The Wisconsin Men’s Soccer team dropped two critical non-conference games last week to Butler and Portland, mainly due to a painful 180-minute, unrelenting offensive shortage.
In last week’s losses, Wisconsin failed to score, ultimately losing both matchups 1–0.
Men’s Soccer: Badgers fall to Butler, Portland without scoring a goal
The schedule does not soften for Wisconsin as the Badgers travel to Bloomington to take on the defending 2018 Big Ten champion, Indiana, on Friday.
The star-studded Hoosiers enter play undefeated and ranked fourth in the country with a 3-0-1 record. With their early season success, the Hoosiers are firmly poised for another national championship run.
In their lone matchup against Wisconsin last year, the Hoosiers controlled the game offensively, accumulating 17 total shots en route to a 3–1 victory.
Badger soccer looks to gain momentum heading into Big Ten play
A key player to watch for Indiana will be redshirt junior, Ian Black. After contributing to Indiana’s deep tournament run the year prior, Black became more assertive offensively in his third year.
The junior from Fort Wayne leads Indiana with three goals on the year. Black displayed his flare for heroics in Indiana’s previous contest against Denver, notching a game-winning overtime goal.
Following this battle against one of the nation’s best, the Badgers will host in-state rival Marquette on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles have started strong with a 2-1-1 record but face a grueling week with three games in the next seven days.
Marquette relies heavily on senior leadership. They are led by three-year starters Josh Coan and Connor Alba who are tied for the team lead in goals with two apiece. After finishing the year under .500, Marquette is looking to rebound with a successful 2019 season.
In the past week, Badgers senior goalkeeper Dean Cowdroy was a machine as he allowed just two goals and saved six out of eight shots on target. Unfortunately for Cowdroy, the offense struggled to score and ultimately wasted his great play between the bars.
Even after this weekend of tough competition, things won’t get any easier for the Badgers. Next week, another Big Ten powerhouse awaits as defending National Champion Maryland comes to Madison. In order for the Badgers to salvage their season, it’s critical for the team to gain momentum at the onset of this challenging part of their schedule.
