For the Wisconsin’s men’s soccer team, some sophomores and key players have been tasked with running the show for the Badgers alongside a few other upperclassmen.

Midfielders Chris Mueller, Alex Masbruch, Nick Jones, defender Enda O’Neill and goalkeeper Adrian Remeniuk have all featured in the Badgers’ first two games of the season, and are all expected to make valuable contributions to the team’s success this year. But there are three other sophomores who are being relied upon to act as the spine of the Wisconsin attack.

Forwards Tom Barlow and Mark Segbers, along with midfielder Mike Catalano, have produced the brunt of goal-scoring opportunities for the team so far, but haven’t scored — yet. They’re hoping they can finally find the back of the net soon, and Segbers believes the offense lacking from the team is right around the corner.

“As long as we stay clicked in for 90 minutes, the goals will come,” he said. “I think if we just keep working with each other, stay positive, and the goal will come.”

Without the excuse of being freshmen anymore, Catalano said he understands the necessity of moving on and getting better each and every day.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves anymore,” he said. “We just gotta pick it up.”

The Badgers opened their season on Aug. 28 and 30 at home, losing to Butler 1-0 and Xavier 2-0, respectively. There were positives in both matches, but the young Badgers are still adapting to playing top squads.

There’s always a little extra motivation for these players when they step onto the field against a nationally ranked opponent, like Xavier, Segbers said.

“You walk out there and have nothing to lose. You’re trying to prove yourself, trying to get yourself nationally on the map,” he said. “It’s kind of just going all out.”

With a year of experience under their belt, Segbers, Barlow and Catalano are starting to feel more comfortable on and off the field. Segbers said the three of them, who were all named to the Big Ten’s all-freshman team for the 2014 season, were taking on a larger leadership role this year.

As freshmen, Segbers and Barlow appeared in all 18 games, while Catalano played 17. All three were instrumental to the Badgers offensive output, scoring a combined total of 12 goals and notching nine assists.

The trio alone accounted for 60 percent of the team’s goals, as well as half of the team’s assists. These three will be looking to replicate and even improve upon those numbers this campaign.

Catalano said it will be easier to put those numbers up because they’ve got a full season of collegiate play — and a full year of college life — under their belts.

“We’re more adjusted to being a college student and student-athlete,” he said. “We’re confident in what we’re doing now.”

This newfound confidence has helped with the growing pains, as has playing along side so many other guys who are also just as young as they are.

“I think that having a big class and a lot of other sophomores out there kind of helps you,” Segbers said. “You know that you can look to somebody, like Mike or Tom, and they’ll give you that look like, ‘Just keep going. It’s coming.’”

Barlow, who was ranked the 98th best player in the country and 10th best player in the Big Ten by TopDrawerSoccer, echoed sentiments that everyone has each other’s backs.

It’s this type of brotherhood and mental connection that has Wisconsin head coach John Trask putting his trust in such a young group of players. Trask acknowledges the learning curve these players are facing and will continue to face.

“I think there’s no question it’s a talented group of players,” Trask said. “It’s just this continued maturity that we need to promote in the group.”

The maturation process for this group can only serve to better the team in the future, Barlow said. With young talent seeing plenty of time on the pitch, the Badgers will have a veteran core they can rely on in coming seasons.

The team will continue to look to these three, as well as some of its other talented core players, to be the difference makers on the pitch, not only during this season, but in many more to come.

“Growing as players and becoming more mature should help us down the road,” Barlow said. “And this season, too.”