When the Wisconsin men's soccer team travels to Illinois to play Northwestern Saturday, it will be focused on getting back to basics and playing up to its potential.
The season so far has been a mixture of ups and downs for the Badgers (0-1-1 Big Ten, 5-3-2 overall).
In their last game, the Badgers suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to Michigan State despite having greater possession and more attempts on goal.
The game against Michigan State was more of an aberration than anything,"" senior defender Nick Caronna said. ""We've been working to get back to the point that we were before that game.""
Head coach Jeff Rohrman emphasized the need for more consistency from the Badgers.
""We have to make teams beat us, we can't beat ourselves,"" Rohrman said. ""And I think on Sunday, we felt in a lot of ways that we beat ourselves instead of [Michigan State] beating us.""
In Northwestern, the Badgers face a team still smarting from a 2-1 loss to Penn State that ended its eight-match unbeaten streak this season.
The Wildcats' main strengths stem from their organization and discipline on the field.
""They're also going to work very hard, and we're going to have to match that and exceed that on Saturday if we're going to be successful,"" Rohrman said.
The Badgers won the last encounter between the pair 2-0 at the McClimon Soccer Complex, but they need to improve on their ability to kill off a game to beat Northwestern this time round.
Against Michigan State, the Badgers took control of the game for the most part, but were caught napping on several occasions.
Rohrman felt the Badgers played well but lacked the cutting edge going into the penalty box.
""I don't think our chances were of high quality, and we didn't keep things as sharp as we needed to,"" he said. ""In terms of buildup, I think it was pretty good for a large part of the game. It's just in that final third I think we can be a little bit more precise and more focused on finishing things off.""
The ingredients the Badgers need to be a dominant force in the Big Ten are certainly there - a steady goalkeeper, a defense that has shown itself to be rock solid at times and a forward line that is irrepressible when its firing on all cylinders.
What's left is for Rohrman to mold the team into a consistent unit capitalizing on its strengths and minimizing unnecessary errors.
""We have to minimize mistakes and be more efficient when we move forward,"" Rohrman said. ""Hopefully, we'll be a bit more precise and have a bit more quality in our attack on Saturday.""
The Badgers welcome senior defender B.J. Goodman from an ankle injury. He is expected to play some part against Northwestern Saturday.
Sophomore midfielder Pablo Delgado remains doubtful with a thigh injury.
""Both teams have players with a lot of skill and athleticism, and it's going to be a game of high quality and good play,"" Rohrman said.
The Badgers kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
