Another game, another three goals for the Wisconsin Badgers (3-1 Big Ten, 7-2-2 overall), as they blanked in-state rivals Marquette (1-2 Big East, 1-7-1) to extend their home-unbeaten streak to 19 games for a 3-0 victory.
The Badgers got it done early, opening the scoring in the fifth minute with a goal off the corner by senior forward Tom Barlow. Senior forward Chris Mueller’s ball swung in, and sophomore defender Elan Koenig’s shot deflected towards Barlow. The big striker somehow put the ball in the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Goal number two was scored by number two in cardinal and white. Elan Koenig popped up again on offense, scoring after Chris Mueller’s looping free kick fell into his path. Koenig now has two straight games with a goal, but he’s under no illusions that he’s about to become a striker despite his recent goalscoring heroics.
“You can tell my mom that, but I don’t think so,” Koenig said. “I’ll stick to the shutout. The shutout is more important.”
Wisconsin earned its third shutout on the season, and was never really forced to sweat it. Senior goalkeeper Philipp Schilling only had to make two routine saves, and the closest Marquette came to scoring was a last minute header by junior forward Diego Núñez that struck the top of the crossbar.
“We didn’t wait for it to come to us [on defense]. We forced the issue with the press,” Koenig added.
More plaudits were earned for Chris Mueller, who scored again for Wisconsin in the 28th minute. An inch perfect cross by senior Mark Segbers was met by Mueller’s head in the six-yard box, who sealed the 3-0 win for the Badgers. Mueller had a part in all three of the goals, earning four points, giving him 20 points on the season which leads the Big Ten.
With the No. 4 Michigan State Spartans coming to town on Saturday, Mueller and the rest of the attack will need to continue their attacking threat as the Badgers will look to prove their NCAA Tournament credentials by getting a result against Sparty.
“We’ve got to take our chances because [the Spartans] are one of the best teams defensively,” Koenig said. “They’re the number one team in some of the rankings, and for us to have a chance to get into the NCAA tournament and to be validated for what we think we are, we have to come out and get the win in that game.”
