Building Badgers
October 22, 2018 | Men's Soccer
A Wisconsin Athletic’s-wide mindset pillars the growth of a spurring young squad
MADISON, Wis. – What makes a sports team successful? One could scroll magazine articles, read books at a library, or attend inspirational talks from some of the most successful coaches in the profession without finding the answer.
Sure there are some tangible assets, some overlaps in ideology that spark success in sports. Head coach John Trask would be the first one to agree with that. But for him, the secret to building a successful soccer team is fairly simple. Build Badgers.
What defines a Badger? To Trask, a Badger encompasses the values of discipline, hard-work, toughness, and confidence. For a roster that showcases seven new faces, Trask certainly faced the challenge of finding out who exactly that was going to be.
"First comes the decision of who is going to play," Trask said. "Then it came down to instilling the Badger culture in each player."
So, what of discipline?
Wisconsin's hybrid between zone and man-to-man is the ultimate testament to the principle of discipline. It forces each and every Badger defender to understand accountability… defenders like sophomore Patrick Yim.Â
Yim understood the principle of discipline especially well when Michigan's forward Jack Hallahan rolled into Madison. Hallahan's decorated Wolverine career showcases 52 points on 19 goals and 14 assists. This year alone Hallahan tallies 19 points, far over a-point-a-game average. But Yim's disciplined defensive mind wouldn't let the Michigan forward out of his sights.
"We pretty much shut down one of the Big Ten's best players, Jack Hallahan," Trask noted. "He got half-looks at our goal and maybe a volley. When that guy cares, especially in a Big Ten game, that guy is usually good for seven to 10 scoring chances. On Friday, Patrick Yim didn't let him breathe."
Hallahan exited the match with a measly two shots on goal, no goals, and no assists.
So, what of hard work?
There are guys like Noah Leibold and Mitch Guitar who have posted astounding performances for Wisconsin over the past few years as "the fulcrum of the team" in the midfield. Others have scrapped, grown and molded into Badgers through hard-work.
"There's no question Ben Leas' development as a defender was paramount," Trask said proudly. "It allowed us to move Isaac Schlenker up to the midfield which, in turn, allowed us to become a better attacking team."
The young sophomore got his first start against Milwaukee and has been an outstanding addition to the Wisconsin back line. Since that game, the Badgers have posted a goals-against average of one. But Leas' growth into a Badger is hardly a minor example of success.
Freshmen Andrew Akindele and Noah Melick are concrete examples of hard work paying off. Both freshmen worked tirelessly in exhibitions, practice, and games to earn a starting spot at the forward position. Now, both are reaping what hard work sowed. Akindele is posting a phenomenal freshman campaign, tallying nine points on three goals and three assists. The same can be said for his counterpart. Melick earned the Big Ten Player of the Week award for his two-goal performance against Rutgers, before scoring the game-winning goal against No. 18 Michigan in double overtime a week ago.
So, what of toughness?
Every Badger starter exhibits some amount of toughness. Ninety, 100, 110 minutes of a fast-paced, riveting soccer match is a grueling experience. Trask makes sure that each and every one of his players are conditioned well and built tough. Tangibly, though, measuring toughness can be difficult to do. Not when it comes to junior Robin Olofsson.
In Wisconsin's mid-September affair against the Hoosiers, Olofsson was a little late in sticking his head near a ball close to contact and cleats. The ball bounced around the box before Indiana finally sent the ball to the back of the net.
"As a defender, you just have to be brave sometimes and put your face in there," Trask said matter-of-factly. "But we don't seem to be making the same mistake twice."
Olofsson probably could be the first to tell you that. The junior exited the field briefly with a bloodied head against Michigan after bravely heading a ball near the two yard line up and out of danger.
"The toughness Robin Olofsson showed by going in with his head on the two-yard line against Michigan is perfect example," Trask spoke. "He learned from the match against Indiana and didn't make the same mistake again."
So, what of confidence?
This is something coach Trask sees in all of his players. He parallels it to the Milwaukee Brewers play-off run.
"You can look at the Brewers. Look at how far they went," Trask said with honesty. "They got a wave of confidence towards the end of the season and just ran with it. We're planning to do the same thing."
The Badgers are certainly gaining confidence. Wisconsin knocked off perennial powerhouse Maryland on the road – something unheard of in College Park – and continued on for a five-game unbeaten streak. Wisconsin played then-No. 5 Michigan State and won in a thrilling overtime match, 1-0 to solidify themselves near the top of the Big Ten conference. Just last Friday, the Badgers continued the trend with a thrilling double-overtime win over the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, 1-0.
"When you win some big games like we did against Michigan State, Maryland, and Michigan, it puts our feathers up," Trask stated. "Confidence is real -- it's a tangible thing in sports. We're planning to take our confidence and run with it as far as we can."
For a Badger team that seems to be gelling at the right time, it's success comes down to simple principles, simple ideas. It comes down to being a Badger.
"The principles of toughness, hard-work, discipline and confidence is what Wisconsin Athletics are built upon. Look at all the best Badger teams in any sport; they just don't give opposing teams much to work with. We are showing hallmarks of that right now."
Wisconsin closes out the regular season with a road match against Northwestern on Wednesday before returning home on Sunday for Senior Day against Ohio State.
