Why should I watch?
Fans should keep their eyes trained on No. 7 Wisconsin men’s soccer despite a recent setback in their first loss of the season to No. 8 Maryland.
This season, the Badgers have a team that looks promising. They welcomed back two of their three top goalscorers from the previous season, including senior Markie Hrvojevic who gives the attack an edge with his veteran presence and experience.
Leading the team alongside Hrvojevic is junior Matthew Zachemski, who boasts three goals and one assist so far this season. Zachemski has drawn a lot of excitement around the team with his late game heroics, namely his eight-seconds-remaining equalizer against No. 3 Ohio State.
A new offensive player to keep an eye on is junior transfer Emile Kisse. Kisse, who joined the roster from Fordham University has been an electric player with three goals scored thus far, showcasing his individual quality in a last-minute winner against Portland.
Kisse has established himself as a high impact player with great speed and a great left foot making him a game changer for Wisconsin.
Alongside Wisconsin's lethal attack, the defense’s dominant play is notable. In 2026, the squad acquired sophomore goalkeeper Judewellin Michel from Indiana, who was recently named a Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week.
Since his acquisition, Michel has proven to be an important addition for the Badgers. He showed that potential with a career-high nine saves against the Portland Pilots that helped the Badgers earn a notable non-conference victory.
The Badgers are looking the best they have in years. They are not only achieving results on the scoreboard, but they’re making the game entertaining.
Wisconsin fans should start to sit up, take notice and witness the great heights Badgersoccer can reach.
Why is that important?
Wisconsin’s dominant 5-1-1 record is not just an impressive stat, it forces a look back at the team's past. Climbing to No. 7 in the national rankings, the program's highest regular-season ranking since 1996, the squad has naturally drawn comparisons to the Golden Era of Wisconsin soccer and its legendary 1995 championship team.
Led by coach Jim Launder, the 1995 Badgers looked promising headed into the season, featuring a star-studded cast of veteran players, and the return of four out of five top scorers from the previous year.
The team first went on to reach Big Ten victory, a run that featured Wisconsin men’s soccer's largest home game attendance to date in their 2-0 win against Indiana Oct. 13, 1995.
The team kept this momentum in their postseason campaign and kept a clean sheet throughout the tournament thanks to the outstanding defense. They reached the championship without conceding a single goal in their five tournament matches.
After defeating the Portland Pilots 1-0, the squad was sent to face the Duke Blue Devils in the final.
The Badgers took the field and immediately asserted dominance in Virginia on Dec. 10, 1995. An outside-of-the-box shot deflection put Lars Handsen in the perfect position to poke the ball past the keeper and score a goal eight minutes in.
In the second half, the score was made 2-0 by Chad Cole in a nearly identical fashion to claim the program's first and only NCAA title in its history.
Where are they now?
After an impressive defensive display, Scott Lamphear was selected as a first team All American and was chosen eleventh overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the MetroStars — now the New York Red Bulls.
Lamphear made a deal with the club that he would finish his engineering degree before joining in 1997. However, after making it to the last round of cuts, he was waived from their roster.
Despite this, Lamphear went on to play professionally for the Rockford Raptors of the United States Integration Soccer League and the Chicago Stingers. Lamphear eventually transitioned to coaching with Colorado College and their NCAA Division lll men’s team and NCAA Division l women's team until 2006.
Lamphear’s attribution to Wisconsin soccer was recognized with an induction into the UW Athletic Hall of fame in 2011.
For Launder, after spending 15 seasons as the badgers head coach from 1982 to1996 — and reaching the pinnacle of D I soccer and earning NSCAA Coach of the year — he was ready for a change.
Launder’s talent followed him in his move. He quickly captured back-to-back Atlantic 10 tournament titles at Dayton in the 1997-98 season, before bringing his expertise to the professional ranks with the Milwaukee Rampage and the MLS Columbus Crew.
Currently serving as the assistant coach of USL Forward Madison Launder has come back to Madison. The college town is building excitement around a program beginning to resemble the legacy left by Lauder in 1996 — the last time Wisconsin men’s soccer was ever ranked No. 7.
