A night after Nick Van Sicklen’s game-winning goal gave the Badgers a 1-0 win over the Chicago Sockers, the Wisconsin men’s soccer team hit the pitch again to take on the UW soccer alumni. Members of the alumni team included former Badger regulars Valentine Anozie and John McGrady, as well as 2003 captains Watson Vaughan Prather and Erol Goknur.
While the alumni team emerged with a 2-0 victory, the match was not the most serious of all games, as many current Badgers were seen joking with their former teammates. Head coach Jeff Rohrman said familiarity and fatigue made the game difficult.
“It was tough to play because our guys knew their guys so well, and also we played last night,” Rohrman said. “So, it’s tough to turn around and play.”
Goknur put the alums up early when he scored directly on a corner kick early in the first half. The Badgers struggled through the first half, and while they again failed to get on the scoreboard in the second, Rohrman felt they played significantly better.
“I thought we played better in the second half,” Rohrman said. “I think, in some ways, it took us 45 minutes to finally answer the wake up call a little bit, that these guys were probably going to be a pretty good side. But the second half I thought we did much, much better. So, I was pleased with that.”
Anozie stuck the dagger in the youngsters’ hearts when he scored on a penalty kick in the second frame after a foul inside the box. Wisconsin had several chances to score in both halves, but was repeatedly foiled by the Oliver Kahn-like goalkeeping prowess of Badger assistant coach Nick Pasquarello. Van Sicklen had an opportunity to score the equalizer soon after Goknur’s tally, but his blast from just inside the box was simply high, wide right, and handsome.
Badger defender Aaron Hohlbein moved into the attacking half several times and had two header chances, with one missing wide right and the other being saved by Pasquarello. The best chance of the night for UW came late in the game, when midfielder Aaron Witchger had his short range shot pounced on by Pasquarello. UW also had a scary moment when midfielder David Martinez was slide tackled from behind near the goal, preventing him from attempting a shot. Despite this, no foul was called, something Coach Rohrman disputed.
“My thoughts are it should have been a penalty kick,” Rohrman said. “Sometimes you get the call, and sometimes you don’t. Maybe the ref’s an alum, so that’s why he didn’t call it.”
Rohrman said even though his team came out on the losing end, the event is key to building a unity of sorts in the program.
“I think if you ask any one of those guys, they’re very pleased with where things are going,” Rohrman said. “There’s a very good camaraderie with the alumni, and so things are going in the right direction in that regard.”
The alumni match was the last contest of an injury-riddled spring season in which some of the team’s inexperienced players got their chance to impress.
“Well any time you play in the spring, you just want to see some improvement in the guys that maybe aren’t on the field as much in the fall, and I think we’ve had a pretty good spring,” Rohrman said. “In terms of results, it’s been maybe a little bit disappointing, but nevertheless, you can’t read too much into that. You just have to take it for what it’s worth and hopefully just see some improvement along the way.”