After seven straight losses, Wisconsin (0-3-0 Big Ten, 5-9-0 overall) finally stopped bleeding Badger red against their instate rival, the Marquette Golden Eagles (1-5-1 Big East, 5-7-1).
About halfway through the first half, the Badgers' freshman forward Victor Diaz converted a penalty kick to give them a 1-0 lead. It was all they would need.
Marquette was called for a penalty. Because the infraction occurred in their own box, the Badgers received a penalty kick.UW added on two more in the second half and went on to win 3-0.
The offense broke out and scored three goals, more than it has in any game all season. Not to be outdone, the defense posted its first shutout since Sept. 18 versus Butler.
'It's nice to get the win, I thought it was a good collective effort tonight,' head coach Jeff Rohrman said about the victory. 'We really played well defensively down the stretch.'
The win seemed to pump some life into the struggling Badgers. They are extremely confident about the rest of the season. They have four games left (two conference games) and hope to win out to be at .500 by season's end and have some momentum going into the Big Ten Tournament.
'We're winning out,' promised junior mid-fielder and captain Aaron Hohlbein, leaving no doubt about where he plans to lead his team.
Rohrman was proud of the whole team and could not help but enjoy the standout performances of sophomore forward Christopher Ede, Diaz and sophomore goalkeeper Mike Hood.
Ede tacked on the next two in the second half to put the game away.
'I knew I was going to break out one of these games,' Ede said.
Rohrman shook up the starters a little by giving Hood the start at keeper. Proving to Rohrman that it was the right decision, Hood had four saves and played tough down the stretch while Marquette was threatening. Rohrman said he does not know who will start Sunday at Michigan, but did say he thought junior goalkeeper Jake Settle was the better all around goalie.
Marquette had missed opportunities throughout the night. Shortly into the game, the Eagles appeared to score and looked to make it another long night for the Badgers. However, they were called for offsides, and the goal did not stand.
Rohrman stressed that it will not be easy, but expressed optimism for what his team hopes to do.
'We are playing one of the top schedules in the country,' Rohrman said. However, he refused to doubt his players for the remainder of the season.
'These guys haven't quit. They've gone after every opponent the same way,' Rohrman said. 'We can play with any team in the conference.'
