With the UW men’s soccer team’s elimination by penalty kicks in the opening round of the Big Ten Championship, the playing career for UW’s four seniors is effectively over. Barring an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, Victor Diaz, Kenny Dix, Zack Lambo and Andy Miller have played their last game as Badgers. For Miller, who has been a fixture on defense during his four years as a Badger, facing the end is an uneasy prospect.
“It’s tough. It’s tough. I feel like I came in as a freshman last week,” Miller said. “It’s hard. … I put a work into [soccer] my whole life. A lot of us will never play in a situation like this again.”
UW’s four seniors were all starters and accounted for 21 of UW’s 87 individual points this season, as well as 4 of 28 goals scored. The graduating class of 2009 finished its career with a 32-34-10 record, though the group was not able to get a Big Ten tournament win during that time. The Badgers got heartbreakingly close to their first before falling on penalty kicks 4-3, and Miller was glad he got the opportunity to shoot with his career on the line.
“Absolutely. Any senior that wants to take one is going to get one,” Miller said of making the first shot for the Badgers. “It’s our last game, you know, it’d be horrible not to take it. It’s an incredible honor to be able to go up and have the chance to do it.”
The seniors received recognition for their work on and off the field, as Diaz and Miller have been named as Academic All-Big Ten selections multiple times, and Diaz has received spots on the All-Big Ten first and second teams. Diaz and Miller were also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2005, and all four seniors have been named to all-tournament teams during their careers.
Though the team’s losses number-wise will not be great going into next year, the experience and minutes they played will be sorely missed. All four seniors have started since their freshman year, offering beneficial stability, which, according to head coach Jeff Rohrman, has been indispensible.
“I’ll tell you what — it’s a great group of guys. They’ve really contributed to the growth of this program over the last four years,” Rohrman said. “I can’t say enough about the quality we have in that group.”
Though the elimination by Michigan is likely the end of the line for UW, a number of pieces could fall into place and net them a spot in NCAA postseason play. For the at-large bids, RPI — a measure of strength of schedule as well as results — is taken into consideration. The Badgers are currently No. 26 in RPI, which puts them in contention to receive one of 26 at-large spots in the 48-team field. The strength of the Big Ten as a conference could play in UW’s favor when the teams are selected, as well as the fact that the game technically goes in the books as a tie, with Michigan advancing on PK’s.
If Thursday’s game indeed ends UW’s season, it will leave a bitter taste in Miller’s mouth. Although all three of the Big Ten tournament opening round games went to overtime, the Badgers were the only team to be eliminated on penalty kicks, making it all the tougher to swallow.
“It’s an unfair way to go out, but I guess it’s part of the game,” Miller said. “It’s the worst way to go.”