The University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team will take on the Creighton University Bluejays Saturday night in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be the fifth of six spring soccer games for the squad, as they’ve already participated in earlier scrimmages against Green Bay, Notre Dame and Forward Madison FC, who they faced twice.
The Badgers are coming off of a 2–0 loss to Forward Madison in a scrimmage at Breese Stevens Field Tuesday night. While the game did result in a regulation loss for Wisconsin, the test resulted in a noticeably improved defense in the second half, as the Badgers didn’t allow any goals after the 17-minute mark, while having multiple goal-scoring opportunities of their own in the second half.
Forward Madison FC: Badgers and Flamingos face off in intercity scrimmage
Wisconsin will be looking to carry that momentum into this game as stars Noah Leibold and Noah Melick seem poised to make an impact against the Bluejays. Leibold had back-to-back scoring opportunities late in the second half of the Forward Madison FC scrimmage, nearly finding the back of the net.
In eight all-time matchups between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Creighton Bluejays, the Badgers have won just once, back in August 2016. The Badgers won that game by a score of 3–1. However, the teams haven’t faced off since August 2017, when Creighton managed to win a low scoring match 1–0.
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Creighton — one of the top soccer teams in the Big East conference — finished last season with an 11-4-3 overall record, including a Big East Championship appearance against Marquette. The Bluejays are led by junior Luke Haakenson, who finished second on the team with nine points last season.
For Wisconsin, last fall was mostly a period of growth in which the team largely relied upon a young, inexperienced roster to win games. The Badgers closed out the season with an 8-1-1 record after struggling in the early going. The Badgers also managed to earn a Big Ten semifinal berth and will look to take the next step this upcoming season.
