Looking to notch its second win of the season, the Wisconsin men's soccer team travels to Milwaukee to take on in-state rival Marquette (2-3-2). Playing on their odds going into Tuesday's matchup, the Badgers have a great opportunity to take down Marquette. Dominating the Golden Eagles in recent years, the Wisconsin men claim a 6-1-2 record since 2001.
The Golden Eagles are returning home after a big win in their conference opener against Rutgers; their first win in a Big East opener since joining the conference. Wisconsin will have to be prepared to deal with the confidence that Marquette has coming off their win to avoid another loss. The only loss that the Badgers have suffered against Marquette since 2001 has come on the road.
After suffering a loss to 16th ranked Creighton University this past weekend, the Badgers record fell to 1-5-1, marking their worst start since the 2005 season. Even following a tough overtime loss, head coach John Trask likes the improvement that he is seeing in his team, claiming that results will come if they continue to perform.
Despite a losing record, one area of the Badgers' play has remained solid. Boasting a low goals-against-average of 1.07, red shirt senior goalkeeper Ryan Vint has played very consistently this season. In Friday's loss to Creighton, he recorded a season-high eight saves, bringing his season total to 27. Holding a save percentage of .771, he has one shutout this season.
However, soccer is a game of both defense and offense, and without both, one cannot expect to get results. Hoping to back up the solid play of their keeper, the Badgers will continue to work towards creating quality shots and putting up some goals. Once the Wisconsin offense comes alive, there is no doubt they will start winning games.
One aspect of their play, however, is quite surprising. The Badgers have seen three out of seven games go to overtime already this season. In the three games that have reached overtime, the Badgers are 0-2-1. This statistic is one that Wisconsin hopes to improve on throughout the remainder of the season.
On paper, these two teams seem to be similarly matched. Marquette holds a slightly better record. Each team has let in eight goals and Marquette has scored five goals while Wisconsin has scored four goals. Each team's goals-against-average are nearly the same, along with save percentages. Every way you look at this matchup, neither team seems to hold an advantage.
The path to gaining an advantage in this game just may lead to an unlikely spot. That spot is senior defender Aaron Nichols. After being named one of three captains for the 2010 season, Nichols scored his first career goal against Santa Clara. He currently leads the team in goals with two, points with four, and shots on goal with four. Being able to achieve this as a defender may give the Badgers an edge in this game.
