MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin men's soccer team lost in a close match against Portland Monday night at McClimon Soccer Complex. The Pilots, now 4-0 to open the season, maintained pressure throughout the game and capitalized on a goal in the 70th minute to take down the Badgers, 1-0. 

How It Happened:
The Badgers had good opportunities early in the match, including two shots within the first five minutes, but were not able to find the back of the net. Portland maintained possession for the majority of the first half, putting up three shots on goal before the break.

Wisconsin goalkeeper Matisse Hébert made five saves in the game, before the Pilots were able to knock in the deciding goal. David Ajabe directed a pass from Efetobo Aror into the right corner of the net to give Portland the lead in the 70th minute.

UW's best chance to equalize came when Cristobal Porter blasted a shot in the 78th minute from just inside the top of the box that the Portland keeper knocked aside.

Straight From The Pitch:
Head coach Neil Jones:

"Congratulations to Portland on a well earned victory here in Madison. We weren't up to par tonight against a very good team who kept the ball a lot and was able to move us around and eventually put away a chance to win the game. We feel as though we have another gear in us that wasn't present tonight and we need to find it before Saturday when we play a very important and difficult match on the road at Marquette." 

Key Notes:

• Redshirt sophomore Roman Eisa played in his first game since Nov. 3, 2023 at Indiana.

Up Next: The Badgers head east on I-94 to face Marquette on Saturday, Sept. 6. The cross-state kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Valley Fields. The game will stream on Marquette's YouTube. Find live updates at @badgermsoccer on X (formerly twitter).