The UW men's soccer team will try to capture its 10th win of the season this week as it prepares to host its last non-conference, regular-season match against Drake.
The Badgers (9-6-2 overall) are coming off three straight victories as well as their sixth shutout of the season last week, when they beat Northern Illinois 1-0. The Bulldogs are undefeated in the Missouri Valley Conference (3-0) and post an 11-3 overall record.
Junior midfielder Scott Lorenz, who leads the team with nine goals and scored the winning goal against Northern Illinois, said the team is feeling good about going into this game and will try to keep the momentum strong.
We've been finding the back of the net, which is key. We're going to try to keep that going,"" he said. ""Drake is a very good team. They've been in and out of the top 25 all year. We know it's going be a real competitive game, so that's definitely going to translate into what's going to happen next week.""
Starting Nov. 13, the Badgers will host the Big Ten tournament, where they will have the chance to make up for four losses to Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State earlier this season.
With Penn State's upset win over Indiana last Saturday, the Badgers are guaranteed the No. 7 seed in the tournament, which means they will face the No. 2 seed, likely either Michigan or Northwestern, in the opening round.
In the last three games, the Badgers have outscored their opponents 7-1, and are heading into the Big Ten tournament. A victory on Wednesday would give the team its ninth non-conference win and important momentum heading forward.
""We just have to stay focused, and we're going to have to finish the chances we create. There's going to have to be a lot of movement and a lot of good play in the attack to unbalance this Drake team,"" head coach Jeff Rohrman said.
Additionally, Rohrman said that because of the level of Drake's play, this game more or less replicates the kind of game that the Badgers will face in the Big Ten tournament.
""We have to be very focused and disciplined in our defending, and we can't lose track of players,"" Rohrman said ""We're going to have to exhibit some patience and realize it's a 90-minute game and our chances will come if we keep doing the things we've been doing the last few games.""
Wisconsin faced the Bulldogs last season and lost 3-1. A year later, according to junior goalkeeper Alex Horwath, the Badgers are looking for revenge and a chance to keep their rankings up.
""This is an NCAA tournament game as far we're concerned. They're ranked just below us in RPI and this is a team we have to beat. This is a tournament game for us, essentially,"" he said.
Kickoff between the Badgers and Drake will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the McClimon Complex.
