The Wisconsin men's soccer team (0-4-1 Big Ten, 2-12-2 overall) opens its final week of regular season play Wednesday night at the McClimon Soccer Complex. The Badgers are looking to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to Ohio State Sunday night when they host the University of Illinois-Chicago.
When UW takes the field against UIC, Wisconsin head coach John Trask will be facing the team he coached for five years prior to joining the Badgers. The added incentive may be a determining factor in the outcome of the game. When the Badgers faced Trask's alma mater, Indiana, Wisconsin played to its only non-losing result, leaving Bloomington with a 1-1 tie.
The Flames are led by midfielder Derek Huffman, who has eight goals and two assists on the season. Not far behind him is forward Eric Frazier with six goals and four assists. The two have combined for 14 of the team's 18 goals and are the key to the Flames' offense.
Leading the Badgers in goals and points, freshman forward Chris Prince has emerged this season as Wisconsin's main threat. Prince accounts for seven of the 16 goals the team has scored this season. The last time out, Prince recorded three shots on goal. Prince is currently tenth in the Big Ten in points, seventh in goals and eighth in goals per game.
Prince's recent offensive production has helped the team to strengthen its ability to score goals. After 12 games, the Badgers had scored only eight goals. But despite the slow start, Wisconsin has found the back of the net eight times in their last four games. Prince led this surge in production scoring five goals over that stretch on his way to earn Big Ten player of the week following his hat trick against Northwestern.
In addition to Prince, a duo of freshmen has made their mark this season. Midfielder Joey Tennyson has two goals and one assist on the season, and midfielder Nick Janus has recorded one goal and three assists. Also contributing to the Badgers' offensive surge is senior defender Aaron Nichols, who has scored twice this season and has a pair of assists.
Wisconsin will likely face UIC keeper Steve Purdy Wednesday night. Purdy holds a goals against average of 1.17 and a save percentage of .785. These numbers are good enough to put Purdy at fifth in the Horizon League in goals against. Purdy also has four shutouts on the season, putting him at third in the Horizon League.
The Badgers lead the all time series against the Flames 4-2-0 despite losing last season in Chicago 3-0. Prior to their loss last season, the Badgers took four straight from UIC.
With only two games left in the regular season, the Badgers are looking to finish strong with a pair of wins.
