The win or go home mentality is what makes the postseason in any sport so compelling and so thrilling. In collegiate athletics, many senior players have reached their peak and will never play a competitive match again.
With their season on the line, Wisconsin (4-3-0 Big Ten, 14-4-2 overall) and its 13 seniors continued their home win streak, beating in-state rival Milwaukee (5-2-0 Horizon League, 15-3-2) 1-0 Thursday night at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
“There are that many seniors who are dying on the field, we literally have nothing left on the field,” senior forward Chris Prince said. “The fact that we have that mentality just makes us an even better team.”
The Badgers almost took advantage of a bobbled shot by Milwaukee goalkeeper Liam Anderson, but it was cleared off the goal line by a Panther defender. It only took until the next chance for Wisconsin to capitalize.
After a cross by senior forward Nick Janus found Prince, who slotted home what would be the deciding goal in the 13th minute.
“Janus and I have that certain connection where I knew I could see his body turning to bring the ball back across the box and I cut back in front of my man and just tucked it in the back side,” Prince said. “We’ve done that play so many times whether it’s him playing me the ball or me playing him the ball. It just worked out perfect.”
It was a physical game in front of almost 1,500 fans characterized by 38 fouls by both teams.
The Wisconsin defense knew Milwaukee’s physicality would come into play when balls were crossed into the danger area.
“This Milwaukee team, their set pieces and their services inside the box were quality all night,” junior defender and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year AJ Cochran said. “We knew this game was going to be won or lost in the air.”
Senior goalkeeper Max Jentsch made two crucial saves in the final minutes of the first half which allowed the Badgers to keep their lead going into the intermission.
Being down a goal at halftime, the Panthers threw everything including the kitchen sink at Wisconsin in the second half.
Milwaukee outshot Wisconsin 9-1 in the second half and had eight corner kicks to the Badgers’ two. Wisconsin’s strong defense handled the pressure with composure.
“Max [Jentsch] has been very good recently, he has been rock solid,” head coach John Trask said. “The defense has really come together over the last third of the season ... [Cochran] was fantastic. He was every bit of an All-American tonight.”
And hang on they did. Wisconsin provided a proper finale to their perfect 10-0-0 home season.
Trask and assistant coach Keith Tiemeyer personally paid for 100 tickets, encouraging more fans to come support the Badgers in their first tournament game since 1995.
“I know $4, it’s a sandwich, it’s lunch for college students, I didn’t want people to miss out,” Trask said. “If we are here again next year and we’ve got a home game in the NCAA tournament I guarantee I will double that number.”
“We wouldn’t be at this point in our season without every single one of our seniors,” Cochran said. “I could say so much about each individual. But just as a group, man they don’t want to lose. And when you have 13 guys who just don’t want to lose in their final season, it picks everyone else up and raises their level ... You feed off of their energy and their leadership.”
Wisconsin will now travel to South Bend, Ind. to play one of the country’s top teams, the No. 3 seed Notre Dame (7-1-3 ACC, 12-1-6) Sunday at 6 p.m.
