The McClimon curse continued on Wednesday night as the Wisconsin men’s soccer team lost a late stunner to Marquette and moved to 0-6 at home in front of a crowd of 803.

The annual I-94 rivalry brought out divided stands as the cheers appeared to be split between the Badgers and visitors from Milwaukee.

Coming into the game, the Badgers (2-8-1) had just grabbed an impressive tie against Big Ten opponent Michigan and returned to Madison to try and snag two home victories before going on a two week away stretch.

The loss gives the team only three more opportunities to win at home this season.

The first half was a toss up between the two teams with relatively few real opportunities presenting themselves, even though the teams recorded a combined 20 shots. The best opportunity for a goal in the half and probably the game for the Badgers came in the 37th minute off a routine shot by Tom Barlow that careened off the post. The Golden Eagles (4-4-2) essentially controlled the half, but the lack of a score left the game up for grabs going into the second half.

Despite the final score, the Badgers dominated the second half. The young team controlled the tempo and possession for much of the half and it looked that if anyone would score in the match, it would be Wisconsin. The two teams remained knotted at 0-0 until a tap in from Marquette forward Kelmend Islami off a long cross in the 77th minute secured the victory for the Golden Eagles.

The Badgers would have one more attempt from defenseman Sam Brotherton that beat the keeper but hit the post, adding more pain to another loss.

“I compliment Marquette by making the play to win, but there were too many mistakes by us,” UW head coach John Trask said. “Guys have to take accountability at this point. It’s not about growing up, guys need to harden up.”

Trask also said that while an in-state rival is always an important game to play at home, the team is jockeying for position in the Big Ten right now and the improvements in the defense are promising. The Badgers defense had their hands full with one of the nation’s best forwards in Nortey, and Trask said that he was confident in their ability to shut him down.

“You can’t sugar coat it any more with these guys,” Trask said. “You have to have to be a little more poignant and we are moving in that direction. I always count on these guys to bounce back and I think they will.”

Next up, Wisconsin hosts Big Ten opponent Michigan State at McClimon on Saturday at 7 p.m.