Senior forward Dominic DaPra recorded his third multi-goal game of the season, scoring twice to lead the Wisconsin men’s soccer team to a 4-2 victory over the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers Sunday in front of 663 fans at UMBC Soccer Stadium.
With the game tied 1-1 at halftime, DaPra gave the Badgers (5-0-0) the go-ahead goal at the 54:36 mark off a pass from sophomore midfielder Watson Vaughn Prather. DaPra controlled the pass with his chest and then beat UMBC goalkeeper Brian Rowland from about eight yards away. DaPra then gave Wisconsin some insurance at 72:42, scoring what would be the game winner from 10 yards away off a lead pass by freshman Nick Van Sicklen.
The Retrievers (3-1-0) narrowed the gap to 3-2 less than four minutes later, when UMBC senior P.J. Wakevield scored his second goal of the game, heading in a corner kick at the 76:09 mark. Matt Kalua notched the final goal of the game off a long goal kick from UW goalkeeper Moriba Atiba Baker, who recorded three saves in his 21st career victory.
Wakefield had given UMBC the lead in the 14th minute off a throw-in before Wisconsin came back to tie it at 1-1 just five minutes later, as senior Aaron Lauber won a loose ball deep in the Retrievers’ box and scored from about five yards away.
The loss was the first for UMBC this season, and marks just the third defeat for the Retrievers in their last 28 home contests.
For Wisconsin, this win marked the fifth-straight victory of the season and the second of the week. Friday, the Badgers claimed a 1-0 victory over the Howard Booters, and Sunday they won their first road game of the year.
DaPra scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 64th minute to help the Badgers improve to 4-0-0 on the season — Wisconsin’s best start since 1993. The goal was DaPra’s sixth of the season. Howard fell to 0-4-0 with the loss.
Goalkeeper Baker recorded a pair of saves in his eighth career shutout. Wisconsin outshot the Booters 15-10 and registered only eight fouls compared to 20 by Howard.