Wisconsin surrendered a lead in their fifth consecutive game as the Badgers fell to Oakland (Mich.) Wednesday at the McClimon Soccer Complex, 3-2.
It's very frustrating,"" head coach Jeff Rohrman said. ""When you get a lead you have to keep doing the things that got you the lead, and unfortunately we let our guard down and made some mistakes.""
Senior Nick Caronna opened the scoring for Wisconsin, sending a header past junior Oakland goalie Steve Clark on a set piece from junior Victor Diaz. And once again, Wisconsin was able to net the initial goal, this one coming in the 14th minute.
""I was looking for [Caronna] and I put it in a good spot,"" Diaz said of his cross.
The quick strike filled Rohrman with optimism.
""We started out well,"" Rohrman said. ""I thought we were going to have a good day.""
The good feeling disappeared two minutes later as Oakland's Piotr Nowak fired a 20-yard shot that deflected off a Wisconsin defender and past UW goalie Ryan Vint. Vint, a red-shirt freshman, was making just his second career start.
The dagger for Wisconsin came late in the second half. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Oakland sent a free kick from their own half into the penalty area. Junior Endre Osnes controlled the ball, and was able to turn around and thread the needle on a low shot through the box.
""That was a critical point for us,"" Rohrman said. ""We could have gone into halftime tied despite not playing that well.""
Instead, the Badgers opened the second half facing a 2-1 deficit, and it was not long before the Grizzlies extended their lead.
Oakland caught Wisconsin on a fast break, and Nowak found Osnes in the penalty area with space. Osnes, who was just barely onside, received the pass and scored on a low shot towards the far post, giving Oakland a 3-1 lead in the 58th minute.
Wisconsin narrowed the gap in the 71st minute on a goal by sophomore substitute Brian Bultman.
UW was able to sustain a lengthy possession in Oakland's third of the field. Sophomore Brandon Miller crossed the ball deep into Oakland's penalty area, and a misplay by a Grizzly defender opened the door for Bultman to finish and close the gap to one goal.
The Badgers continued to control the ball in Oakland's half of the field, but could not score a tying goal. Wisconsin had two free kicks late in the game, but could not cash them in for goals.
Another opportunity came on a tricky run by Bultman, in which he carried the ball into the penalty area. But the harassment of Oakland's defenders forced a soft shot from a tough angle, and the effort was handled cleanly by Clark.
The result was a disappointing one for the Badgers, who are currently stuck in a seven-game winless streak.
""Our head wasn't in the game, we didn't play hard, and we didn't bring the attitude,"" a very critical Diaz said. ""I don't think you can take away any positives from this game.""
A disheartened Rohrman agreed with Diaz that the team's performance was not up to par.
""We didn't react too well to setbacks. Our concentration was let down, and they punished us for it.""
The Badgers take on Illinois-Chicago Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Windy City.
