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In its second Big Ten game, the UW men’s soccer team hopes to record its first conference victory against the Wolverines.

After a heartbreaking defeat to Indiana last weekend, Wisconsin hopes to get back on track Saturday at the McClimon Soccer Complex. The The Wolverines (5-2-1) will be playing their first Big Ten game this season.

Heading into the match, the Badgers appear to be slipping a bit after a 4-0-1 start to the season. After a 1-0 loss to Binghamton, the Badgers lost 3-2 to the Hoosiers last Sunday, giving up a goal in the 94th minute of play. But despite the heartbreaking loss, head coach Jeff Rohrman is still pleased with how his squad is playing.

“I was pleased with the effort and the grit that our guys showed,” Rohrman said. “If we can bring that on Saturday against Michigan, we’re going to have a pretty good day.”

Saturday’s game will not be an easy one for the Badgers. In addition to recording two shutouts on the season, including their last game against Oakland, the Wolverines also bring one of the Big Ten’s best offenses. Led by Mauro Fuzetti, Jake Stacy and Perica Marosevic, the Wolverines have tallied 22 points in the eight games thus far. Against Detroit, Fuzetti recorded a hat trick en route to a 5-0 rout of the Titans.

After giving up three goals against Indiana, the Badgers know they will have to shut down Michigan’s powerful trio to come out on top. “We’re going to have to just try to contain them and minimize their looks,” Rohrman said. “If we’re straight up and honest with our defending and can catch those guys in the right spots, I think we’re going to be just fine.”

If Wisconsin has trouble stopping the Wolverines’ attack, they will have to rely on some help from the team’s offense. The offense is usually led by senior forward Victor Diaz and junior striker Pablo Delgado, but the Badgers have received major contributions from some unheralded players recently.  

When Diaz, the leading scorer on the team thus far, failed to record a point against the Hoosiers, teammates Taylor Waspi and Scott Lorenz both recorded goals for UW last Saturday.

The offense, according to Rohrman, appears to be on track.

“I thought we scored some great goals, and I thought we created some chances,” Rohrman said. “I think they felt decent about the effort and the fact that we did do some good things.”

The contest against the Wolverines should give a further indication of the progression of the offense. After failing to score against Binghamton in a 1-0 loss, the team’s offense appears to be in good form heading into Saturday’s matchup.

“They feel pretty good overall, but at the same time they’re ready to rebound against Michigan,” Rohrman said. “Hopefully we can get our first victory.”

Despite coming up short against IU last weekend, there were some positives to be taken from the defeat. After being down 1-0 and 2-1, the Badgers quickly scored both times to even up the score. Playing their best in the face of adversity can only be an asset to the Badgers in the midst of their first losing streak of the season.

“When we are down, I think it’s a reflection of the maturity and experience we have,” Rohrman said. “They didn’t get very rattled, which is a good sign.”