[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]After starting its season off hot and winning three of its four matches, the Wisconsin men's soccer team dropped both of its games this past weekend at the Middleton Cycle & Fitness Invitational.

Despite enjoying home-field advantage, Wisconsin lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to No. 6 Washington Friday before falling 1-0 in overtime to a tough Creighton squad Sunday.

Friday, after a scoreless first-half against the Huskies, the Badgers struck first just seven minutes into the second-half when sophomore striker Victor Diaz fought off a defender and centered a pass for junior Dirk Pearson, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Rylan Hawkins into the lower left corner of the net.

"It was a great goal," Wisconsin head coach Jeff Rohrman said. "It was great awareness by Victor, and Dirk's just a good goal-scorer … I was certainly pleased with his effort in the box."

Unfortunately for the Badgers, the lead didn't last long, and it took the Huskies only three minutes to respond with a goal of their own.

When sophomore midfielder George John found the ball at his feet near Wisconsin's penalty spot, the man with two first names buried the ball past Wisconsin keeper Jake Settle, simultaneously ending Wisconsin's lead and Settle's 300-minute shutout streak.

"It was almost like we were content in saying 'Alright, we have a lead, and we've done our job,'" Rohrman said. "We certainly have to do better when we have a lead — it's a lesson we've learned before, and unfortunately it got away from us tonight."

Following numerous chances by both sides, the Huskies nabbed the game-winner in the 80th minute when junior forward Kevin Forrest set up John for his second goal of the match.

Although the lone Badger goal occurred in the second half, Rohrman felt as though his team played much stronger in the first period.

"I just thought technically [in the first half] we were a lot sharper, a lot cleaner, and we were connecting passes," Rohrman said. "In the second half, I thought we gave the ball away too easily … [Washington] is too good of a team to let them have the ball and let them start making plays because they're going to punish us — and they did."

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, 90 minutes was not enough time to decide the victor between Wisconsin and Creighton, as neither team could find the back of the net in regulation.

Although the Bluejays came quite close late in the second half when they had a controversial goal called back for offsides, the game was ultimately decided in extra time.

Despite having the point taken off of the scoreboard, Creighton head coach Bob Warming holds no grudge against the referee or the decision.

"We were excited because we had thought we had scored a goal," Warming said. "But that was a good refereeing crew and you just got to trust them and believe them."

Luckily for Warming and his club, the offside call didn't affect the outcome of the match too much, as the Bluejays scored a goal just two minutes and 14 seconds into the sudden-death overtime period.

The goal came off of a corner kick by junior defender Pietari Holopainen, who swung his cross to freshman Chris Schuler on the far post. The 6-foot-4-inch defender rose up and headed the ball to senior forward Michael Kraus in the center, who volleyed the game-winner into the left side of the net.

"We knew coming in that they were very good on set-pieces and that they have some big guys," senior defender and Wisconsin captain Aaron Hohlbein said. "It was a good goal on their part, but also a mental lapse on our part — we let a guy win it, and we let a guy free, and they put it in."

As Rohrman reflects on his team's performance over the past weekend, he is excited to get his team back on the field and back on track in next Sunday's Big Ten opener against Michigan.