Penn State men’s soccer (5-7-3, 1-5-2 Big Ten) could not find a way to knock off Wisconsin (6-7-0, 3-5-0 Big Ten) as the Badgers won 2-0 in Madison on Saturday night.

Penn State’s offense failed to get anything going in the first half while Wisconsin scored twice on just four shots. Neither team scored in the second half, and Wisconsin secured a much-needed conference win.

How It Happened

The first 25 minutes of the game were back-and-forth, with neither team taking a shot on goal. Both teams entered the attacking third multiple times, but nobody found an opening to send the ball at the net.

Wisconsin had four fouls and Penn State had three before the first shot was taken. Wisconsin finally broke the ice in the 27th minute. Raimbault kicked the ball up in front of the goal, and Eisa knocked it in to put the Badgers on the board.

Penn State wasted no time getting its first shot after the Badgers scored. Van Danielson had an opportunity in front of the goal, but Wisconsin keeper Matisse Hebert stretched out to save it.

In the 32nd minute, Wisconsin had another chance to score with only Penn State keeper Jonathan Evans to beat. Aidan Martinez took a shot that Evans read perfectly to make the save. In the 34th minute, Wisconsin midfielder Ola Arntsen took his first shot of the game, which flew high over the goal.

The Badgers continued to attack the Penn State defense and broke through again in the 35th minute when Matthew Zachemski fired a shot past Evans to put Wisconsin up 0-2. Raimbault and Martinez were credited with assists on the goal.

No more shots were taken for the rest of the half—an offside in the 44th minute cancelled out Penn State’s best opportunity to score. The clock ran out with the Badgers still up by two.

The second half started just as slowly as the first, with no shots taken in the first 12 minutes of action. Each team had chances to attack, but neither team found an opening until Wisconsin forward Julian Kuhr fired one that was blocked in the 58th minute.

In the 61st minute, Wisconsin defender Will Smith launched a throw-in towards the goal. The ball was knocked towards the net by Markie Hrvojevic, and Evans made a crucial save to keep the deficit at two goals. In the 69th minute, Hrvojevic’s second shot of the half flew wide of the goal.

Penn State took a corner in the 73rd minute that Wisconsin was able to clear with no trouble in front of goal. The Nittany Lions quickly worked their way back into the attacking third, where Grabfelder attempted a long shot that Hebert caught.

The Penn State offense had another chance to score in the 75th minute. Samuel Ovesen volleyed a shot right at Hebert for the easy save. In the 77th minute, Raimbault fired a shot that Evans knocked out of bounds. The Badgers failed to get a shot with the resulting corner.

Wisconsin defender Ellis Jones was given a yellow card in the 78th minute. Malick Daouda rolled a shot wide of the goal in the 81st minute, just the fourth Penn State shot of the game. Wisconsin had a chance to score on its next attack, but a shot by Hrvojevic was blocked, and Arntsen launched one of his own over the goal.

In the 85th minute, Hrvojevic took his fourth shot of the game, which flew wide of the net. Penn State took a pair of corners in the 89th minute but failed to get a shot off. That was the last real offensive chance of the game, and Wisconsin took the win at home as the clock ran out.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s offense was lackluster, only taking four shots all game. The Nittany Lions had a pair of opportunities cancelled out by offsides and took six unsuccessful corners.
• The Nittany Lion defense played well, but Wisconsin’s offense was able to capitalize on the few opportunities it got. The Badgers scored both of their goals on just four first-half shots.
• There were a lot of fouls on both sides throughout the game. Penn State committed 12 fouls and Wisconsin had 9. There were more whistles blown (21) than shots taken (15).

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions wrap up their final road trip of the regular season on Halloween night, visiting Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 31. Fans can follow along with the action on Big Ten Plus.