The Wisconsin men’s soccer team (1-1-0 Big Ten, 9-2-1 overall) have won their past four games, but all of them have been at home.
One of those games was a thrilling come from behind 4-3 win against defending NCAA champions Indiana (1-2-0, 4-8-1) who have been struggling this season. Another was their last win Tuesday 1-0 against Western Illinois (1-2 Summit League, 3-10 overall) when they outshot the Leathernecks 27-3.
“Being at home helps,” said head coach John Trask. “That’s the mark of a pretty good team. You can win in a high scoring affair and then turn around and play a very pesky [Western Illinois] team that wasn’t going to give us anything easy.”
“That says a lot about our character,” said junior defender AJ Cochran. “Being down 2-0 and 3-1, we were always behind chasing. But when we did win the game, it was obviously a big win. [Against Western Illinois] it was different. It was just one of those games where it was hard to score. Finding a way to win that game also shows another dimension of our game.”
The last time the Badgers were on the road was Sept. 29 at Penn State (3-0-0, 8-3-1) where they lost 3-1 in their Big Ten opener.
Wisconsin will play at Michigan (1-2-0, 5-4-3) Sunday. Although the Badgers are 3-1 in the last four meetings against the Wolverines, Michigan ended Wisconsin’s season last year in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
“Obviously it does burn that we did lose to them last year,” Cochran said. “But we are going in there with a different attitude this year. Hopefully we can continue our success up in Michigan.”
“If that motivates the guys, good for them,” Trask said. “We are trying to put together a great season in 2013. I think what motivates them is the opportunity to play a very good Big Ten team on the road and test ourselves.”
The Wolverines are coming off of an upset, winning 1-0 over No. 12 Creighton (2-1-1 Big East, 6-4-2).
“They are going to be ready, we are going to be ready, hopefully it will be a great soccer match,” Trask said.
For the defense to limit the Michigan offense, Cochran stressed the importance of communication.
“We just have to play together,” he said. “In the past, our positioning here and there has not been spot on. But in the last game our defense played really well and hopefully we can build off that momentum, make sure our communication is good, and put up a shutout.”
