Extending the nation’s longest home unbeaten streak, the University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team (2-2-0 Big Ten, 10-3-2 overall) defeated the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans (1-2-1, 8-3-3) 1-0 Sunday afternoon.
The win pushes the Badgers to 7-0-0 this year at the McClimon Soccer Complex, and makes it 11 consecutive at home without a loss, dating back to last season.
Redshirt senior midfielder Tomislav Zadro, who was initially credited for the lone goal of the day before it was deemed an own goal off a Spartan defender, could not come up with a single explanation for the Badgers’ strong home play, but believed playing in Madison makes a difference.
“When you travel it’s a lot harder, we just feel comfortable here,” Zadro said.
The goal that proved to be the difference came for the Badgers in the 27th minute, after senior defender Paul Yonga came into Michigan State’s defensive box, and sent it on net. The ball hit a Spartan defender in the crowded box, and got past the keeper for an own goal.
“I just stayed clicked in, and won the ball a little outside the 18 [yard box], and I was going to shoot it right away but then I saw the defender overcommit, so I just touched it by him and picked my head up didn’t see really anyone in there so I just crossed it across the box and it hit their defender and went in,” Yonga said.
Defensively, this marked the fourth shutout this year for the Badgers, and the first for senior goalkeeper Max Jentsch, making just his second start of the season.
In addition to the clean sheet, the Badgers held the Spartans without a corner kick attempt, and just one shot on goal.
“We’ve not been able to play better teams yet this year and shut them down, they are a team that knows how to score goals, and we shut them down,” head coach John Trask said. “I was very pleased with the defensive performance and the couple balls that Max needed to deal with in the box he came, he came strongly, and so great for him to get a shutout.”
The Badgers had some opportunities to tack on an insurance goal, but could not convert on any of their three corner kicks, and had a couple of point blank shots knocked away by the Spartan keeper.
“I thought we were always dangerous going forward; it looked like at any moment we could get another goal,” Trask said. “I thought we were the more dangerous team, but it was a bit of a choppy performance.”
The win moves Wisconsin above Michigan State and into third place in the Big Ten standings at 2-2-0.
“It was a big win, we needed this win,” Zadro said. “We battled hard.”
With just three games left in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament, this win may have had bigger postseason implications for the Badgers.
“This is huge for us going forward trying to make the NCAA tournament,” Yonga said.
The Badgers play their final non-conference game of the regular season, as they return to action Wednesday, Oct. 30 to take on Eastern Illinois at home at 7 p.m.
