The Wisconsin Men’s soccer team took a massive hit last week when senior Tomislav Zadro went under the knife to repair a meniscus injury, leaving a void in the center of Wisconsin’s midfield.
As the Badgers starting center midfielder, Zadro is responsible for being the team’s playmaker and offensive leader on the field. Zadro has put together a fantastic portfolio so far this season racking up two goals and four assists in his five starts. In addition, Zadro’s field presence has allowed the Badgers to control the pace of the game and create opportunities. With Zadro at the helm offensively, the Badgers have been able to average nearly two goals a game, a record for the Badgers in the John Trask era.
However, in Zadro’s absence, sophomore Drew Connor has taken on the offensive midfielder role and performed brilliantly. Connor notched his first start at the position Sept. 29 against Penn State, and really settled into the role Wednesday in Wisconsin’s 1-0 win over Marquette.
“Tomo being gone puts a lot of pressure on Connor,” Junior Nick Janus said. “But he is taking that pressure and is just gone with it. He is taking that number 10 spot right now. He needs to be the playmaker, and he has. It is pretty impressive how well he has played.”
In his two years with the team, Connor has been gaining experience all across the midfield and is finally getting a chance at the helm in control of UW’s offense. Instead of being intimidated by the task at hand, Connor is facing the challenge head on.
“Center midfield has always been my natural position,” Connor said. “Coming in last year I played a little bit of [defensive] mid and wide mid. The new position is not foreign to me, but I am a lot more comfortable in that defensive midfield position. I like it, it gives me a good chance to show some of my creative ability and it has helped my development as a player. It has been fun.”
Connor’s confidence in the position not only comes from experience in the position but also from his confidence in his teammates and their skills and abilities.
“Of course we could use [Zadro],” Connor said. “But there is a sense of unselfishness on the team. We know how to work the ball around and everything is just working out for us. We have a lot of good leaders and creative players on the field so it makes things a bit easier for me when I play that role as playmaker.”
Connor came out swinging at the start of the first half against Marquette Wednesday. He dominated the center of the field including making multiple runs that resulted in good chances for the Badgers. Defensively, Connor was able to slow down Marquette’s powerful midfield and prevent the Golden Eagles from controlling the center of the field and the tempo of the game.
“Drew has really grown as a player this last year,” head coach John Trask said. “He is not just doing tricks out there; He is playing a man’s game out there. The amount of touches, the amount of energy, and quality he brought to that position [Wednesday], it was impressive to say the least.”
Connor’s performance against one of the best midfielders in the country had Trask talking about Connor’s chances of earning All-American Honors for his performances this year.
“If [Bryan] Ciesiulka, who is a fantastic player, is an All-American,” Trask continued. “Where does Drew Connor factor into the national picture because our number seven was the dominate performer in the middle of the field [that night].”
With two games in the center midfield position, spectators have been able to see what we can expect out of Connor in the next few years. With Zadro graduating at the end of the season, the play maker role will need to be filled in upcoming seasons. Based on his performance the last two games, many will expect Connor to take on the challenge next year.
Though Zadro could very well return from surgery before the Badgers take the field Tuesday against Drake, Connor has certainly made his mark on this team and installed himself as the frontrunner for the position next year.
