Following a difficult home stand in which the Wisconsin men’s soccer team went 0-3, the Badgers now head to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a Big Ten battle against the Michigan Wolverines.
The Wolverines (5-2-1 overall, 2-0-1 Big Ten) are coming off back-to-back road wins at Oakland and Penn State, claiming 4-1 and 2-0 wins respectively. In Michigan’s last three games overall, they’ve scored nine goals while only conceding one. In comparison, Wisconsin has scored three and conceded nine in the same time span.
The Badgers (2-7-0, 1-1-0) have been a much better road team this season, and they’re looking to pick up their second consecutive Big Ten road win following their double-overtime thriller against Rutgers.
Sophomore midfielder Mike Catalano remains sidelined for the Badgers, so players like Alex Masbruch and Brian Hail will have to continue to fill the void left by Catalano’s absence.
Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at Michigan.
Wisconsin’s key to victory: Start the game with energy
UW tallied two goals in the first 20 minutes in their match against UW-Green Bay, but their energy levels tapered off for the rest of the match. In the previous game, the Badgers were shell-shocked by two early goals from Maryland. If Wisconsin wants to claim a win against a staunch Michigan team, they’re going to have to play with high energy for the entire 90 minutes.
Michigan Player to Watch: Francis Atuahene
The freshman midfielder has started his Wolverine career in a tremendous fashion. Francis Atuahene, a Ghana native, earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 25. He leads Michigan in goals (six), points (15) and assists (three). The Badgers should expect to have their hands full with the young Wolverines’ offensive threat.
