The Badgers (1-5-1 overall, 0-2-0 Big Ten) travel to Milwaukee today to take on in-state rival No. 13 Marquette (5-2-0) after being shutout for the first time this season in a loss to Maryland.
Snapping their scoreless streak will not be easy for the Badgers, as the Golden Eagles are currently in the midst of a school-record five consecutive shutouts.
Led by redshirt senior goalkeeper Charlie Lyon, Marquette has not surrendered a goal since August, a streak that has lasted for over 508 minutes of play.
Lyon’s average of just 0.43 goals per game ranks second in the Big East and his .875 save percentage is best in the conference.
While the defense has been the biggest story of the season so far, Marquette is led offensively by redshirt junior forward David Selvaggi, who leads the team with both three goals and eight points.
Coinciding with the school record streak, the Golden Eagles have won five in a row to bounce back from losses in their opening matches to the last two National Champions, Notre Dame and Indiana.
The Badgers, on the other hand, have not won in their past five games, going 0-4-1 in that span.
Despite the results, head coach John Trask remains hopeful about the team’s progress.
“To see the growth of this team over the last few games has been very encouraging,” Trask said. “We’re learning some tough lessons, but I know this group will stay together.”
As a young team, Wisconsin has been led offensively by a group of freshmen. Forward Mark Segbers, forward Tom Barlow, and midfielder Mike Catalano, all true freshmen, are the only Badgers with multiple goals this season.
The Badgers have responded well after halftime, scoring all but one of their goals of the year in the second half. However, they allowed two goals in the second half of the last game against Maryland, and will look to get back on track there while also scoring more in the game’s opening frame.
In goal, redshirt sophomore Casey Beyers got his third start of the season, falling to 0-2-1. Freshman goalkeeper Adrian Remeniuk got the first four starts of the year, going 1-3-0 in net.
Kickoff is slated for 7:05 at Marquette’s Valley Fields soccer complex. After the Golden Eagles, the Badgers will return to Madison for a pair of home games against Michigan and Green Bay.
