The Wisconsin men's soccer team opened up their Big Ten season at home with a tie against Michigan Saturday.
The Badgers (4-2-2) were up by one with 24 seconds left in regulation when they were called for a foul inside the goalie box. Wolverine Michael Holody scored on the penalty kick.
Wisconsin midfielder Kenny Dix said it's difficult for referees to call a penalty in the box so late in the game.
I mean, 20 seconds left, everyone just giving it their all, it's just a really tough call to make. But, you know [the referee] saw something I didn't, so I'm not going to say it was a bad call,"" he said.
Wisconsin head coach Jeff Rohrman said he thinks his team started panicking a little bit in the final minutes.
""That's where we didn't show some of the maturity that I thought we needed to in terms of finishing games and doing some of the little things that help you finish off those three, four, five minutes of the game,"" he said.
The Badgers started the game well, pulling ahead in the 28th minute on a goal by Dix. Dix scored on a deflection after Michigan goalkeeper Patrick Sperry blocked a shot from Badger forward Scott Lorenz.
Wisconsin had a scare in the first half as well when a miscommunication between goalkeeper Alex Horwath and the defense almost led to a Michigan goal. The defense attempted to pass back to Horwath but instead passed behind him. The ball hit the goalpost, and Horwath recovered it.
""Balls get placed behind your backs, and that can cause some confusion between your goalkeepers and your backs. We were a little bit fortunate in that instance, but those things can happen,"" Rohrman said.
Rohrman said Horwath is an essential member of this Wisconsin team and makes saves other keepers might not be able to.
""His leadership, his organization has been first class. I can't say enough good things about him. In my opinion, he's one of the best goalkeepers in the conference, if not across the country,"" Rohrman said.
Dix agreed, and said Horwath was the reason Wisconsin walked away from that game with a tie.
""He saved us that game. They had six or seven shots late in the game and Alex played great. The penalty kick, there's nothing he could do. It's like a given goal, but he was the player of the game, I think,"" he said.
Dix said though the Badgers will learn from the Michigan game, they will focus on Western Illinois this week in practice. Wisconsin hosts the Leathernecks on Wednesday at the McClimon soccer complex at 7 p.m.
Rohrman agreed, and said though the Badgers walked away Saturday with a tie, he is proud of his team and what they have accomplished so far this season.
""It's a team that has a lot of resiliency and a lot of fight and a lot of competitiveness, so I know they're going to come out ready on Wednesday,"" he said.
