The Wisconsin Badgers men’s soccer team squeezed past the Maryland Terrapins at home on Sunday with a 1-0 victory in another tightly contested Big Ten matchup.
The Badgers came into this game after two close Big Ten games — a 0-0 draw against Indiana and a 2-2 draw against Northwestern after they started down 0-2. While Wisconsin was undefeated against Big Ten opponents up until that point, Sunday’s match against the Terrapins was their first conference win of the season.
The game started typically for the Badgers as both Wisconsin and Maryland recorded zero goals in the first half. One chance did come as the Terrapins were fouled in Wisconsin’s penalty box and granted a penalty kick in the 25th minute. With a chance to take the lead, Maryland punted the ball over the crossbar, keeping them scoreless into the second half.
This match was the Badgers sixth shutout game of the year thanks in part to their observant defensive line that allowed no shots on goal until the 79th minute of the game, which was saved by Wisconsin goalkeeper Nate Crockford.
Unlike the Terrapins, the Badgers were able to score late in the second half after an unforced error by Maryland.
In the 72nd minute of the game, Wisconsin defender Birgir Baldvinsson attempted to cross the ball in the box when his attempt got deflected by a Maryland player and into the hands of Maryland goalkeeper Jamie Lowell.
However, when Lowell landed, he slipped on the terrain and dropped the ball into the shooting pocket of freshman forward Markie Hrvojevic, who tapped it in. This was Hrvojevic’s first career goal with the Badgers after he played in Croatia last year for Croatian First League club Hajduk Split’s under-19 team.
Sunday’s 1-0 victory against Maryland boosted the Badgers’ Big Ten record to 1-0-2 and an overall record of 4-2-3. The Badgers will look to take advantage of their one week off ahead of a matchup with the Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 1 in Ann Arbor.
