Wisconsin Badgers
Maryland
No. 7 Wisconsin men’s soccer plays first Big Ten road match
September 15, 2026 | Men's Soccer
Badgers face No. 8 Maryland Terrapins
MADISON, Wis. - The No. 7 Wisconsin men's soccer team (5-0-1, 0-0-1 B1G) heads to the East Coast for another top-10 matchup against No. 8 Maryland (5-1, 0-1 B1G) at Ludwig Field on Friday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT against the Terrapins.
Here are five things to know before this week's match.
1 – MAYHEM AT MCCLIMON – Wisconsin recorded its first draw of the season against No. 3 Ohio State last week. The match remained scoreless through the first 85 minutes, with sophomore keeper Judewellin Michel making a huge save on a penalty kick in the 81st minute. While the Buckeyes scored the first goal of the match, it was Matthew Zachemski's game-tying goal with eight seconds remaining that stole the spotlight.
2 – IN THE RANKINGS – After opening the season 5-0-1 the Badgers have secured the No. 7 spot in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's Rankings. No. 7 is the highest ranking for the Wisconsin men's soccer team since they earned that rank in October of 1996.
Wisconsin first entered the rankings at No. 23, and has continued to rise. After earning a thrilling 2-1 victory over Portland, the Badgers jumped to No. 8 in the week three poll.
3 – SCOUTING THE TERPS – Maryland enters Friday's match following its first setback of the season against Northwestern. The 4-0 loss snapped a 20-match regular-season unbeaten streak that dated back to 2024 for the Terps. Maryland scored two top-10 victories in non-conference play, including a 1-0 win over No. 9 High Point and a 3-2 win over No. 5 Georgetown.
Freshman Rodrigo Neri is pacing the Terps' offense with three goals and one assist through six games this season. Neri earned back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards after scoring the game-winning goal against No. 9 High Point and tallying two more goals the following week. Wisconsin will also be tasked with scoring against junior keeper Laurin Mack, who earned the 2025 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award.
4 – HISTORY WITH MARYLAND – UW trails 4-10-2 in the all-time series against Maryland, and is 2-5-1 when playing in College Park. In last season's match against the Terps, the Badgers fell 3-1 at McClimon. Zachemski scored Wisconsin's lone goal in the contest on a successful penalty kick that tied the match at one-all.
5 – HOW TO FOLLOW – Friday's top-ranked contest will be played at the Terrapins' Ludwig Field in College Park, Maryland. The game will stream on B1G+, and live stats can be found on the Terrapins' men's soccer schedule at umterps.com. Live updates will also be given on @BadgerMSoccer on X, as well as @badgermsoccer on Instagram.
