The Wisconsin women’s soccer team played Ohio State to a 0-0 tie Sunday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. The Badgers are 1-0-3 in double-overtime games this year.
Senior Natalie Roedler led Wisconsin (4-8-3 overall, 1-6-2 Big Ten) with three shots on goal, but couldn’t get anything past OSU’s goalkeeper Jen Heaney. The Buckeyes fired eight shots on net, but junior Kelly Conway stopped every scarlet-and-gray effort for her fourth shutout this season.
Ohio State (7-7-1, 4-4-1) earned more corner kicks, 14-5, and out-shot Wisconsin 18-9. Lisa Grubb led the Buckeyes with six total shots and three on goal.
The game was the Badgers’ sixth overtime contest this year, which ties the UW all-time mark for overtime games in a single season. Wisconsin went into extra minutes six times in 1995 and 1996.
“We’ve just got to finish off the season strong,” UW head coach Dean Duerst said. “We’ve got Northwestern at home and we look forward to closing out the year with a win in the conference.”
Sunday’s tie came after the Badgers struggled against No. 6 Penn State on Friday, falling 2-0.
The Badgers came out strong and put heat on the Lions keeper Emily Oleksiuk in the first half. Junior Lauren Schmidt fired a free-kick pass Oleksiuk, but the ball banged off the crossbar. The ball came back out and freshman Sarah Capel headed it back on net, but Oleksiuk was there for the save.
“That was the game; it could have been one-nil there,” Duerst said. “Unfortunately that’s been the story of our season. After that opportunity, [Penn State] got its goal less than five minutes later.”
The Nittany Lions capitalized at 37:10 on a deflection to take the one-nil lead. Bonnie Young popped a ball into the upper corner past Conway.
The first PSU goal was tough to swallow, but the second was tougher. With 24 seconds left in the first half, the Badgers gave up a penalty and Penn State’s all-American Christie Welsh converted the penalty kick.
Conway made five saves for the Badgers and senior Jodi Zilinski, seeing her first action of the season, made three saves in the second half for the Badgers.
