After signing with the Badgers last December, University of Wisconsin men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley made a commitment to improve the team’s performance from their disappointing 2008 season. A team loaded with talent but failing to reach its potential, the Badgers recorded all of their 10 losses by one goal. By hiring Yeagley the Badgers are hoping they can change their ways.

Yeagley, who came over from Indiana University, is no stranger to success. A four-time All-American at his alma matter, he went 75-9-5 as a player. In addition, he played professionally before winning back-to-back titles at Indiana University as an assistant coach. Now in his first year with Wisconsin, Yeagley is hoping to bring a title to Madison.

“We have all the ingredients to have a championship caliber program,” Yeagley said. “You have the school, this athletic department, this city, this conference — it’s all there to have success, and that’s what attracted me to Wisconsin.”

Scott Lorenz, the leading scorer on the team last year, has bought into Yeagley and the coaching staff.

“His track record is amazing,” Lorenz said. “When you have a guy like that you just open your ears and listen.”

Yeagley, who was born and raised in Bloomington, Ind., is already motivating his players.

“He knows what he’s talking about,” senior goaltender Alex Horwath said. “He leads by example, not just words. He knows the game, probably better than most.”

To turn the Badgers into a winning program, Yeagley will have to change the players’ attitudes in addition to improvement on the field.

“He demands excellence in everything we do, from how we carry ourselves off the field to how we dress on the bus,” Horwath said. “The biggest thing is just being excellent in everything we do.”

The team is making the most out of its spring season to prepare for the regular season in the fall. The team has scheduled five exhibition games during the spring season and will play a sixth game if it defeats Marquette in the Wisconsin Cup. In addition, Yeagley has pushed spring practice to a new level this season.

“What I like is that they push us,” forward Pablo Delgado said. “They want us to go 100 percent every single minute, every single practice. That’s something that I think we had to improve.”

With the new coaching staff implemented, Delgado and the rest of the team is using spring practice to showcase its work ethic.

“Everyone is trying to show that they can play,” Delgado said.

Although he has six years experience as an assistant coach, this year will mark the first for Yeagley as a head coach. With no previous head coaching experience to reflect on, Yeagley will be looking back to his days as a player for assistance.

“I’ve just tried to use my experience as a player, from the different coaches I’ve had to teammates to take things I like and don’t like to help form the way I coach and interact with players,” Yeagley said. “Those experiences are invaluable.”

In Yeagley’s first test as coach the Badgers emerged victorious as they defeated Loyola 1-0 in a shootout. Eric Conklin, who was named second-team All-Big Ten last season, scored the game’s lone goal. With expectations for next season already high, the team is hoping to use the busy spring schedule, including an exhibition match this Friday at Camp Randall Stadium, to keep the momentum heading into fall.

“I don’t think we’re going to surprise anyone this year,” Lorenz said. “He’s got a lot of good things to say, whether it’s making runs or how to play defense. You just kind of gather all that information like a sponge, and we’ll be able to display all that on Friday.”

With so much time to between the spring games and the regular season, the Yeagley and his team are hoping to show progress on a daily basis.

“Our biggest objective is to let our players know it’s an everyday approach to the way they train,” Yeagley said. “It takes discipline, it takes commitment, and the players are showing that, which is great.”