The Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 7
Your roundup of soccer news across Wisconsin and beyond
Top of the box
After four straight home wins to start the season, the UW men’s soccer team faced a tough test in its first road game Friday night at No. 16 Kentucky.
The 10th-ranked Badgers passed that test, getting a 79th-minute goal from senior Noah Glorioso and holding the Wildcats to one shot on goal in a 1-0 victory in a weather-delayed match in Lexington, Ky.
Freshman goalkeeper Matisse Hébert turned aside Logan Dorsey’s shot at the near post in the 84th minute for his only save in his third clean sheet in five collegiate starts for UW, which has won its first five games for the first time since 2001.
The Badgers thought they’d taken the lead in the 76th, as freshman Dean Boltz headed in a free kick by sophomore Trip Fleming, but the goal was ruled out for offside and confirmed after a video review. Three minutes later, they did lead.
The decisive sequence in the game started with UW defender Roberto Burlew tackling the ball from Kentucky’s Agustin Lopez in the box. Six passes later on the other end of the field, Fleming served a cross from the left side into the 6-yard box, where a Kentucky defender tried to clear the ball out, but instead headed it on goal.
Wildcats keeper Casper Mols made a diving, one-handed save to keep it out, but Glorioso was alone on the back post and coolly finished with his left foot for his first goal since transferring to UW before last season.
It was the second goal of Glorioso’s college career — the first was 1,401 days earlier on Nov. 6, 2020, when he was a freshman at Coastal Carolina. Friday’s goal was enough for the Badgers’ second 1-0 victory over Kentucky (1-1-1) in as many years, and their first away win over a ranked opponent since a 2-0 victory over No. 21 Rutgers on Sept. 24, 2021. UW opens Big Ten Conference play next Friday at Maryland.
Professional
In Australia, Haley Johnson (Kenosha Tremper/UW-Milwaukee) and the Preston Lions lost their second final of the season today, and again in heartbreaking fashion
Johnson gave Preston the lead in the 36th minute, but Heidelberg United scored an 88th-minute equalizer then got the winner in the sixth and final minute of stoppage time to pull out a 3-2 victory in the NPL Victoria Women's Grand Final at The Home of the Matildas this afternoon in Bundoora.
Last month, the Lions lost to FC Bulleen Lions 3-2 in the Nike FC Cup final.
Preston fell behind as Heidelberg — seeded fourth in the four-team finals field of the second division league — converted a penalty. But the Lions pulled level through Susan Phonsongkham, who then set up Johnson for the go-ahead goal. Johnson got the ball on the right side and worked into the box, her shot from 8 yards out hitting the upper corner of the far post before settling into the goal. Watch
Johnson finished with 22 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions this season.
Four players with Wisconsin ties are poised to play in Champions Path mini-tournament finals today as the first round of UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying concludes. The champions advance to the second qualifying round, which are two-legged ties in which the winner earns a berth in the group stage.
Defender Rashida Beal (Germantown) and Lithuanian club FC Gintra play host to Scotland’s Celtic in the Group 3 final in Šiauliai at 10 a.m. CT.
Kazakhstani club WFC BIIK-Shymkent, with UW-Milwaukee alums McKaela Schmelzer, Brooke Parnello and Clara Broecker, face Turkish club Galatasaray in the Group 8 final at noon CT in Luxembourg.
Follow all the players with state ties playing professionally in the U.S. and around the world on our Wisconsin Players in the Pros chart. If we've missed anyone, email us at wisconsinsoccercentral@gmail.com or let us know on social media.
Youth clubs
FC Wisconsin girls teams open their ECNL seasons this weekend at home in Germantown — today against Kansas City Athletics and Sunday against Sporting Blue Valley — and are using the occasion to raise funds for mental health awareness.
The teams will depart from their normal colors and wear green jerseys and black shorts and socks for the weekend, and there will be a tent at the complex where players and parents can learn more about mental health. The club will be accepting donations to NAMI in Washington County. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
College men
Friday’s highlights
UW-Green Bay 1:0 Chicago State
Senior Kolton Prater (Hudson) scored his second career goal on a free kick in the 22nd minute and sophomore Drew Swancutt made three saves for a clean sheet in his college debut as the host Phoenix (3-2-0) topped the Cougars (1-4-0) at Aldo Santaga Stadium for their third straight win.Junior midfielder Michael Rohrman scored his first goal of the season in the 36th minute and sophomore Asher Harris (Oconomowoc) made four saves as visiting MSOE (0-1-2) tied 12th-ranked Montclair State 1-1 in New Jersey.
Did you know? Rohrman is from Oldney, Md., but both of his parents have strong Wisconsin soccer connections. His father Jeff Rohrman played at UW-Milwaukee in 1984 and ‘85 and was the UW men’s coach from 2002 to ‘08. His mother Nancy Rohrman is a former U.S. national team player who coached at Middleton-Yahara SC (now Rush Wisconsin) and Edgewood College and played for the MYSC Lady Blues amateur team.
Senior Alex Paredes (Mequon Homestead) made three saves to extend his program record with his 19th career shutout as host UW-Superior drew No. 21 Carleton (Minn.) 0-0. The Yellowjackets (0-0-2) outshot the Knights 21-7 in their second straight goalless tie to start the season.
Recruiting updates
College women
Friday’s highlights
Freshman Lydia Sachs broke a tie with an 88th-minute goal, and junior keeper Ainsley Stallworth made the last of her 10 saves with 30 seconds left to preserve the slim lead as host Carthage slipped past DePauw 2-1 in Kenosha. The Firebirds are 3-0-0 for the first time since 2013; all three wins have been by one goal.
Junior midfielder Emily Mikkelson (Oregon) scored in the 68th minute and freshman goalkeeper Lola Minic (Westosha Central) made one save for the clean sheet in her collegiate debut as host UW-Parkside blanked Minnesota State-Moorhead 1-0 in a season opener at Wood Road Field in Kenosha.
This week’s NCAA Division I schedule
Sunday’s games
No. 9 Notre Dame vs. Marquette, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+💲)
Central Michigan vs. UW-Green Bay, noon (Chippewas All-Access)
Recruiting updates
High school boys
By the numbers: WisSports.net links
State record: Longest winning streaks
37: Whitefish Bay, 2016-2018
30: Milwaukee Marquette, 2010-2011
29: Delavan-Darien, 2014-2015
State record: Longest unbeaten streaks
54: Milwaukee Marquette, 2010-2012
48: Delavan-Darien, 2016-2017
45: Whitefish Bay, 2016-2018
35: Brookfield East, 2022-current
28: Fond du Lac, 2004
Longest active unbeaten streaks
35: Brookfield East (30-0-5)
22: Hudson (19-0-3)
16: Middleton (13-0-3)
13: Milwaukee Marquette (10-0-3)
11: Union Grove (10-0-1)
Note: Games that go to penalty kicks are officially recorded as ties
Includes data from the WSCA High School Record Book
International
UW sophomore defender Ella Ottey played the full 90 at left back as Canada lost to Brazil 2-0 in a Group B finale at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup Friday in Bogotá, Colombia. Badgers freshman defender Jadea Collin was suspended for the match after picking up yellow cards in each of the Canadians’ first two games.
Canada (1-1-1) finished third in the group behind Brazil (3-0-0) and France (1-1-1) but clinched a spot in the Round of 16 as one of the top four third-place finishers.
Linking play
This USMNT-Canada friendly has everything (except Mauricio Pochettino) (Washington Post)
NWSL maneuvers to get Alex Morgan finale national TV coverage, including on ESPN2 (Sports Business Journal)