After splitting their first two games at home, the Badgers hit the road this weekend with games Friday and Sunday at George Mason and Georgetown.
They rebounded from a disappointing 2-1 loss to San Francisco last Friday to score four goals in less than 30 minutes to beat Xavier 4-0 Sunday, and will look to continue building on their latest effort this weekend.
George Mason
George Mason is coming off of a great 2013-’14 campaign in which it won the Atlantic 10 championship and made the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Patriots have gotten off to a fast start, not allowing a goal in their first two games, both wins. The Badgers will have their hands full with an offense that has produced eight goals so far, including seven in the Patriots’ season opener against Howard.
Senior forward Timi Mulgrew and sophomore midfielder Colton Amidon have both already recorded hat tricks this season for the Patriots.
The Patriots have been aggressive offensively, firing 20 shots in their opening match. The Badgers will have to have a strong attacking effort themselves, and they are led in scoring so far by freshman forward Mark Segbers, who netted two against Xavier.
With both teams off to fast offensive starts, the goalkeepers could be tested early and often on Friday.
Georgetown
The Hoyas have also been a strong program lately, having made it to the third round of the NCAA tournament last year after being the national runner-ups in 2012.
No. 9 Georgetown had a difficult opening slate, playing defending Big Ten tournament champions Indiana and then defending national champions Notre Dame, but the Hoyas were able to escape both with a tie in each game.
Georgetown is led by junior forward Brandon Allen and sophomore defender Joshua Yaro, both of whom were named to the 2014 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, awarded to the top player in the nation at the end of the year.
The Badgers will likely need to rely on their defense in this one, as Georgetown has surrendered just one goal so far this season in two tight, defensive battles. Freshman goalie Adrian Remeniuk was able to secure a shutout in his second career game for the Badgers in last week’s victory over Xavier. They’ll need more strong performances in net and from the rest of the defense to hang with one of the top teams in the nation.
Kickoff for Friday’s game is scheduled at 6 p.m. CT, while Sunday’s match is slated to begin at 12 p.m. CT.
