Every student knows about the perks University of Wisconsin athletes get. For football players, it's high-priced defense attorneys for cheap. Basketball players get VIP access to the Kollege Klub and all no fewer than three Facebook groups dedicated solely to their 'hotness.' But the UW men's soccer players may get the best benefit of them all: great frequent flier miles.
That's because for the better part of September, all the Badgers (4-2 overall) have done is travel. Starting at the beginning of the month with a tournament just down I-90 at UW-Milwaukee and finally concluding this weekend at the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle, Wash., they've made the road their home.
And while the faint of heart might wilt after such a daunting opening to the season, this Badger group has responded well so far. Though their record isn't staggering - 2-2 in the first four games of the trips-both losses were one-goal deficits to top-15 teams. Head coach Jeff Rohrman says the chance to go up against the nation's premier soccer programs makes all the travel worth it.
\Out of conference, we need to put together a schedule that's going to test us to see where we are and kind of measure ourselves against other teams and other conferences, specifically some of the better conferences out (west),"" Rohrman said.
This is a sentiment echoed by junior forward Reid Johnson, who has scored one goal each of the last two weekends.
""Every time we go on the road, it's a chance to get our name out there because a lot of people don't have the respect for us that we deserve - or that we feel we deserve,"" Johnson said. ""So when we go on the road it's a chance to prove ourselves to other teams across the country.""
But just because the team looks forward to taking on top competition, that's not to say the long hours away from home are easy. Most of which are spent at the team's hotel. Johnson said the players rarely leave the hotel and occupy most of their time playing cards, watching TV and doing homework.
On the road, everything is (focused) on the game,"" Johnson said. ""We go to places like New Mexico and Washington and there are plenty of sights to see and cool stuff to do, but we're in the hotel most of the time, preparing for the game and resting ... Yes, it can get boring.""
All that extra time serves a purpose though, as it provides the relatively young squad - there are no seniors - with an opportunity to bond. According to freshmen defender Zack Lambo, the coaching staff makes sure the younger players are assigned to stay with older players on the road, just to ""mix it up."" Lambo added that the older players are ""kind of like mentors"" to the new faces on the team. For him, the road trips have been nothing but beneficial.
""(The road trips) are a lot of fun because we bond a lot,"" Lambo said. ""We're in the hotel together. We have team dinners. It's nice because we get to know each other better.""
This weekend, the Badgers will have one final opportunity for road bonding in Seattle, where they'll face arguably their toughest task of the season. Both opponents for the weekend, Portland (2-2-1 overall) and Washington (4-1 overall) are regular fixtures in the national rankings.
""But this one, more than even the past three will include teams that are clearly top-25 type programs ... that have a long storied tradition of soccer. They'll be two tremendous tests for us and two great opportunities.""
And once that test is over, what's the first thing a Badger soccer player does when he gets back to Madison? Well, according to Johnson, ""That depends on if you have a girl or not.""
