Wisconsin men's soccer rises again in national poll

The Wisconsin men’s soccer team rose to No. 8 on the United Soccer Coaches Poll on Tuesday.

The ranking is the highest of any UW men’s soccer team since 1995, the season Wisconsin defeated Duke in the NCAA title game.

Wisconsin most recently earned the No. 10 spot on the national hierarchy, another milestone it hadn’t earned in seven seasons.

UW currently owns a 5-0-0 mark after defeating Marist, Drexel, UIC, Marquette and #16 Kentucky. With help from superstar freshman Dean Boltz, head coach Neil Jones has captained his group to its hottest start since 2001.

Boltz, a native of Palatine, Illinois, leads UW with seven goals and 17 points through five appearances. Midfielder Trip Fleming has accumulated 11 points in 443 total minutes played thus far.

The buzz surrounding this iteration of the Badgers’ platoon on the pitch is substantial. Wisconsin has allowed just two goals through five contests and scored 16, a sizable 14-tally differential entering a slew of conference opponents to close its season.

The Badgers will play the unranked Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Maryland on Sept. 13. Wisconsin will return home to square off against the #6 UCLA Bruins in what figures to be its toughest bout of a young slate thus far.