The Wisconsin men's soccer team concluded their 2009 preseason slate Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Akron at the National Soccer Festival in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The Badgers finished the preseason 1-1. The 1-0 victory came against UW-Parkside in overtime Aug. 24 at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
The Akron Zips, ranked No. 3 in the country, opened up the scoring in the eighth minute on a goal by sophomore forward Teal Bunbury. Wisconsin nearly answered shortly after but was unable to convert on a scoring chance.
The 1-0 score held until halftime, but Akron was able to extend their lead shortly after the intermission. Junior All-American midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong found the net on a 20-yard free kick to give the Zips a 2-0 advantage.
Wisconsin finally found the back of the net in the 70th minute on a goal by freshman forward Ata Ozbay. Sophomore forward Mark Roos served a ball to senior forward Scott Lorenz, who in turn flicked it to the back post, where a sliding Ozbay knocked it home for the final tally of the game.
Ozbay had a strong preseason for the Badgers. He also assisted on Wisconsin's only goal against UW-Parkside in the first exhibition match.
""We knew Wisconsin would provide a tough test, especially with the sloppy field conditions,"" Akron head coach Caleb Porter said. ""They were organized and dangerous on restarts, which is the type of game we will see a lot this year.""
The Badgers will begin the 2009 regular season at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. Wisconsin hosts Virginia Tech in the second matchup of the Middleton Sports & Fitness Invitational, a three-day event featuring four games with four teams. The game will follow a match between UW-Milwaukee and Western Illinois. Wisconsin faces Western Illinois in the final match of the Invitational Sunday.
