The Kickoff: Wednesday, Sept. 11
Your roundup of soccer news across Wisconsin and beyond
Top of the box
Two of the state’s longest active high school boys soccer unbeaten streaks came to an end in 1-0 games Tuesday night.
Defender Christian Schlidt scored off a corner kick around the half-hour mark and fellow senior Connor Wyatt posted the shutout as Milwaukee Marquette blanked host Brookfield East 1-0 in a Greater Metro Conference match between the second- and third-ranked teams in the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association overall and Division 1 state polls. (See below for Week 2 WSCA polls)
It was the first loss for the Spartans (3-1-0 overall, 1-1-0 GMC) since a 1-0 loss to Marquette on Sept. 20, 2022. Since then, East had been unbeaten in 35 games (30-0-5), which ranks as the fourth-longest streak in state boys history, according to the WSCA Record Book. The Hilltoppers (3-0-1, 2-0-0) extended their unbeaten run to 14 matches and are an amazing 208-9-12 against Wisconsin teams over the past 15 years.
Meanwhile, senior Carter Georgalas scored in the first half and junior goalkeeper Romeo Morales made seven saves for the clean sheet as host Elkhorn halted Union Grove’s 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) with a 1-0 win in a Southern Lakes Conference match between two of the top five teams in the latest Division 2 poll.
High school boys
Middleton moved up six spots to No. 16 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Fall Boys National Top 25, while Brookfield East and Marquette were among other teams receiving votes. The Cardinals led five state teams in the Region VI poll:
2. Middleton (3 last week)
4. Brookfield East (9)
5. Milwaukee Marquette (5)
12. Madison West (NR)
13. Madison East (14)
By the numbers: WisSports.net links
State record: Longest unbeaten streaks
54: Milwaukee Marquette, 2010-2012
48: Delavan-Darien, 2016-2017
45: Whitefish Bay, 2016-2018
35: Brookfield East, 2022-2024
28: Fond du Lac, 2004
Longest active unbeaten streaks
23: Hudson (20-0-3)
18: Middleton (15-0-3)
14: Milwaukee Marquette (11-0-3)
Note: Games that go to penalty kicks are officially recorded as ties
International
Esmir Bajraktarević (Appleton) came on for the final 13 minutes as Bosnia and Herzegovina earned a 0-0 draw with host Hungary in a UEFA Nations League match on Tuesday in Budapest.
The 19-year-old New England Revolution midfielder, making his second appearance for Bosnia and Herzegovina (0W-1L-1D), completed five of seven passes and had a header that was wide of the goal in stoppage time of the League A Group 3 match.
Jett Blaschka (Racine) played the full 90 at right back as the host U.S. Virgin Islands lost to Barbados 3-0 in a CONCACAF Nations League match Tuesday in St. Croix. Blaschka nearly gave USVI the early lead, but his shot off a corner kick in the 7th minute was turned aside by keeper Kishmar Primus. Barbados opened the scoring in the 15th and sealed the victory with goals in the 86th and the second minute of second-half stoppage time, as heavy rains and winds battered the artificial turf field. The Dashing Eagles (0-1-1) will face the Bahamas (0-1-1) and Barbados (2-0-0) again Oct. 9 and 12 to conclude League C Group A play.
UW teammates Ella Ottey and Jadea Collin and Canada will play reigning champion Spain in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup today in Cali, Colombia. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. CT on FS2.
Professional
Forward Madison FC plays one of the biggest matches in its six-year history tonight as the Flamingos play host to the Charlotte Independence in a USL Jägermeister Cup semifinal. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Breese Stevens Field and streaming on ESPN+.
Both teams come into the game in fine form: The Independence haven’t lost in their past 11 games in all competitions (6-0-5), while Forward Madison is on a six-game unbeaten streak (2-0-4). Included in those runs was a 0-0 draw between the teams on Aug. 14 at Breese. FMFC also won 2-1 in Charlotte back on May 11.
