The Wisconsin men’s soccer team (3-2-1 Big Ten, 7-3-2 overall) lost 3-2 to the No. 1-ranked Maryland Terrapins (6-0-1, 11-0-2) Friday night, marking an unfortunate end to a stellar performance from the Badgers in College Park.
The game was an exciting and fast-paced attacking affair, as both teams saw plenty of good chances and both goalkeepers were forced into at least five saves apiece.
Maryland opened the game well, as senior defender Alex Crognale’s header found the back on the net inside the 12th minute of the game for the Terps.
The rest of the first half was a scrappy, physical affair as the two teams combined for 18 fouls, with neither being able to score and Wisconsin defenders Alex Masbrusch and Elan Koenig receiving yellow cards.
The Badgers finally leveled the score in the 64th minute, with sophomore defender Sam Brotherton scoring following the set-piece delivery of junior midfielder Christopher Mueller. The goal was Brotherton’s second of the season, and marked his return to UW after playing for the New Zealand Men’s National Team this past week.
Less than three minutes later, the Badgers took the lead, as junior forward Mark Segbers scored his third goal of the season with Mueller provided the assist once again, this time from a cross.
After defending well for another 20-plus minutes, the Badgers looked poised to upset the powerhouse Terps on their home field.
However, those hopes were dashed—at least temporarily—in the 88th minute, when Crognale scored his second header of the game to even the score at 2-2. This goal, like Maryland’s first, was assisted by sophomore midfielder Amar Sejdic, and was enough to send the game into overtime.
Just eight minutes later, Maryland sophomore midfielder Eryk Williamson scored from eight yards out to end the game in golden-goal fashion.
This loss will sting for the Badgers, who were painstakingly close to earning a massive win against the best team in the Big Ten—and quite possibly the country, too.
The Badgers can be proud of how they represented themselves against the Terrapins, however, and their current record already offers a marked improvement from last season’s 5-11-3 (2-3-3 Big Ten) campaign.
UW will travel back home to the McClimon Complex Tuesday night, where the Badgers will welcome Milwaukee, looking to defeat an in-state rival and earn their eighth win of the season.
