The No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers (11-3-4 overall, 4-2-2) defeated the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers (11-1-7 overall, 3-0-5 Big Ten) on penalty kicks Friday to advance to the final of the Big Ten soccer tournament.
This win was Wisconsin’s first of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, and it comes at a crucial time with selection for the NCAA tournament looming.
The Badgers were forced to survive an offensive barrage from Indiana in the match, as the Hoosiers outshot them 29 to six, and looked incredibly threatening to start the second half.
However, the Badgers were the team to strike first in the match, as junior forward Christopher Mueller scored inside the 56th minute against the run of play. The goal was a true encapsulation of attacking efficiency, as Mark Segbers stole the ball and quickly played it to Tom Barlow, who provided a gorgeous cross for Mueller to finish.
“Compliment to the guys – for Mark to find Chris and for him to get it outside to Tommy and eventually put it in for the goal was great," head coach John Trask said.
With about 35 minutes left to play, the Badgers gained some control in the game, growing in their ability to hold up the ball and defend their goal.
Still, that wasn’t enough to keep the Hoosiers off the scoresheet for the whole 90 minutes, as forward Rashad Hyacenth equalized the match with less than 12 minutes to play.
Hyacenth’s finish was unquestionably clinical, but the nature of his goal in general appeared to be more debatable. Camera replays showed that Hyacenth may have been in an offside position when he scored, and Wisconsin goalkeeper Philipp Schilling was furious that there was no call made on the play.
Nonetheless, the Badgers had no choice but to play on, and they did so through the end of regulation and two ten-minute overtime periods, with neither of the tiring sides able to produce a breakthrough. The Badgers looked truly fatigued as the game wore on, calling into question Coach Trask’s decision to use only two substitutes the entire match as compared to the Hoosiers’ five.
After 110 minutes of soccer, the fading Badgers got the chance to rest for a few minutes before preparing for the imminent, intense reality of penalty kicks.
Sam Brotherton followed the Hoosiers’ miss on their first kick with a blank of his own, but the Badgers made all of their remaining four kicks, with Mueller slotting home the last kick and promptly removing his shirt in celebration.
After the game, Coach Trask maintained that he had faith in his team and praised Schilling for his shootout performance.
“With the penalty kicks, I felt pretty confident in the type of leadership and goalkeeper that we have," Trask said. "For Philipp to make two saves on the penalty kicks and also score is outstanding."
The Badgers will face No. 1 Maryland in the finals of the Big Ten soccer championship on Sunday, with the opportunity to clinch an automatic spot in the NCAA soccer championship and take care of some unfinished business as well.
“We feel like we left a win on the table there against the No.1 team in the country,” Enda O’Neill said last week referring to the team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Terrapins. “I think it shows that we can compete with just about anyone.”
On Sunday, the Badgers, currently a team with no guarantees about its postseason status, will surely compete.
But what they really want to do, what they need to do, is win.
Quotes obtained via UWBadgers.com
