PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's soccer team (0-0-1) opened the 2026 season on Tuesday evening with a 1-1 draw against No. 13 Macalester (0-0-1) inside Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
It was a possession focused contest early, as both teams battled the heat while trying to find their rhythm. The Pioneers had the game's first shots midway through the opening half but tries from senior
Justin Williams and junior
Aiden Hatleberg were turned aside.
UW-Platteville broke through in the 27th minute, as Williams sent in a corner kick and found junior
Westley Hankes on the far post for a header that beat the keeper for a goal.
The score remained in favor of the Pioneers until the 70th minute, when Macalester scored the equalizer off a header that was just out of reach of sophomore goalkeeper
Connor Waite. Neither team put together much offense across the final 20 minutes, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Pioneers finished with a 10-6 advantage in total shots for the contest, including 5-3 to shots on frame. Hankes, Williams, and Hatleberg each provided a pair of shots, while sophomore
Liam Holtzen and freshman
Bryker Langfald each tallied a shot on goal off the bench.
Waite, making his first start in goal for UW-Platteville, played all 90 minutes and stopped two of the three shots he faced.
The Pioneers hit the road for a pair of games this weekend, starting at Carnegie Mellon on Friday. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
