The Wisconsin men's soccer team got their season on track last Sunday with their first win of the season against Western Michigan.
Wisconsin (1-1-0) will look to build on that victory when they face Stanford (0-0-1) today in the Cal Legacy Classic in Berkeley, Calif.
The Badgers are in a buoyant mood, and for good reason. Sunday's 1-0 win was the perfect way to mark Coach Jeff Rohrman's 100th game at the helm of the men's soccer program.
On the field, Rohrman has a wide array of attacking talent to unleash on opposing teams, most notably sophomore forward Brian Boltman.
Boltman is a man on fire, with two goals in two games. Rohrman will look to him to maintain his impressive form and spearhead the Badgers' offense again.
The sophomore front man is ably supported by the likes of junior forward Victor Diaz, who has already chipped in with an assist in the team's 3-1 loss to Tulsa, and wily midfield maestro Pablo Delgado.
Yet, the Badgers will find their work cut out for them against a Stanford team flushed with confidence after their pulsating 2-2 draw with top-ranked UC-Santa Barbara on Aug. 31.
Stanford was two goals down against the defending national champions, but rallied with late goals from Dan Shapiro and Scott Bolkan to force a morale-boosting draw.
The Cardinal is likely to fancy its chances against the Badgers, whom it holds a 1-0-0 record against. Their only meeting was in the 1997 St. Mary's College Fall Classic, where Stanford beat Wisconsin 2-0.
Coach Rohrman will be banking on the safe hands of sophomore goalkeeper Alex Horwath to shut Stanford out. Horwath had made four saves on Sunday to earn his first clean sheet of the season. Rohrman will also hope that their previous encounter counts for nothing when the two teams face off in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
After Stanford, the Badgers will face No. 7 California on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The teams last met in 1993, when the Badgers romped to an 8-0 victory in Madison.
