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Considering the success the Wisconsin men’s soccer team has had against non-conference opponents, a break from Big Ten play may be exactly what the team needs. Following a two-game stretch in conference play, in which the Badgers gave up a pair of last-minute goals to fall short of victory, the men’s team will focus its efforts today on Western Illinois.

Although the team may be looking to take some of its frustration out on a non-conference foe, Western Illinois will be a tough task for the Badgers. The Leathernecks started the season rolling off six consecutive victories by a combined 10-2 margin, including four shutouts.

“The teams we actually play in non-conference are very good,” UW head coach Jeff Rohrman said. “The competition that we have in front of us in these mid-week games — it’s extremely high.”

During their early season stretch of non-conference play, the Badgers outscored their opponents 10-6. However, Rohrman has made sure his team will not overlook Western Illinois.

“We simply can’t take an approach where a game is going to be an easy one or a little bit less than what we get on the weekends because then we’re going to get surprised,” Rohrman said. “We have to take these games and prepare for them just as we would the Big Ten games.”

In fact, the Leathernecks almost surprised a ranked opponent on Saturday when they battled No. 24 Oakland, only to fall short 1-0. In order to make sure they also pull ahead of Western Illinois, the first thing the Badgers are going to have to do is put their recent struggles behind them. The focus of this week, after suffering two consecutive losses by one goal each and a disappointing tie against Michigan, is to maintain their focus on the Leathernecks.

“The guys were eager and anxious to get back on the field and put the Michigan game behind us,” Rohrman said. “They are a pretty resilient group, and it’s an older group and they’ve bounced back before, and I expect them to do that again on Wednesday.”

The key to beating Western Illinois will be to shut down the Leathernecks’ star player, junior forward Martin Browne Jr. leads the team in goals, assists, shots and points. Following a game in which the defense held Michigan scoreless for 89 minutes, UW seems ready for a player like Browne. Unlike Michigan, which had three acclaimed strikers, Browne is the heart and soul of the Leatherneck attack. However, the Badgers will be ready for whatever Western Illinois brings on Saturday.

“Sometimes the worry is that you get too focused on a guy like Martin, somebody else steps up that maybe you weren’t paying the most attention to,” Rohrman said. “I hope that our guys are prepared for everyone we bring out.”