The Wisconsin men’s soccer team seems to be finding their footing in conference play.
Coming off a two-game winning streak with a dominant 8-0 win against Lakeland on Oct. 6, followed by their first conference win over Rutgers 1-0 on Oct. 10, men's soccer upset the No. 10 UCLA Bruins in a triumphant 4-3 home win on Oct. 16.
Badgers cruise past Lakeland in non-conference matchup
Wisconsin took care of business against Lakeland, crushing them 8-0 and tying the record for the most goals scored at McClimon. The team scored five goals in the second half and outshot them 28-1, with 16 shots on target and 11 corner kicks.
The Badgers wasted little time before putting a number on the scoreboard. Junior Forward Cristobal Porter scored two goals, with one in the 15th minute from inside the box, and the second in the 18th minute from the top of the box into the top left corner to bring him up to four goals on the season.
In the second half, it was freshman Forward Christopher Salazar who stole the show with the Badgers’ first hat trick since 2024. He scored his first three goals as a Badger in the 60th, 70th and 73rd minutes.
“My teammates put me in those positions, so I'm not going to sit here and take credit for it,” Salazar told The Daily Cardinal. “I was blessed with the opportunity to play, and they put me in great spots to score, and all I had to do was tap it home.”
Other players who saw increased playing time this game included Goalkeepers Luke Shrivers and Charlie Smith, freshman Defender Emory Ortwein, freshman Midfielder Dominik Baczewski and sophomore Forward Caleb Capone.
While it may have been easy for the team to overlook a nonconference game like this, senior Defender Ellis Jones said every game presents its own challenges, and the team focused on giving many players opportunities to play. Jones added the importance of seeing more goals in the back of the net.
“That was a big emphasis from the coaching staff. Running in behind, affecting the back line and shooting,” Jones told the Cardinal.
Badgers earn their first conference win over Rutgers
Wisconsin earned their first conference win of the season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Oct. 10.
Sophomore Midfielder Aiden Martinez scored his second goal of the season in the 21st minute after a cross from outside the box was initially deflected by a Rutgers player before finding its way to Martinez, who punched it in. This proved to be the only goal of the game, giving the Badgers a 1-0 win.
Rutgers had 11 shots and two on target compared to Wisconsin's seven shots and three on target. Junior Midfielder Matthew Zachemski had four of the team's seven shots.
“That was a tough, nitty-gritty game. Both teams were going into it, tackles flying everywhere, and getting that early goal really separated us in the game,” Salazar said.
Nonetheless, without a conference win heading into their matchup against the Scarlet Knights, Jones said the team felt a different sense of urgency. He said the big thing emphasized throughout that week was leaving their game against Rutgers with three points.
“We hadn't won a conference game yet, and we needed to get off the mark,” Jones said. “And what a win to do it wasn't maybe the prettiest game of football you've ever watched, but at the end of the day, three points is three points, and moving up the league slowly.”
This win marked the first time Wisconsin defeated Rutgers since 2021, and Goalkeeper Judewellin Michel’s fifth shutout of the season helped him earn his second Goalkeeper of the Week award in the Big Ten.
Jones said the team’s recent results against Lakeland and then Rutgers helped build momentum and confidence heading into their game against UCLA.
Badgers come on top of back-and-forth game to build win streak to three
The Badgers faced one of their biggest tests of the season Oct. 16, where their resilience and grit ultimately helped them defeat the No. 10 UCLA Bruins 4-3.
Just 11 minutes into the game, UCLA Midfielder Jaime Amaro scored his sixth goal of the season on a free kick. However, the Badgers responded soon after with a goal of their own in the 19th minute when a cross from sophomore Defender Isaac Brown-Samper was headed in by Roman Eisa.
Throughout the game, especially early in the first half, both teams moved the ball well and kept possession for extended periods.
In the 34th minute, Wisconsin extended their lead when a poor touch by the Bruins goalkeeper allowed Markie Hrvojevic to poke it in. But the Badgers' lead was erased just 16 seconds later, when UCLA intercepted a pass, and Forward Diego Castano took three dribbles before curling a shot into the net to tie the game once again heading into halftime.
Just two minutes into the second half, a foul in the box gave a penalty to the Badgers — an opportunity capitalized on by Zachemski, who scored to put the Badgers back on top. But soon after, it was UCLA’s turn when a Wisconsin player committed a foul in the box, leading to Castano’s second goal of the game on a penalty.
As the second half progressed, both teams continued to play aggressively on offense, pushing the ball upfield on counterattacks and whipping crosses into the box.
“[UCLA is] well renowned for keeping the ball and moving the ball really well and beating pressure,” Jones said. “So you give them credit for that. But to our credit as well, we stopped them for the most part.”
In the 75th minute, the Badgers responded once again. Junior Midfielder Julian Kuhr lifted a free kick to the top of the box, where it found sophomore Midfielder Aiden Martinez. Martinez flicked the ball over the Bruins’ defensive line, where Jones ran onto it and struck it with his left foot for the game-winning goal.
Salazar described the team as resilient in handling momentum swings and answering the call every time momentum seemed to swing to the Bruins’ side.
“We may bend, but we're never gonna break,” Salazar said. “And we went down a couple times, and we got scored on, but we never looked up. We always look forward, and we persevered.”
Home-field advantage has played a major part in the Badgers’ season so far, as the team has yet to lose a game at McClimon, with a record of 6-0-2.
“It's amazing for us to have these people here…it's an advantage for sure,” Jones said. “Because teams don't want to come and play in the cold. They don't want to come and play in these dirty nights that we thrive in.”
This win marked the Badgers' first top-10 win since they beat No. 2 Kentucky in 2023.
Wisconsin will play its final nonconference game of the regular season against Evansville on Oct. 20 at McClimon, and will resume Big Ten play at Penn State Oct. 24.
