Coming off its first loss of the season, the Wisconsin men's soccer team is poised and ready for a competitive match against the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers.
The Binghamton Bearcats put an end to the Badgers' undefeated season last Sunday in a 1-0 final that ended their five-game winning streak, dropping the team to a 4-1-1 record on the season.
Inclement weather greatly impacted the condition of the field, which made it increasingly difficult for the Badgers to perform and execute against the Bearcats.
The rain and waterlogged field really leveled the playing field, giving Binghamton a greater opportunity to compete,"" head coach Jeff Rohrman said.
In addition to bad weather, the Badgers also ran into a bit of bad luck when Binghamton scored the only goal of the game. It was in the 36th minute when Binghamton freshman forward Andy Tiedt scored from 3 yards out off a pass that bounced over Wisconsin junior goalkeeper Alex Horwath.
""We were unlucky in the goal,"" junior midfielder/forward Pablo Delgado said. ""I think we worked hard, but it just wasn't our day. Sometimes you try hard and you do your best but the ball just doesn't go in the goal.""
However, before Sunday's defeat, as in previous years, the Badgers have posted strong opening season performances, defeating such teams as Santa Clara in a hard fought 1-0 overtime battle on Sept. 5.
Moving forward into the conference portion of their season, the Badgers look to bounce back from their loss while continuing the high caliber of play they exhibited in their opening matches, viewing Indiana as the perfect opportunity to do so.
""Indiana is going to be a huge test for us. However, we met a very talented Santa Clara team, and we were able to prevail in that game and show a lot of talent and character,"" Rohrman said.
""One of the things about this team is that they recognize that they have started out well in the past and then struggled in the Big Ten portion of the season,"" Rohrman said. ""Although this is an older, more mature and more experienced group, really poised to do well in the conference portion of the season this year.""
The Hoosiers, now 3-1-2 heading into their first conference game against the Badgers, have always posed a tough matchup for Wisconsin, with last year's 0-0 tie being the first game since 1995 the Badgers did not lose to Indiana. Last year's meeting also signified the end of Indiana's 14-game winning streak by Indiana against the Badgers.
Although the Hoosiers lay claim to the majority of wins in the series - 29 in total to Wisconsin's three - the Badgers do not see this as a factor in their upcoming match.
""It's a new season. Indiana is obviously a good program perennially, they are always top-25, but our coach has prepared us well and we feel that we are ready,"" senior midfielder Kenny Dix said. ""All the players are excited about the match-up, and if we play our game, it will be a really good game.""
Kickoff will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bloomington, Ind. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
