The Wisconsin men's soccer team failed to score for the third straight match, dropping a 3-0 decision to the University of Michigan on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Badgers' scoreless drought has run to 288 minutes, dating back to September 20. The shutout marks the first time the Badgers have been held scoreless three straight times since 1997.
Wisconsin is now 0-2-0 in Big Ten play and 2-5-2 overall without registering a win on the road yet this season. The offense continued to struggle for the Badgers, putting pressure on the defense to hold opponents scoreless.
This match did not stay scoreless for long, however, as Michigan got on the board in the eighth minute. The first goal came when Wolverine senior forward Mauro Fuzetti got his head on a cross from the right wing and slipped it past Wisconsin senior goalkeeper Alex Horwath.
The Badgers held Michigan in check for the remainder of the first half but struggled to generate any scoring opportunities, taking eight fewer shots in the first half than the Wolverines did.
The second half was more of the same for both squads. Wisconsin finished the game with only six shots total, two of which were on frame.
The Wolverines, on the other hand, took 22 shots, including 10 on target. Horwath finished with seven saves for the Badgers, but Michigan goals in the 78th and 83rd minutes paved the way for a Wolverine victory.
In conference play, the level of physicality tends to get turned up a notch, and Sunday's match was no exception.
A total of ten yellow cards were handed out, including two to Wisconsin sophomore midfielder Austin Spohn. He was automatically ejected from the game upon receiving the second card. Between the two teams, 32 penalties were called in the match.
The Badgers will now have a full week to prepare for their next match. They return home to face the Michigan State Spartans on Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. at the McClimon Soccer Complex in Madison.
The Spartans are also winless in two conference tries so far, but sport a 5-3-1 record overall. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Penn State on Sunday, and will face Western Michigan on Wednesday in East Lansing before traveling to Madison next weekend.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
