On Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Wisconsin men's soccer team (3-0-0 Big Ten, 7-4-2 overall) will travel to UW-Green Bay to face the Phoenix (2-2-0 Horizon League, 6-5-1 overall). The Badgers are looking for their fifth win in their last seven games.
The Badgers have been playing phenomenally recently, winning against conference opponents Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State. Wisconsin now controls the number one spot in the Big Ten Conference with three conference games to go.
The Badgers have a lot of players playing good soccer lately, but none better than Tomislav Zadro, who is getting hot just in time for Big Ten Conference play. Zadro leads the team both in goals (four) and assists (seven). Sophomore forward Chris Prince is tied with Zadro for the lead in goals, having scored again in the Badgers' last game against Michigan State.
The Badgers have done well scoring but, more importantly, have prevented their opponents from doing the same. In three Big Ten Conference games, the Badgers have given up just one goal, a testament to the hard work put in by goalkeeper Max Jentsch. The sophomore has increased his level of communication with teammates since the beginning of the year, and the defense has responded well.
The defensive backfield of sophomore Paul Yonga, freshman AJ Cochran, senior Colin Mani and sophomore Trevor Wheeler has been on lockdown mode against rivals, making their opponents take ambitious shots from far away. In fact, competitors are shooting a measly 8.8 percent against Wisconsin, proving that the defense has grown cohesive as a group.
But the Green Bay Phoenix have some talent of their own. The Phoenix leading goal and point scorer, Tony Walls, was named the number one player in the Horizon League. He has been playing smart soccer and has helped the Phoenix to a 3-1-0 home record. Still, they are only at fifth place in the conference, with a 2-2-0 record in the Horizon League.
The only real threat to the Badgers could be the tendency to overlook this game and instead focus on Sunday's matchup against Northwestern. If Wisconsin can stay focused—something that has not been an issue in the past—the Badgers should win this game handily and move to 8-4-2, positioning themselves for a run in the NCAA tournament.
