It has certainly been a rough couple of weeks for the Wisconsin men’s soccer team. The past five games for the Badgers have netted them three losses and two ties, bringing their current record to 5-5-4 and 0-3-1 in the Big Ten.
Coming off a third-straight tie to an in-state opponent Wednesday night versus the Marquette Golden Eagles, the Badgers will look to finally upgrade that zero in their conference win column as they travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State.
Junior midfielder and team points leader Victor Diaz says a win Saturday would be just what the doctor ordered for the team.
"Getting that first win is so important for your momentum as a team," Diaz said. "We will need all we can get as we head into the last couple of games in the season."
With only two conference games left on the slate for the fall, the team firmly believes that two wins would give them the kind of steam they need to create some noise once the postseason starts in three weeks with the Big Ten Tournament.
Penn State, currently two spots above UW in the conference standings, got its first Big Ten win against a high-powered Northwestern team nearly a month ago, but has faltered since then, losing games to Ohio State, Akron and Boston University and managing a tie against in-state rival Lafayette.
The last time Diaz played Penn State on the road two years ago as a freshman, the teams needed overtime to settle the score, with the Nittany Lions coming away with the victory in the 96th minute of play.
"It’s always hard to play on the road, but I remember the Penn State game especially well," Diaz said. "The crowd there really got into the game. They didn’t just yell, but they yelled at you. It’s tough to play when that is going on around you."
That said, the team feels their recent offensive changes will allow them to have success against the Nittany Lions. For the second-straight game Wednesday, the Badgers were the first ones to get on board, notching both tallies before the clock reached 11 minutes.
Head coach Jeff Rohrman said the team is very close to finding its stride offensively.
"In a big game like the one we have on Saturday, we need to show just a little more concentration and execution in the box," Rohrman said. "If we can put some of those balls in the back of the net, we’ll walk away with a good result."
Finishing plays in their opponents’ 18-yard box has been an Achilles heel for the Badgers as of late. Wednesday night’s lone goal, however, seemed to suggest the production will finally start to increase, as senior midfielder Erik Ortega finished off a great cross in the box with his head, showcasing the kind of finishing that is possible with such a dangerous offensive lineup.
"We’ve been getting all the looks on goal in our games," Diaz said. "We just need to get a foot on the ball and finish the play off."
Rohrman anticipates starting a similar lineup to the one he used against Marquette, with sophomore forward Brandon Miller and Diaz up top.
"Victor and Brandon are starting to prove to the rest of the conference that they can be quite a handful for many of the defenders we will face," Rohrman said.
With two full days to dry off and prepare for the game on Saturday, the Badgers and their forward-minded offense finally seem ready to capitalize on the chance they have in front of them.