The take home message from a coach who understands his team's recipe for success?
"There's a lot to like but still a lot left to play for."
Â
Sure there are some tangible assets, some overlaps in ideology that spark success in sports. Head coach John Trask would be the first one to agree with that. But for him, the secret to building a successful soccer team is fairly simple. Build Badgers.
What defines a Badger? To Trask, a Badger encompasses the values of discipline, hard-work, toughness, and confidence. For a roster that showcases seven new faces, Trask certainly faced the challenge of finding out who exactly that was going to be.
"First comes the decision of who is going to play," Trask said. "Then it came down to instilling the Badger culture in each player."
So, what of discipline?
Wisconsin's hybrid between zone and man-to-man is the ultimate testament to the principle of discipline. It forces each and every Badger defender to understand accountability… defenders like sophomore Patrick Yim.Â
Yim understood the principle of discipline especially well when Michigan's forward Jack Hallahan rolled into Madison. Hallahan's decorated Wolverine career showcases 52 points on 19 goals and 14 assists. This year alone Hallahan tallies 19 points, far over a-point-a-game average. But Yim's disciplined defensive mind wouldn't let the Michigan forward out of his sights.
"We pretty much shut down one of the Big Ten's best players, Jack Hallahan," Trask noted. "He got half-looks at our goal and maybe a volley. When that guy cares, especially in a Big Ten game, that guy is usually good for seven to 10 scoring chances. On Friday, Patrick Yim didn't let him breathe."
Hallahan exited the match with a measly two shots on goal, no goals, and no assists.
So, what of hard work?
There are guys like Noah Leibold and Mitch Guitar who have posted astounding performances for Wisconsin over the past few years as "the fulcrum of the team" in the midfield. Others have scrapped, grown and molded into Badgers through hard-work.
"There's no question Ben Leas' development as a defender was paramount," Trask said proudly. "It allowed us to move Isaac Schlenker up to the midfield which, in turn, allowed us to become a better attacking team."
The young sophomore got his first start against Milwaukee and has been an outstanding addition to the Wisconsin back line. Since that game, the Badgers have posted a goals-against average of one. But Leas' growth into a Badger is hardly a minor example of success.
Freshmen Andrew Akindele and Noah Melick are concrete examples of hard work paying off. Both freshmen worked tirelessly in exhibitions, practice, and games to earn a starting spot at the forward position. Now, both are reaping what hard work sowed. Akindele is posting a phenomenal freshman campaign, tallying nine points on three goals and three assists. The same can be said for his counterpart. Melick earned the Big Ten Player of the Week award for his two-goal performance against Rutgers, before scoring the game-winning goal against No. 18 Michigan in double overtime a week ago.
So, what of toughness?
Every Badger starter exhibits some amount of toughness. Ninety, 100, 110 minutes of a fast-paced, riveting soccer match is a grueling experience. Trask makes sure that each and every one of his players are conditioned well and built tough. Tangibly, though, measuring toughness can be difficult to do. Not when it comes to junior Robin Olofsson.
In Wisconsin's mid-September affair against the Hoosiers, Olofsson was a little late in sticking his head near a ball close to contact and cleats. The ball bounced around the box before Indiana finally sent the ball to the back of the net.
"As a defender, you just have to be brave sometimes and put your face in there," Trask said matter-of-factly. "But we don't seem to be making the same mistake twice."
Olofsson probably could be the first to tell you that. The junior exited the field briefly with a bloodied head against Michigan after bravely heading a ball near the two yard line up and out of danger.
"The toughness Robin Olofsson showed by going in with his head on the two-yard line against Michigan is perfect example," Trask spoke. "He learned from the match against Indiana and didn't make the same mistake again."
So, what of confidence?
This is something coach Trask sees in all of his players. He parallels it to the Milwaukee Brewers play-off run.
"You can look at the Brewers. Look at how far they went," Trask said with honesty. "They got a wave of confidence towards the end of the season and just ran with it. We're planning to do the same thing."
The Badgers are certainly gaining confidence. Wisconsin knocked off perennial powerhouse Maryland on the road – something unheard of in College Park – and continued on for a five-game unbeaten streak. Wisconsin played then-No. 5 Michigan State and won in a thrilling overtime match, 1-0 to solidify themselves near the top of the Big Ten conference. Just last Friday, the Badgers continued the trend with a thrilling double-overtime win over the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, 1-0.
"When you win some big games like we did against Michigan State, Maryland, and Michigan, it puts our feathers up," Trask stated. "Confidence is real -- it's a tangible thing in sports. We're planning to take our confidence and run with it as far as we can."
For a Badger team that seems to be gelling at the right time, it's success comes down to simple principles, simple ideas. It comes down to being a Badger.
"The principles of toughness, hard-work, discipline and confidence is what Wisconsin Athletics are built upon. Look at all the best Badger teams in any sport; they just don't give opposing teams much to work with. We are showing hallmarks of that right now."
Wisconsin closes out the regular season with a road match against Northwestern on Wednesday before returning home on Sunday for Senior Day against Ohio State.
The take home message from a coach who understands his team's recipe for success?
"There's a lot to like but still a lot left to play for."
Â
Players Mentioned
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