Wisconsin took its first loss of the season this weekend at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Classic, losing to Binghamton Sunday after beating Cal State Northridge Friday.
The Badgers, who entered the weekend ranked No. 21 in the nation, fell to 4-1-1 after the 1-0 defeat to the Bearcats, who are now 3-1-2.
Freshman forward Andy Tiedt netted the Sunday game's only goal in the 37th minute on a pass inside the box from junior defender Kyle Kucharski. It was the first goal in Tiedt's collegiate career, and it proved to be the game winner.
Junior goalkeeper Jason Stenta made three saves for Binghamton to preserve the shutout. It was the third shutout of the season for Stenta.
The loss was the first for the Badgers since November 2007, when Wisconsin fell to Northwestern. This was also the first time that Wisconsin was shut out all season.
The Bearcats outplayed Wisconsin both offensively and defensively. Binghamton was able to get off 16 shots on Wisconsin, six of which were on target. On the other end, the Bearcats limited the Badgers to 11 shots and just three on goal. Binghamton also earned nine corner kicks, compared to the four won by Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's offense was not held in check on Friday, however, as the Badgers scored twice in a 2-0 victory over the Matadors.
The teams played a scoreless first half before senior forward Victor Diaz took advantage of a crucial Northridge turnover by turning it into a goal. The score was the first of the season for Diaz, who led Wisconsin in goals last season.
It was not long until Wisconsin doubled its lead. Senior midfielder Kenny Dix took a pass from junior forward/midfielder Pablo Delgado and struck it home to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead just over two minutes after Diaz's goal. The strike was Dix's first of the season. Junior midfielder Brandon Miller was also credited with an assist on his pass to Delgado.
Junior goalkeeper Alex Horwath and the Badgers' defense held off the Matadors to earn the shutout. The Matadors launched 19 shots, nine more than Wisconsin, but Horwath was only forced to make saves on four of them. The shut out was the second of the season for Horwath.
The win Friday marked the first time Wisconsin had started its season undefeated after five games since 2001. With the loss, Northridge fell to 3-2-0 on the season.
The Badgers will begin Big Ten play at Indiana September 21.
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
