Friday's 1-0 victory over Gonzaga gave the Wisconsin men's soccer team a consecutive four-game winning streak. But the Badgers failed to keep up their momentum Sunday, as they fell 3-1 to Drake on the final day of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Classic in Milwaukee.
The defeat was a rude shock for the Badgers, who had not let in a single goal in their last four matches.
Against Drake (4-2-0), Wisconsin (4-2-0) conceded two goals in the first thirty minutes.
We started a little slow today and got into a few situations where we didn't respond defensively as well as we would have liked in the first half,"" head coach Jeff Rohrman said.
""Drake is a very good team. If you let them play and give them chances, they'll take advantage like they did today.""
The match was only seven minutes old when Drake's Luke Gorczyca latched on to a blocked shot rebound and smashed in from 20 yards.
Michael Noonan slipped the ball past UW freshman keeper Ryan Vint in the 29th minute to double the Badgers' misery.
Team scoring leader Brian Bultman restored a glimmer of hope when he cut the lead to 2-1 with his third goal of the season in the 56th minute.
The sophomore forward was swift to stab home a rebound after Drake goalkeeper senior Philip Breuer spilled a ferocious shot from junior forward Victor Diaz.
""I thought we responded well to get back to within one goal,"" Rohrman said. ""We had some good momentum, were pushing forward well and really looked like we were going to get the equalizer.""
However, Drake's Garrett Webb put an end to any thoughts of a Badger comeback when he drilled a long-range shot past Vint in the 71st minute to put the Bulldogs back up by two. There was no way back for the Badgers after that.
Yet it had been so different for Wisconsin Friday, when they beat Gonzaga 1-0 after a hard-fought game.
Senior defender Nick Caronna scored the game's only goal and anchored a Badger defense that claimed its fourth consecutive shutout.
Head coach Jeff Rohrman warned his team about the challenge Gonzaga posed, and the Badgers kept his words in mind as they came flying out of the blocks.
The Badgers pressed Gonzaga early on, and their pressure bore fruit in the 13th minute. Diaz curled a corner kick to the far post, where freshman defenseman Cale Cooper flicked the ball on for Caronna to score his second career goal.
The two teams were evenly matched during the first half with four shots each, but Gonzaga pressed forward in their bid to snatch an equalizer. The Bulldogs took nine shots in the final 45 minutes to UW's six.
But Wisconsin maintained a strong defensive line to capture their fourth shutout in a row and hand Rohrman his 50th career win with the Badgers.
""We knew it was going to be a pretty physical and emotional game,"" Rohrman said after the match, ""and it certainly played to that script. But we had a number of excellent performances that the team should be proud of.""
""During the first half, we were giving Gonzaga too much space on our side. After halftime, we tightened up and prevented a tie.""
Despite Sunday's defeat, Rohrman remained upbeat. ""Today wasn't our day, but now we'll look forward to Thursday and UW-Green Bay,"" Rohrman said.
The Badgers seek to regain winning ways when they return to the field Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. to take on UW-Green Bay in Green Bay at Phoenix Field.
Wisconsin then opens Big Ten play Sept. 23 at Michigan.
