MADISON, Wis. – It was an exciting season finale at the McClimon Complex on Wednesday night, as the Wisconsin men's soccer team ended its regular season on a high note and came from behind to defeat Northwestern in a 2-1 final.
 
After the Wildcats got on the board in the 20th minute and took an early 1-0 lead, the duo of Luc Kazmierczak and Mark Segbers led a Badgers' rally with goals in the 41st minute and 68th minute, respectively, that clinched UW's first home win of the season.
 
The Badgers (5-10-3, 2-3-3) finished the regular season 3-2-1 over their final six games and have continued to improve heading into postseason play. With the win, Wisconsin not only jumped to seventh place in the Big Ten Conference standings, but also avoided the Big Ten tournament play-in game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds. The Badgers now begin the Big Ten tournament with a rematch at Indiana on Sunday at noon (CT).
 
"As I reminded the guys going into the game, there's no question that we are not an eighth- or ninth-place team in this conference," head coach John Trask said. "This was a tremendous performance against a very good Northwestern team. We defended well and we were resolute, but we also were dangerous going the other way."
 
Northwestern tallied the first goal of the game in the 20th minute, as Joey Calistri crossed the ball from the left side over to Mike Roberge. The ball found Roberge's foot in the air, and he tapped it in past UW goalkeeper Adrian Remeniuk.
 
A wild sequence helped get the Badgers on the board and tied the game in the 41st minute. After Wisconsin earned a penalty kick, Mike Catalano stepped up to take it, but had his attempt saved. Isaac Schlenker was quick to react and run down the rebound, however, and was able to cross the ball right back into the box for Kazmierczak, who headed the ball in for the game-tying score.
 
It was the first career goal for Kazmierczak and the first career assist for Schlenker.
 
Hungry for the go-ahead score, the Badgers came out aggressive in the second half. Their efforts paid off in the 68th minute. Standing close while guarding a Northwestern center back, Segbers took a long pass from Drew Conner and turned to beat the defender. Segbers then took a one-touch shot and found the back of the net for his third goal of the year and his first since Sept. 30 against Green Bay.
 
"It felt really nice, especially with it being the seniors' last home game," Segbers said of his game-winning goal. "They've put in so much work and effort to building our team up and keeping our spirits up, so it was great. It was just a little thank you to them."
 
"I got the ball from the left side and I opened my hips," senior team captain Conner said in describing the sequence. "I was going to hit a driven ball to the right side, but I saw Mark out of the corner of my eye posted up on their center back, so I faked the wide ball and drove it into his feet. He took a beautiful touch around the guy and finished first time. It was awesome."
 
The Badgers locked in defensively and preserved their lead, holding on for the 2-1 victory against the Wildcats (7-8-2, 4-4-0). Remeniuk finished the match with three saves for UW.
 
Wisconsin begins postseason play Sunday with a rematch against Indiana, as the Badgers and Hoosiers face for the second time in three games. The game will kick off at noon (CT) in Bloomington.