As all good things usually do, the UW men's soccer team's unbeaten streak ended at six games Sunday afternoon on the road at Ohio State. The Badgers (2-1-1 Big Ten, 7-4-2 overall) fell 2-0 to the Buckeyes (2-1-0, 6-5-2) but still remain tied atop the Big Ten standings with perennial powerhouse Indiana at seven points apiece.
During the six-game unbeaten streak in which the Badgers were 4-0-2, Wisconsin had not allowed a goal in over 430 minutes of play. That streak came to an end midway through the first half when Ohio State defender Dustin Kirby beat Badger goalie Jake Settle from nearly 35 yards out. It marked Kirby's first goal of the season, and first against the Badgers in 464 minutes and 11 seconds of play.
Unfortunately for UW, the Buckeyes were not done scoring quite yet and only 10 minutes later found themselves with a prime scoring opportunity. Ohio State forward Ryan Kustos gathered a rebound and with pinpoint accuracy snuck the ball past Settle and the Badger defense as he used the far post to his advantage, banking the ball into the back of the net.
At the end of 45 minutes of play, the Badgers found themselves down two goals and in need of something special if they hoped to salvage any points on the road.
Unfortunately, the second half proved to be just as unlucky as the first for the Badgers as the 2-0 deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
""It wasn't a good day for us,"" head coach Jeff Rohrman said. ""Ohio State had a couple great strikes and really took advantage of their opportunities. Aside from those couple chances, I thought the game was pretty even although we didn't perform at the level we're capable of.""
The Badgers were unable to create many good scoring chances all afternoon, though junior forward Erik Ortega did lead the Badgers with two shots on goal in only 61 minutes of play. On the defensive side, Settle made five saves for the Badgers, tying his season high.
Wisconsin must look to start a new unbeaten streak on Wednesday against in-state rival Marquette. Despite the loss, Rohrman remained upbeat about the team. ""We had an off day today and we're really looking forward to getting back on the field on Wednesday,"" he said.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
