In their second Big Ten match of the year, Wisconsin fell to the UCLA Bruins 3-1 Friday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The loss was Wisconsin’s third in a row, adding onto Wisconsin’s already rough season.
The Badgers came into this game with a 2-3 record, looking to turn their season around after back-to-back losses to Portland and Maryland. UCLA has also had an underwhelming start to their season, posting a 1-2-3 record before facing the Badgers. The last time the Badgers faced off against the Bruins was a year ago at home, where Wisconsin won 4-1.
One of the reasons Wisconsin has struggled this year is their inability to start games well. For many games this season, Badger fans have been conditioned to wait until the second half to see a shot on goal. However, this game was not the same story.
One of the few strengths of this Badger team has been set pieces, where they always manage to create chances thanks to their size advantage. In the 4th minute, Wisconsin took advantage of a long free kick whipped in the box, with the ball bouncing off a few players.
UCLA failed to kick it away, and Wisconsin struggled to get a kick due to the scuffle for possession. Badger forward Markie Hrvojevic managed to get a cross in, finding Cristobal Porter who tapped it past the UCLA goalkeeper, opening the score for Wisconsin.
Hrvojevic immediately made his impact felt as he came back to the starting lineup, after not making the starting 11 against Maryland. Meanwhile, Cristobal Porter continues to solidify himself as one of Wisconsin’s best offensive players this season, despite the team’s early struggles.
It did not take much longer for the Bruins to answer. In the 8th minute, forward Sergi Solans played a through ball to midfielder Philip Naef who had lots of space to work with. He managed to find Konstantinos Georgallides in between two defenders, who took a touch and shot the ball in the bottom left corner to tie the game.
Throughout the season, Wisconsin’s fullbacks have struggled to defend counter attacks, having surrendered goals to Portland State, Maryland and UCLA.
In the 59th minute, Solans, off a one-two tactic with teammate Fancis Bonsu, was through on goal and dribbled around Hebert before putting the ball in the back of the net to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
In the 67th minute, Badger forward Caleb Capone failed to clear the ball, an error which proved costly as Bonsu was able to pick it off near the Wisconsin box. He found his teammate Sean Sent who played it immediately back to him. Bonsu was now one-on-one with the goalie and simply had to shoot across the goal. The score was 3-1 for UCLA with a little more than 20 minutes left to play.
Wisconsin’s only shot on goal of the second half came in the 84th minute. Ellis Jones managed to control the ball with his chest off a cross and was in point blank range of the goal, but failed to put enough power in his shot that was saved by UCLA’s goalie.
Wisconsin now sits at a 2-4 record after losing their second Big Ten game of the season. Just a year ago, the Badgers were ranked top 10 in the country. Now, they are dead last in the conference. The ranked days seem far away and it’s hard seeing Jones making it to the end of the season if Wisconsin keeps performing like this.
The Badgers will have to find solutions before their next game, where they will take on the Washington Huskies at home on Sept. 26.
