The University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team (3–4–1, 0–2 Big Ten) were unable to defeat Northern Illinois Wednesday night, ending the match in a draw.
The Badgers spent the entire match pressuring the Huskies, dominating in both set piece opportunities and shots but were unable to find the back of the net.
The squad entered the match following two tough losses to Big Ten opponents — most recently, a 0-2 loss to Rutgers at home. The match against Northern Illinois was a chance to regain steam before returning to conference play.
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Wisconsin started the match strong, with a blast from Jack Finnegan in the fourth minute. That shot set off a series of two corner kicks as the Huskies were unable to clear the ball. These opportunities would be the first of 12 corner kicks awarded to the Badgers — compared to Northern Illinois’ six.
The Huskies would grab their first shot on goal in the 32nd minute. That shot was saved by Carter Abbott, who would go on to grab the third clean sheet of the season for the Badgers.
A series of substitutions would not change the pace during the first half of play and the teams would enter the half level, 0-0.
The second half started out quick. Wisconsin’s Max Keenan got a shot off by the 48th minute. But the Huskies responded, taking the ball to the other side of the field for two corner kicks. Abbott made a massive goal line save in the 50th minute to keep the contest level.
Play got rougher after the corners, with a series of fouls for both squads. Referee Dimitrios Katsimingos had to reach to his pocket in the 58th minute for a yellow card given to the Huskies’ Angel Rodriguez, the only booking of the night.
The rest of the half was a back and forth battle between the two sides. The Badgers had an obvious edge over Northern Illinois, but were unable to convert in the final third. Tim Bielic got the last action of the game, taking a last second shot clear left of the goal.
The scoreless tie is the fourth match this season where the Badgers were unable to find the back of the net. With support for the Badgers only growing this season with efforts by Area Red’s Colony, a night of prime goal-scoring opportunities squandered, disappointment was obvious.
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“A little bit disappointed in a tie,” Head Coach Neil Jones said. “We limited them to a few chances, and had more good looks. We are a little bit disappointed we couldn’t find a goal tonight.”
The team returns to McClimon Oct. 7 for the “Pack the Mac” match against conference rival Michigan.
