With gray clouds covering the sky and a steady rain pouring down, the gloomy weather seemed to match the mood of the UW men's soccer team as they walked off the McClimon Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon.
The Badgers dropped to 3-3 on the year after losing both of their hard-fought matches in the 2006 Middleton Cycle & Fitness Wisconsin Soccer Invitational. No. 6 Washington defeated UW 2-1 on Friday, while Creighton downed the Badgers 1-0 in overtime Sunday.
Yet, according to head coach Jeff Rohrman, the losses did not come without lessons learned.
""We learned Friday to stay in it for the duration,"" Rohrman said. ""You have to stay focused and continue to work and realize it's not over yet.""
The highly-ranked Huskies, who entered Friday's contest undefeated, did not intimidate the men in cardinal and white. From the start, UW put pressure on the Washington defense and the Badgers outshot the Huskies nine to five in the first half.
Wisconsin grabbed the lead in the 52nd minute when junior Dirk Pearson tallied his first goal of the season. Sophomore forward Victor Diaz set up the score by beating his defender along the left endline and then centering the ball to Pearson.
The Badgers had little time to enjoy their lead, as Washington midfielder George John cut through the Wisconsin defense and scored unassisted in the 55th minute.
John would also kick the game winner with just over 10 minutes left in regulation to end the Badgers' three game winning streak.
""We didn't follow up a strong first half,"" Pearson said. ""We had high expectations for this game and we kind of let ourselves down.""
The Badgers lost more than the game Friday. Diaz, UW's leading goal scorer in 2005, injured his shoulder while falling to the ground with a Husky defender late in the contest. Rohrman said the injury was either a strain or sprain and said Diaz would have an X-ray Monday.
As the drizzle turned to rain Sunday afternoon, the Badgers looked to rebound against Creighton.
Despite slipping and sliding on the soggy surface, both teams had opportunities to score. The Blue Jays had a goal taken off the scoreboard midway through the second half when officials determined that goal scorer Michael Kraus had been offsides.
However, just over two minutes into overtime, Kraus got his redemption as he bounced a shot passed a diving John Settle.
Despite consecutive losses, the Badgers have not lost their confidence.
""We know we can play with anyone,"" freshman forward Eric Conklin said. ""We just need to focus.""
