With the Big Ten Tournament just around the corner, the Wisconsin men's soccer team seeks another good result when it hosts No. 10 Indiana Sunday to build up some much-needed momentum.
The Hoosiers (4-0-1 Big Ten, 11-4-2 overall) recently clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a 1-0 win against Penn State on Oct. 28 and have posted four straight shutouts in Big Ten play.
Senior defender and team captain Nick Caronna believes the Badgers (0-3-2, 6-6-5) have to recapture their solid early-season defense to beat Indiana.
Indiana are perennially a national championship contender, with that in mind though they're really beatable, they're a young team, and they've lost a bunch of games this year too,"" Caronna said. ""If we played like we did the beginning of the year and like we did again Sunday we'll be in good shape.""
The Badgers' main problem early season was offense, where they struggled to score more than a goal per game.
Goals have come more freely for Wisconsin in recent times, but by the same token, its defense has looked increasingly porous.
The Badgers have been plagued in particular by an inability to close out games despite getting a goal advantage.
""I think we've got too comfortable after taking the lead,"" sophomore forward Eric Conklin said. ""We need to keep up our intensity throughout the entire match.""
Sunday's 2-1 win, the Badgers' first in eight matches, has helped to refuel the team's confidence after a disappointing run.
""We really are getting by some of the issues that were plaguing us in the middle,"" Caronna said. ""It's kind of getting to the point where we're going on a roll going into the Big Ten tournament.""
The Badgers have spread out scoring duties in their past few games, with Conklin, Caronna and sophomore defender Scott Lorenz all tallying goals.
Conklin in particular impressed on Sunday after coming off the bench to score the winning goal against Illinois-Chicago.
""[Conklin] had a really good game,"" Caronna said. ""He held the ball really well and played up top.""
With head coach Jeff Rohrman constantly rotating his forwards this season, Conklin could be handed a start against Indiana. His robust play might help unsettle the Hoosier defense, which has looked solid this season.
However, it will be Indiana that goes into Sunday's game as the favorites to win. One Hoosier who could potentially hurt the Badgers is junior midfielder Brad Ring, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week for scoring two goals in his last two games.
""On Sunday I think it's important for us to go in and take an early lead,"" Conklin said. ""We haven't done well in games where we fell behind.""
The Badgers have yet to come from behind to win this season, so the key is to start strong and score first.
""We've been working on keeping the pressure high, playing the same way even when we're up a goal,"" Caronna said. ""It's everyone's job, all 11 guys on the field.""