It was thought that Charlotte would be without standout Juan Carlos Obregón Jr., their leading scorer with 13 goals in 22 appearances, as he was called into the Honduran national team for its recent CONCACAF Nations League matches.
However, Obregón — who came on as a sub in Friday’s 4-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago to earn his first cap — wasn’t in Honduras’ game-day squad for Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to Jamaica in Tegucigalpa and was not among the players listed in media reports as being injured, so stay tuned.
Four players with state ties are among the Major League Soccer players who will be free agents ahead of the 2025 season, the MLS Players Association announced.
M Ethan Finlay (Marshfield), Austin FC (pending option)
GK Logan Ketterer (Madison/Racine Prairie School), CF Montreal
M Matt Polster (Milwaukee), New England Revolution (pending option)
GK Luis Barraza (Marquette), New York City FC (pending option)
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.
College men
The UW men’s team continues to rise in the national rankings.
The Badgers (5-0-0) jumped up two spots to No. 8 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men’s Top 25 released Tuesday. It’s their highest national ranking since they were seventh in the country in what was then known as the NSCAA/Umbro Select College Soccer Rankings on Oct. 14, 1996 — nearly 28 years ago.
UW ascended to the top spot in the United Soccer Coaches North Region poll, moving up one place from last week. Marquette (3-1-1) fell three spots and are now seventh in the East Region poll.
UW senior midfielder Noah Glorioso was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Men’s Team of the Week — the Badgers have had a representative on each of the website’s weekly honor teams so far this season. Glorioso assisted Dean Boltz’s 86th-minute game-winner in last Monday’s 2-1 win over Marquette, then scored in the 79th minute to give UW a 1-0 away victory over No. 16 Kentucky on Friday.
UW-Eau Claire (3-0-1) slipped one spot to No. 17 in the first NCAA Division III men’s poll of the regular season. The Blugolds are second in the first Region IX poll, which also includes UW-Platteville (3-0-0) at No. 5.
This week’s NCAA Division I schedule
Thursday's game
Marquette vs. Edgewood, 7:30 p.m. (FloFC💲)
Friday's game
Maryland vs. UW, 6:30 p.m. (B1G+💲)
Saturday's games
UW-Green Bay vs. Detroit Mercy, 1 p.m. (ESPN+💲)
UW-Milwaukee vs. Wright State, 1 p.m.
Sunday's game
Illinois-Chicago vs. Marquette, 7 p.m.
Recruiting updates
College women
Freshman Katelyn Haeft (Elkhorn) had a hat trick as Milwaukee Area Technical College routed Oakton (Ill.) 6-0 on Saturday in Des Plaines, Ill. — it was the Stormers’ first win in nearly seven years and their first as an NJCAA Division II program.
MATC’s most recent on-field victory was a 4-2 win over Illinois Valley CC back on Oct. 2, 2017 — they also received a forfeit win later that year. The school couldn’t field a team from 2018 through 2022, and last year’s side finished 0-12-1.
The Stormers (1-2-0), with just 14 players on their roster, play host to Joliet Junior College (Ill.) at 1 p.m. today in Oak Creek.
UW-La Crosse (4-0-0) remained seventh in the first United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III women’s poll of the regular season. The Eagles were No. 1 in the first Region IX poll of the season, while UW-Platteville (4-0-0) is No. 8.
The UW women dropped one spot to No. 7 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I women’s North Region poll.
This week’s NCAA Division I schedule
Thursday's games
Drake vs. UW-Green Bay, 1 p.m. (ESPN+💲)
Marquette vs. Mercyhurst, 5 p.m. (FloFC💲)
UW vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m. (B1G+💲)
UW-Milwaukee vs. Harvard, 7 p.m. (ESPN+💲)
Sunday's game
Marquette vs. UW-Milwaukee, 4 p.m. (FloFC💲)
Recruiting updates
Linking play
The highest-rated women in EA Sports FC 25 (Yahoo! Sports)