The Wisconsin Badgers men’s soccer team came up short in a 1-2 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers in their first-round game in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Badgers finished sixth in the Big Ten this season with a regular season record of 6-4-6. Wisconsin struggled on the road this season with an away record of 1-3-2, and their only away win came on Oct. 20 against Ohio State.
The last time Wisconsin faced Indiana was on Sept. 15 in Bloomington, where the teams tied 0-0.
The game started grim for the Badgers, who found themselves in an early 0-1 deficit at the 13-minute mark after Indiana’s Joey Maher smashed the ball into the net past Wisconsin goalkeeper Nate Crockford on a penalty kick.
Both teams’ offenses stagnated, and the Badgers recorded their first shot on goal of the game in the 43rd minute.
At the beginning of the second half, Wisconsin looked to start on a better note and get back into the game. Those hopes were shattered after Indiana’s Samuel Sarver dashed past the Wisconsin defensive line and passed it to Maouloune Goumballe, who booted in another goal for the Hoosiers in the 55th minute.
The Badgers lucked out when they slashed the deficit to one after Wisconsin’s Mitchell Dryden crossed the ball into the box and Wisconsin’s Maxwell Keenan headed it in at the 75th minute.
This fueled the Badgers to go on a shooting barrage to put pressure on Indiana goalkeeper JT Harms. Despite the five additional shots Wisconsin had over the Hoosiers, the Badgers could not find the back of the net for the rest of the game.
The last shot of the game came from Wisconsin captain Tim Bielic in the last 15 seconds. Unfortunately for the Badgers, Harms saved the attempt and secured the win for Indiana.
The Badgers wrap up their 2023 season with an overall record 6-5-6 and a Big Ten record of 2-2-4.
