As the season winds down for both the University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s soccer programs and the Big Ten Championship, a brutal win-or-go-home tournament to crown the champion of the Big Ten approaches, let’s stop and take a look back at the 2024 season.
Men’s Soccer
The 2024 season was a tale of two halves for the men’s program. They started 6-1-0, beating No. 16 Kentucky 1-0 away and No. 12 UCLA 4-1 at home, only dropping a game during an away trip to Maryland. The team’s fine form saw them rise from an unranked preseason in the United Soccer Coaches poll to No. 22 after two games, up to No. 10 after four and No. 8 after the first five games of the season.
Although the team would return to their No. 8 spot despite losing to then-unranked Maryland, thanks to the big win over UCLA, they would fail to win in their next six games, all against Big Ten Opponents. Draws against Washington and Northwestern helped keep them in contention for the Big Ten Championship, but the team struggled to score, only netting five goals in five games compared to the 16 scored in their first five games.
This season, the Men’s Soccer Big Ten Championship will only be contested by the top seven teams in the Big Ten standings, with the No. 1 seed receiving a bye to the semifinals. Unlike the Women’s Championship, in which all 18 Big Ten programs compete, only 11 programs compete in the Men’s Championship.
Currently, the Badgers sit at No. 8 in the Big Ten standings at 7-5-2, 2-5-2 Big Ten, only two points behind the Michigan Wolverines 7-3-5, 2-3-4 — Big Ten. If the season ended today, the Badgers would miss out on the Big Ten Championship quarterfinals.
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Despite their current form, this year’s roster is packed with talented players. This season, Top Drawer Soccer named four Badger freshmen to the top 100 freshmen. Striker Dean Boltz came in at No. 1, midfielder Matthew Zachemski at No. 20, goalie Matisse Hébert at No. 29 and midfielder Julian Kuhr at No. 36. This is the first time that a Badger has been ranked inside the top 25, let alone two, to a list that included former No. 1s like Wil Trapp, Cyle Larin, Jack Harrison and more.
Boltz took the country by storm, scoring seven goals in the first four games, including a hat trick in his first-ever game against Marist. He currently sits at nine goals, which puts him T-18 in the country in goals scored. Hébert also had a great season, racking up six clean sheets and 22 saves in 13 games.
The men’s season is going to come down to the wire, with their last game of the season at the McClimon track against Michigan on Nov. 3. A win would secure their spot in the Big Ten Championship, but a draw or a loss could see them fall out of Championship contention.
Women’s Soccer
This season, the women’s program didn’t experience nearly as much disparity between the two halves of the season as the men did, as despite finishing with a 9-4-4, 5-3-3 Big Ten record, the team never lost two games in a row. Their longest winless streak this season was three games, when they drew against UCLA and Nebraska, and lost to No. 24 USC.
The United Soccer Coaches poll had the Badgers at No. 19 during the preseason, but though they received votes after finishing the first three games 2-1-0, they didn’t crack the top 25. The team’s non-conference schedule went well, going 4-1-1 with the only loss coming against No. 3 BYU.
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In Big Ten play, the Badgers kept their form consistent, earning wins against rivals Minnesota, No. 9 Iowa, Indiana and demolishing Maryland 5-0. Throughout the season, the Badgers only lost one game at home, against Rutgers during their first Big Ten game of the season.
This season’s Big Ten Championship will pit the top ten teams against each other in bracket format, with the top six receiving a bye to the quarterfinals and the bottom four playing in a play-in match. While the first round and quarterfinals will be held at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium, home of the Minnesota Gophers, the semifinals and final will be held at CITY PARK stadium in St. Louis, Miss. for the first time.
The Badgers clinched a playoff position with the dominating victory over Maryland and come into the tournament as the No. 9 seed after defeating the Michigan Wolverines 1-0 on Sunday, Oct. 27. In the first round, the Badgers will play against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 31, in Minnesota.
If they win on Halloween afternoon, the Badgers would face No. 1 seed USC Trojans, who play at noon Sunday, Nov. 3.
Attacking midfielder Aryssa Mahrt led the Badgers in scoring this season with nine goals in 17 games, putting her sixth in Big Ten scoring. Defensive midfielder Ashley Martinez led the team in assists with seven in 17 games, which also puts her tied for fifth in Big Ten assists. Goalie Drew Stover also had a strong season, keeping seven clean sheets, tied for sixth-most in the Big Ten, as well as making 49 saves.
The Badgers haven’t played the Buckeyes yet this season, but No. 9 against No. 8 matchups always have the potential for upsets, so the Badgers are definitely a team to look out for in this season’s bracket.