INSIDE
MEN'S SOCCER
BY JEREMY WODAJO
@BADGERMSOCCER
SCHEDULE (12-3-2, 3-2-0)
THIS WEEK
Sunday at #25 Northwestern W, 1-0
Friday Ohio State
7 p.m.
COMING UP
Nov. 13-17 Big Ten Tournament TBA
Victory lap: UW thriving
on senior leadership
Badgers close regular season on Friday
hile the falling leaves
of late October and
early November signify the beginning of a period
of hibernation and declining
growth, the Wisconsin men's
soccer team has continued
to sprout success despite the
changing seasons.
UW is unbeaten in eight
of its last nine games, dating
back to Oct. 2, including two
W
58
//
VARSITY November 7, 2013
shutouts over top-25 ranked
Big Ten opponents.
Much of the team's success
this season can be accredited
to senior leadership.
"Our younger players really
look up to the older ones," UW
head coach John Trask said.
"It's great to see the older
guys getting on the younger
guys and watching how they
respond. It shows how much
they all want to win."
Much of UW's leadership and success
has stemmed from the back line, headed
by senior captain Paul Yonga.
The Badgers' defense has only allowed
more than two goals in a game twice this
season, and only one of those matches
resulted in a loss.
Wisconsin has been especially difficult to score on since senior Max Jentsch
made his first start between the posts
this season on Oct. 23 at Milwaukee. Jentsch has since started every match for
the Badgers, posting two shutouts and a
0.72 goals against average.
A solid defensive core is complimented by a high-powered offense led by senior captains Chris Prince and Tomislav
Zadro.
UW leads the Big Ten in points (105),
goals (35), goals per game (2.06) and is
tied for first in assists (35).
The combination of an almost impenetrable defense, dangerous offense and
13 seniors spells a recipe for a deep postseason run in the coming weeks.
Wisconsin wraps up its regular-season schedule on Friday at 7 p.m., as it
welcomes Ohio State to the McClimon
Complex for Senior Night. The Badgers
look to extend the nation's longest home
unbeaten streak to 13 matches.
The game will be broadcast on the Big
Ten Network.