The University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team (3-0-2, 0-0-0 Big Ten) scored a flurry of goals in the second half of its Monday night game against the Marquette Golden Eagles (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Big East) to win 4-2 under rainy and cold conditions.
The historic matchup came as a final test in the early part of Wisconsin’s season before the team starts Big Ten play this Friday against Penn State.
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The two teams started the game with an even back-and-forth rhythm and minimal shot opportunities. But after conceding a coordinated team goal to Marquette’s Mitar Mitrovic in the 41st minute, the Badgers rallied to return the favor two minutes later with a goal from freshman forward Mitchell Dryden, who headed the ball into the net from a redirected free kick.
The Badgers out-shot the Golden Eagles 15 to eight during the match.
The game was held under heavy rain that became particularly intense in the first half but moderated in the second half. Cold temperatures also seemed to keep some fans home from the McClimon Soccer Complex in Madison.
The Badgers — who came off of a 2-0 win Friday against the University of Alabama-Birmingham — entered the second half with a renewed sense of vigor. The team pressed higher up the field and used its pace to force Marquette turnovers.
That aggressive approach helped the Badgers take its first lead of the night in the 48th minute with a goal from defender Max Keenan, who drove up the right side of the field with a lengthy touch and chipped the ball over Marquette’s goalkeeper.
Keenan went on to score a second goal in the 59th minute with a header from a cross. The junior from Vicksburg, Michigan, finished with two goals and one assist in the match.
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“Great performance from the team tonight,” Badgers head coach Neil Jones said in a UW Badgers game recap. “[I’m] very proud of the group and their continued excitement to grow and improve. I’m fired up to start Big Ten conference play at Penn State on Friday.”
The game was also International Students and Community Night, which aimed to highlight the large international student population at UW-Madison and their contributions to the area, an announcer said at the match. The Badgers men’s soccer team has six international players on its roster who hail from Norway, Spain, Canada, Iceland and Germany.
A contingent of fans donned a Spanish flag in the stadium’s north end. Pamplona, Spain native Iñaki Iribarren — who spent eight years playing for La Liga side CA Osasuna’s academy in Spain against the likes of Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid – earned two assists in the game and a season-high three shots.
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The Badgers continued their scoring campaign with a goal in the 62nd minute from Matt Chandler. But the Golden Eagles bounced back with a goal in the 79th minute, which was a subtle threat for a Wisconsin team that conceded two late goals in the 85th and 90th minutes in a 1-2 loss to Western Michigan last week.
The Badgers will now face the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania Friday at 6 p.m. Penn State was ranked as the number-one soccer team in the Big Ten in a Big Ten coaches preseason poll, while the Badgers were the second-to-last team on the list at number eight.
