Coming off a strong weekend to open Big Ten Conference play, the Wisconsin women’s soccer team hopes to keep its streak alive as they set out to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Thursday.
Expectations are high for the first match of the season between the rivals. The two squads currently have the same record at 1-0-1 in the Big Ten and are vying for the top spot in the conference.
The Badgers made waves in the Big Ten in the first weekend of conference play by sweeping the Big Ten Weekly awards. Forward Laurie Nosbusch received Offensive Player of the Week, midfielder Monica Lam-Feist earned Freshman of the Week honors and goalie Michele Dalton was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Wisconsin has started conference play undefeated, marking their best Big Ten start since 1998. The Badgers have an overall record of 5-4-2 and have remained undefeated at home this season.
Nosbusch — who recorded a hat trick Sunday — was thrilled to be named Offensive Player of the Week, but she was happier about helping the team.
“The awards we earned this last weekend really brought a lot of recognition to the team, and I was just happy that I could help the team,” Nosbusch said. “I just want to help in any way I can, whether that is scoring goals or getting assists or just keeping the ball on the top.”
Dalton, a sophomore goalie, had a total of 12 saves last weekend with six against both Purdue and Indiana. She attributes her defensive success to the rest of the team’s strong play.
“My achievements are really a reflection of our entire backfield,” Dalton said. “I was really taken aback by earning Defensive Player of the Week.”
Wisconsin is currently tied with Minnesota and Purdue for the lead in the Big Ten, which makes this game more important not only because of the border rivalry but because of the chance to take the conference lead.
Head coach Paula Wilkins is very optimistic about the Badgers’ chances against the Gophers and knows her team has the ability to defeat their border rivals.
“We’re going to have to match their intensity in terms of being consistent with our effort all of the time,” she said. “I think that we can beat them as long as the girls keep their concentration level high.”
Dalton echoed her coach’s sentiments, also noting the team’s success builds off its strong defensive play.
“We need to play our game and we can beat anybody in the country,” Dalton said. “We just need to keep putting the ball in the back of the net, and when our defense attacks, we will be successful.”
Nevertheless, Wilkins is not forgetting Minnesota’s strengths. The Gophers have also started their Big Ten season with a record of 1-0-1, and their tie against Illinois on Sunday ended their six-game Big Ten winning streak dating back to last season.
“Minnesota is very physical and determined,” she said. “They are a very attacking group, and they like to throw a lot of pressure on the ball and we are just going to have to deal with that pressure.”
“We need to finish our chances during the course of play,” Dalton added. “If we finish our chances and defensively tighten up and improve on marking the ball, we should be in great shape.”
After starting the season on the right foot, Wisconsin has high hopes for the rest of the year. According to Wilkins and Nosbusch, earning their first win against a ranked opponent since 2005 Sunday against No. 19 Indiana proves that the team has been steadily improving.
“We want to get better every game,” Wilkins said. “With a young team, our kids have gotten better in the game alone this season and we want to continue building on that as we go along.”
“We will do well in the Big Ten this season,” Nosbusch said. “We want to finish at the top of the Big Ten and make a run for the NCAA, but more importantly, we just want to gain recognition that we are a force to be reckoned with.”
