will bring out the best in us. It’s going to be a fantastic game and we are looking forward to the challenge of the Buckeye’s.”
The Badgers will take on the rival Buckeyes on Saturday at 7 P.M. at McClimon Soccer Complex.
