The young University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team (1-4-0) hopes to get back on track this week.
After falling to Rutgers last Friday and losing twice on their last road trip, the Badgers are preparing for another tough East Coast team to come to Madison.
Although Wisconsin currently starts four freshmen, the new players are beginning to play well together, which began to show in their Big Ten opener last week against Rutgers.
“We made great strides last week going into the Rutgers game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result, but the performance was better, and we are looking for continued improvement this week,” Wisconsin head coach John Trask said.
The strong back line of St. John’s will also test the Badgers’ offense. If UW wants to try to attack the defense, they will have to match the intensity of the road team.
“They’re a program that believes in hard work and intensity,” Trask said. “We’ve got to, hopefully, at least compete at their level if not more.”
The Badgers demonstrated they have the intensity to play a full 90 minutes in last week’s game when they fought and scored a tying goal in the 88th minute.
On top of the intensity that St. John’s will bring, they have always been an organized and disciplined team. That makes it all the more important that Wisconsin possesses the ball cleanly and makes smart decisions in their attack to create gaps and opportunities to score.
Trask is trying to have the team play cohesively, which is noticeable on the offensive end so far.
Offensively, freshman forward Mark Segbers and another freshman forward, Tom Barlow, have been on the same page, scoring six goals combined so far this season. In the last game, the two scored both goals on through balls that allowed them to get behind the defenders.
“Two balls through last week changed the game with their pace and their technique,” senior defender David Caban said.
Not only are those two guys quick, but they also have the chemistry from playing club soccer together in Missouri for many years.
“Our biggest advantage is in our frontrunners, Mark [Segbers] and Tom [Barlow],” redshirt junior Carl Schneider said. “We have a ton of speed, and defenses have trouble working with their chemistry and their speed.”
The Badgers know their advantage lies up front with the young speedsters, so the team will attempt to find a way to get the ball to the players with opportunities to score. Expect UW to push the midfielders up field and pressure St. John’s defensive line.
It hasn’t just been the offense that has been steadily improving. The Badgers’ defense has been working better together as the season continues.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Casey Beyers had an impressive showing last weekend against Rutgers with nine saves, and he will want to have another good game against St. John’s this weekend to keep Wisconsin in the game.
Wisconsin will try to wear them down on both the offensive and defensive ends to get more opportunities.
“They’ll definitely be an organized team,” Caban said. “In past years, they’ve always been well organized, well disciplined; they will be hard to play through. If we can make one more play than they can, that’s all we need.”
The organization of a team like St. John’s can frustrate opponents, but Wisconsin intends on keeping their composure and constantly attacking if they want opportunities.
On the defensive end, the Badgers are focusing on making more plays that will give them more chances on the offensive end and make life easier on Beyers.
“Last game, we felt like we left the other team off the sideline way too much, and this week, we are focusing on pinning them to a side, winning the ball and going [up field] from there,” Schneider said.
The Badgers have given up 11 goals in five games this season, indicative of the inconsistency of the starting lineup and many new faces getting adjusted to the system.
As the defense comes together, Wisconsin expects better results that will put the Badgers back in the win column.
Wisconsin takes on St. John’s at 7 p.m. Friday at the McClimon Complex.
