The Wisconsin men’s soccer season came to a close on Nov. 8 as Indiana knocked them out of the Big Ten tournament 1-0. The loss marked the second consecutive season in which the Badgers failed to finish with a win percentage of at least .500. But a lot of positives can be taken from this season’s performances.
The core of the team is still relatively young, setting Wisconsin up for the opportunity to excel in upcoming seasons. In terms of departures, the Badgers will need to find replacements to fill the voids of senior captains Drew Conner (midfield), Adam Lauko (defense) and Carl Schneider (defense).
But compared to the 2014 season, in which the team failed to win a single game in Big Ten play, and only managed to produce three wins, significant improvements were made during this season. The Badgers finished in seventh place in the final conference standings, claiming a total of nine points — an improvement from the single point the team earned a season prior. Wisconsin also improved their win total to five this season.
Four of those wins came on the road in 2015, as the Badgers proved to be a much better team playing away from the McClimon Complex. For some unexplainable reason, the team’s home record dropped considerably this season. Wisconsin claimed only one win in Madison, and that didn’t even occur until the final regular season game versus Northwestern.
A major part of the team’s success this season was the emergence of sophomore midfielder Christopher Mueller. The Schaumburg, Illinois native led the team in points (15) and goals (5) on the season, including the game-winning goal in double overtime against Rutgers, which gave Wisconsin their first win of the season. Expect Mueller to be a major contributor to the Wisconsin attack in his final two seasons on the team.
But Mueller isn’t the only sophomore that will have a major role to play in the next two seasons. Tom Barlow, Mark Segbers, Adrien Remeniuk, Alex Masbruch, Nick Jones, Mike Catalano and Enda O’Neill are all slated to be key pieces in the Wisconsin starting eleven next season. The youth trend should continue as Big Ten All-Freshman defender Sam Brotherton will likely hold down the center back role in defense throughout the entirety of his Wisconsin career.
In terms of seniority, players like Matej Radonic, Brian Hail, and Luc Kazmierczak will have to serve as leaders during the 2016 season.
It’s also expected that freshman Isaac Schlenker, freshman Elan Koenig, and sophomore Nikola Atlija will see more game time next year as the Badgers reload and refocus on getting back to a level capable of contending for the Big Ten crown.
That young core means the future for the Wisconsin men’s soccer program looks bright on paper. The team, comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores the last two seasons, is gaining valuable experience, and the growing process may finally have a chance to pay dividends in 2016.
