The No. 8/7 Wisconsin Badgers men’s soccer team stunned No. 12 University of California-Los Angeles with a 4-1 home win Monday night, once again putting on a show for the Wisconsin crowd and defending the McClimon Soccer Complex, where they remain undefeated this season.
The Badgers struck first in the 24th minute when sophomore Trip Fleming launched a ball high into the box, and freshman superstar Dean Boltz beat the Bruins defender and keeper, landing a backwards header into the back. Boltz’s eight goals on the season ties him for leading scorer in the NCAA.
In the 31st minute of play, senior Kevin Andrews scored his first goal of the season. The Badger capitalized off a rebound deep in the box to find the upper-right corner of the net.
To add to their already thrilling performance, junior forward Thomas Raimbault played a through-ball to the feet of Fleming, who placed the ball under the legs of the Bruin’s keeper to advance the score to 3-0 in favor of the Badgers with just over four minutes left in the half.
In the second half, UCLA quickly found a goal. But that didn’t discourage the Badgers, who finished off the night with yet another goal. Raimbault, a UCLA transfer, racked up a pair of points against his former team by striking a powerful volley that deflected off of the Bruin’s keeper and found its way into the net. This play marked the junior’s first goal of the season.
Following their 4-1 win, Wisconsin’s record moves to 6-1, the best the program has seen in their first seven games in over 30 years. They now tie for having scored the third most goals in the NCAA (20).
The Badgers look to continue their at-home undefeated streak, playing host to the Viterbo V-Hawks Saturday at 6 p.m.
