Wisconsin men’s soccer lands in top 10 for first time since 2017

Wisconsin men’s soccer lands in top 10 for first time since 2017

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s soccer team owns the No. 10 spot in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll.

The crew’s undefeated start to its season landed it a top 10 position in the poll for the first time in seven seasons. This also marks the first time Wisconsin’s men’s soccer program started 4-0-0 since 2002.

West Virginia owns the No. 1 spot in the ranking with No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Denver, No. 4 Western Michigan, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Marshall, No. 8 Pittsburgh and No. 9 Northwestern ranked ahead of Wisconsin at this stage of the season.

A large part of UW’s success on the pitch rests on the shoulders of freshman Dean Boltz.

Boltz entered Wisconsin’s Sept. 2 match against Marquette as the nation’s leading scorer with six goals and 14 points in three appearances. That’s nearly five points per output.

https://twitter.com/BadgerMSoccer/status/1831075795730915518

The Badgers ultimately beat the Golden Eagles 2-1 courtesy of a late Boltz header in the 86th minute. His seven goals are the most by any UW freshman since 2005, per UWBadgers.com.

Wisconsin owns triumphs over Marist, Drexel, UIC and Marquette thus far. The teaem will square off against #23 Kentucky on Sept. 6 and #10 UCLA on Sept. 16 in its first ranked tests of the season.

Where Wisconsin women’s soccer lands in preseason polls

Where Wisconsin women’s soccer lands in preseason polls

Wisconsin’s women’s soccer was ranked No. 6 in the Big Ten and No. 19 in the nation in preseason polls this week.

The Badgers learned of their conference nomination on Tuesday, a day before their United Soccer Coaches’ national ranking.

Wisconsin landed behind only UCLA (No. 1), Penn State (No. 2), Michigan State (No. 3), Nebraska (No. 4) and USC (No. 5). Rutgers (No. 7), Iowa (No. 8), Ohio State (No. 9) and Indiana (No. 10) rounded the conference’s preseason top 10.

Three Badgers were also listed among Big Ten players to watch: Hailey Baumann, Maddie Ishaug and Aryssa Mahart. Baumann will enter her second season with UW after helping anchor its defensive, Ishaug will look to build off her team-leading 2,068-minute total in 2024 and Mahart aims to continue her offensive tear (25 shots on goal, seven assists) during her third season in Madison.

The Badgers registered an overall record of 14-5-7 in 2023 and fell to Iowa in the Big Ten title game. UW officially begins its season on the road against No. 3 BYU on Thursday, Aug. 15.

Former Badger Rose Lavelle is once again headed to the World Cup

Former Badger Rose Lavelle is once again headed to the World Cup

For the second time in her outstanding professional career, Rose Lavelle is headed to the World Cup to play for the US National Team.

In her 88 appearances for her country, Lavelle has totaled 24 goals and 20 assists, and will once again be a major contributor at the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand.

The U.S. opens up the competition at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand against Vietnam on Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. CT. A rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Gold Medal Game awaits the U.S. in its second game as they face The Netherlands on Wednesday, July 26 at 8 p.m. CT. Group play wraps up on Tuesday, August 1 with a 2 a.m. CT tilt against Portugal. All three of the group stage games will be on FOX.

Wisconsin women’s soccer falls in the Big Ten championship as Iowa completes miracle run

The Badgers fall to Iowa

After a fantastic regular season for Wisconsin soccer, the Badgers fell short in the Big Ten championship game against Iowa this morning.

The Hawkeyes completed one of the most improbable runs in conference history as Iowa went just 2-8-1 in the regular season before winning four games in a row. It was a 1-0 win for the Hawkeyes as Jenny Cape’s goal in the 64th minute proved to be the difference.

Wisconsin is still expected to receive an at-large bid to the 48-team NCAA tournament in North Carolina starting on April 27.