In a devastating loss, the University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team fell 3-2 to Rutgers in extra time in their Big Ten opener.

The Badgers gave up a goal in extra time off a corner kick for the sudden death defeat, just minutes after freshman forward Mark Segbers scored in the 89th minute to tie the game to push it to extra time.

The scoring started when freshman forward Tom Barlow recorded the first goal of the game in the 13th minute, which gave Wisconsin the lead that they ended up holding onto into the second half.

The Badgers seemed to figure some things out on the offensive end, which lead to two goals and a total of nine shots on goal.

“Once you start swinging the ball around and playing faster, the defense doesn’t have time to shift over, which opens up gaps. We have great center midfielders that are able to get the ball up to our front runners, and we just do what we do,” Segbers said.

Segbers and Barlow have become the leaders on the offense, combining for a total of six goals so far this year. Jumping up to this level has been an easy transition for the two forwards, having played together for many years in St. Louis, Missouri. Their connections and teamwork have powered Wisconsin’s offense for a few games now, and connecting with everyone else on the team will only make the attack stronger.

Wisconsin can use this game against a conference opponent as a learning experience, which has allowed them to continue progressing as a team to come together to play better.

“We just have to keep progressing, keep working together, keep pushing each other. It’s going to start falling for us,” Barlow said.

The Badgers’ youthfulness may have played a role in not creating enough chances late in the game. There were opportunities for most of the game, but Wisconsin couldn’t take advantage of the openings to put Rutgers away.

“There was tons of space for through balls the whole game. It was wide open,” junior midfielder Drew Conner said. “If we had a little more composure toward the end of the game — I know everyone is tired, I know everyone’s heads are down. But just a little more vision toward the end of the game would have made it easier to get a few more chances.”

Rutgers evened the game in the 52nd minute on a JP Correa goal and took their first lead of the game with a goal in the 81st minute by Rayon Gibbs, before Segbers scored the equalizer late in the game.

Segbers’s goal late in the game brought hope to a tired Wisconsin side, bringing the momentum to the Badgers before the extra time. However, UW couldn’t capitalize on the momentum, as Rutgers had just too many opportunities, including four shots on goal, throughout the extra time.

Despite giving up three goals, Wisconsin goalkeeper Casey Beyers, who started for the first time all season, played a strong game and recorded nine saves. He saved three shots in overtime alone to keep the Badgers alive for just a little bit longer.

“Hats off to Casey; he saved us five or six times this game,” Connor said. “He was huge for us.”

Beyers ended up conceding the final goal and showed frustration in the loss, but without his performance, the game would not have been close.

Rutgers’ forwards put pressure on Beyers and the Wisconsin defense for the majority of the game, which the Badgers held in check for the first half.

The Wisconsin goalkeeper also picked up a yellow card in the first minute of the game while challenging a forward just outside the 18-yard box.

This foul set the tone for the rest of the game as both goalies were aggressive in their pursuits and had to fend off many shots. Rutgers tallied 22 shots, with 12 on goal, while the Badgers had 13 shots in the game.

The large home crowd for the opener helped Wisconsin keep pressuring late in the game trying to get the equalizing goal, before ultimately falling to Rutgers.

Correa had the final shot in the game that he put in the back of the net off a deflection of the ball inside the box in the 97th minute, which sent the Rutgers team celebrating.

Wisconsin looks to rebound next Friday against St. John’s at the McClimon Soccer Complex for another home game before hitting the road for two weeks.