On a crisp fall night at the McClimon Complex, the Wisconsin men’s soccer team came back from 2-1 down to Penn State to claim a second consecutive home draw.
The Badgers (4-9-3 overall, 1-2-3 Big Ten) opened the scoring five minutes into the second half, only to see the Nittany Lions (6-6-3, 2-3-2) storm back and take the lead 2-1 with 10 minutes left in the game. Sophomore midfielder Mike Catalano came to UW’s rescue as his 85th minute shot deflected off a PSU defender and found the back of the net from 25 yards out.
It was an exciting offensive showdown between the two Big Ten teams with both teams tallying a combined 36 shots during the match. Neither squad was able to find a winner in either overtime period, and Wisconsin now sits in last place in the Big Ten with six points.
The Badgers now have a week off before they travel to Indiana for a Halloween matchup in the penultimate Big Ten game of their season.
Mueller the menace
UW sophomore midfielder Chris Mueller was a pain in the side of the PSU defense all game. Mueller netted his team-leading fifth goal of the season, and was a constant threat down the left wing. Mueller finished the game with four shots on goal, but was unable to score the game-winner.
Catty-lyst
Catalano made his first home start since early September, returning from a hip injury that caused him to miss a considerable portion of the season. Catalano was active throughout the match, and he was the one to answer the bell when the Badgers were searching for an equalizer. His 25-yard effort managed to find the goal and force overtime. Catalano has now scored in two consecutive games following his match-winning goal against UW-Milwaukee.
Collective effort
Senior captain Drew Conner was sent off in the 87th minute after receiving his second yellow card of the game, which forced the Badgers to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match. UW held strong, defending and attacking as a team to see out the draw. Fellow senior captain Carl Schneider made a sliding goal-line clearance in the waning seconds of the second overtime to ensure that Penn State only left Wisconsin with one point.
Senior night
The Badgers honored their 2015 senior class at the beginning of the game. Fans recognized Conner, Schneider, Anders Kristensen, Connor Revsbeck and Adam Lauko for their meaningful contributions to the Wisconsin men’s soccer program over the past four years.
Quotable
Catalano’s thoughts on the game:
“We aren’t satisfied with the result at all. We are just going to keep working, keep our confidence high and get ready for Indiana next week.”
Catalano on scoring his first home goal since being injured:
“It’s a good feeling, especially at home. Being out, you lose a little bit of confidence and you’re just out of things.”
Catalano on UW’s remaining Big Ten matches:
“There’s still a lot left to play for. The season is not even close to over. Postseason, Big Ten tournament — we’re all psyched up for that. We are finally playing a lot better. Last year against Indiana was a massive game and we should have beat them. We are going back there and we owe them a little payback.”
UW head coach John Trask on the team’s performance:
“That little 15-minute period is something that, if we are trying to extend our season more than just a few games here, we are just going to need to be more resolute. In fairness, I thought that when the guys went down to 10 men, they battled a little bit. That’s a move in the right direction for this group of players.”
Trask on the return of Catalano to the starting lineup:
“[Getting Catalano back] is huge. I said it the other day, but Mike had a game winner against UW-Milwaukee, and easily could’ve scored three goals that day.”
