Homecoming weekend kicked off Friday night as the Wisconsin men’s soccer team (1-1-0 Big Ten, 8-2-1 overall) defeated the defending national champion Hoosiers (1-2-0, 4-7-1), in a thrilling 4-3 victory at McClimon Soccer Complex.
The victory extended the Badgers’ home winning streak, which dates back to last season, to nine games and gave UW its third win in a row.
The first half was very defensive with most of the play located in the middle third of the field. Neither team able to create good chances toward the goal. Each team was only able to muster one shot on target during the first half, with an Indiana corner kick being turned away by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Casey Beyers.
Wisconsin’s best opportunity of the first half came with about four minutes left as junior forward Jacob Brindle sent a shot just over the cross bar.
“The first half we played a lower defensive line, kind of sat back in our defensive half since we didn’t want to give them anything in the first half,” sophomore midfielder Drew Conner said. “Our goal was to stay in the game early and keep it at zero-zero and start attacking in the second half.”
The second half was anything but defensive, seeing an offensive explosion from both teams.
The Hoosiers opened up the scoring eight minutes into the second half off their third corner kick of the game. Freshman midfielder Tanner Thompson stepped up to take the kick and connected with his brother, freshman forward Tommy Thompson, as the ball ricocheted off a Wisconsin defender, leaving Beyers helpless.
Indiana extended its lead to 2-0 just two minutes later as the Thompson brothers connected once again. Tanner took control of the ball in the midfield, took a few touches, and promptly played a great through ball to Tommy, who finished the ball past the goalie.
The Badgers continued to struggle to find scoring opportunities as the Hoosiers defense stifled any opportunities that UW attempted.
Wisconsin finally broke through in the 65th minute as standout senior forward Nick Janus, broke past the Indiana back line and played a perfect cross to fellow senior forward Toni Ramadani, who volleyed the ball out of the air, beating the Hoosier goalkeeper.
Ramadani’s goal momentarily energized the Badgers, but the energy was quickly quelled as Indiana earned a free kick 40 yards from the goal, just two minutes later. Off of the free kick, IU sophomore forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen soared into the air and headed the ball past a diving Beyers, extending the Hoosier lead to 3-1.
The momentum of the game seemed to change in the 70th minute as Indiana’s leading goal scorer, Tommy Thompson, went down with an apparent right leg injury and needed the medical staff to aid him off the field.
Two minutes later, the Badgers cut the lead to 3-2 off a corner kick, as junior defender A.J. Cochran jammed the ball just across the goal line after an initial save by the Indiana goalkeeper. The assist came from redshirt senior midfielder Tomislav Zadro.
Wisconsin welcomed back Zadro, a 2011 First Team All-Big Ten honoree, who missed the past three games due to minor meniscus surgery on Sept. 30.
The game continued to go back and forth as both teams continued to create quality chances. UW finally broke through in the 82nd minute to tie the game at 3-3, as Brindle finished off a brilliant effort and pass from Conner, who cut up the right side of Indiana defense on the play.
“I took the ball to the end line and cut it back to the six-yard box, which is something we practice all the time, so it was almost natural to me," Conner said. "I knew someone was going to be on the end of that ball, and luckily Brindle was there to finish it.”
The Badgers sealed the game just three minutes later off of another Conner corner kick, this time connecting with Cochran on a header, scoring his second goal of the game and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Cochran then ran to the Badger student crowd, ripping his shirt off in the process and earned himself a yellow card. However, the caution would not get the Badgers down as they finished off the defending national champions, 4-3.
“We just did not want to give up. We are on our home field and we believe we can beat anyone here,” Zadro said. “We have a lot of seniors. We have been through a lot together and we believe this is our year.”
“It was a great win. Knowing they are the defending national champions, they are one hell of a soccer team, and so are the Badgers,” head coach John Trask said. This win may have been even sweeter for Trask, as he beat his alma mater. Trask played for the Hoosiers' soccer team from 1984-87.
“We never gave up. We have a lot of heart and going down two goals against a good team, the defending national champs, it is not easy to claw your way back into a game. You have to continue to push both offensively and defensively, and it took everything we had to get back into this game and I am so proud of this team,” Conner said.
The Badgers will finish up a three-game home stand, as they take on Western Illinois (1-1 Summit League, 3-8 overall) in another tough home matchup Tuesday at 7 p.m.
