A reoccurring theme can be found in every athletic season. For the Wisconsin women’s soccer team that theme was “close.” And, as UW found out, “close” doesn’t result in victories.
The Badgers ended their season with an overall record of 5-11-3 (1-7-2 Big Ten), yet they were the proprietors of a plethora of close games which, with a change of bounces, could have changed the season in a dramatic fashion.
UW played in numerous overtime games, setting the school’s record with seven on the season.
Couple that with the dropping of seven games by a mere goal and three losses coming via overtime goals, and the Badgers witnessed themselves narrowly missing opportunities for victory time and time again.
After a contest against UW-Milwaukee, a game that the Badgers dominated throughout, head coach Dean Duerst commented on the frequency of losing close games.
“[Missing opportunities has] been happening all too often to our team this year,” Duerst said.
Wisconsin found itself dominating its games but was plagued by inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball. UW just couldn’t shake the ghost that kept them off of the scoreboard, which resulted in nine shutouts, and out of the win column.
“It’s the kind of team that just feels like, ‘Wow. What do we need to do to get on the right side of it?'” Duerst said. “[The slim goal margin is] a sign of us being in all these games; no team has been able to come out here and really whup us. [It shows how the] games are on such small details sometimes.”
However, the season was not exclusively filled with near victories. The Badgers began the season hitting harder than Wu-Tang on a reunion tour, with a 3-1-1 start that included snapping then-third-ranked Notre Dame’s 28-game home winning streak with a 2-2 tie.
After leaving South Bend, the Badgers found themselves arriving on the national charts, ranked 23rd. The next day senior Kelly Kundert found herself honored as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for bagging both goals in the ND contest.
Then the Big Ten season began. Wisconsin managed only to win three times, going 3-10-2 in the next 15 games, and winning only once in the Big Ten season with a 3-1 victory over Iowa.
The Badgers simply could not find the net during that span. Even with UW taking aim on goal far more frequently than their opponents, the team just couldn’t get the results.
Then, with the final test of the season pitting UW versus St. Louis University, the conclusion of the contest found the Badgers in a position that was suppose to occur more often then it did during the course of the season–on top.
The Badgers managed to silence their ghosts from the past, and they took advantage of their opportunities, finalizing the season with a 4-3 thriller.
“What a way to close out the year on a high note, with a victory,” Duerst said. “They played great.”
Even with the departure of seniors Natalie Roedler and Kundert, UW’s top two scoring threats, the program was able to bring along the continuing progress of their returning members.
Goalkeeper Kelly Conway, who made a name for herself by allowing only 1.41 goals per game and recording 1,700 plus minutes in goal, has a promising senior year arriving in the box.
Four freshmen were able to tally their first collegiate goals of their young careers, led by Amy Vermeulen, who netted four goals, and now aim to better themselves during the off-season. UW now looks to put season behind them and focus on the future, hoping that history won’t repeat itself anytime soon.