The Badgers’ four game-winning streak came to an ugly conclusion at the hands of Ohio State Friday night. A flat performance left the UW women’s soccer team extremely disappointed as the Badgers were handed a 1-0 defeat in difficult weather conditions.
With a game-time temperature in the low 40s, and a brisk wind which brought the wind chill close to the freezing mark, the weather was not cooperative.
“This was our worst performance of the season,” head coach Dean Duerst said. “We were unable to play with any cohesiveness.”
The Buckeyes’ lone goal was scored in the first half by left-winger Lisa Grubb on a crossing pass that found its way past goalkeeper Kelley Conway.
“Their goal was not a good goal, but somehow it found the back of the net,” Duerst said.
The Badgers re-grouped at halftime but could not find a way to equalize the match and suffered a disappointing loss. With the defeat, the Badgers were eliminated from the regular-season conference title.
“The team is wondering what showed up tonight,” Duerst said. “We know we are better than the product we gave the fans tonight.”
One consolation is that the team will have a chance to redeem itself in two weeks at the Big Ten tournament hosted by Michigan State.
Sunday, a different Badger team took the field.
“We came out today and really gave a great effort,” Duerst said, “They proved to me we can play with anybody in the country.”
After an early goal from the Nittany Lions, UW came back on a brilliant finish from Jessica Wolff in the 29th minute of play.
The remainder of the half saw a flurry of missed opportunities on the part of the Wisconsin offense.
“The keeper made some great saves,” Duerst said. “We had our opportunities and we couldn’t capitalize. When you play a team that’s as good as Penn State, you must finish the chances you have; otherwise, they will find a way to beat you, and that’s what happened.”
A great shot by forward Jenny Kundert was played well by Penn State goalkeeper Amanda Brown, while another tremendous opportunity was missed by inches when a shot from the left side beat the keeper and hit the post.
In the waning moments of the first half, the Lions countered the UW offensive with a goal from last week’s offensive player of the week, Heidi Drummond.
“Their second goal was unfortunate,” Duerst said. “Our keeper was yelling, ‘Let it! Let it!’ and our defender accidentally stopped it. The most experienced players let it go, and it’s a goal kick.”
Despite a second half charge, the team came up short, as a goal by Penn State forward Tiffany Weimer, assisted by Joanna Lohman, in the last seconds of the game gave the Nittany Lions a 3-1 victory.
“We fought well today,” Duerst said. “I am happy with our performance but very frustrated with the inability to get the result we wanted, and the team feels that same disappointment.”
The win puts Penn. State 8-1 in Big Ten play and 13-2-1 on the season, the top spot in the league. Wisconsin drops to 3-4-2 in the conference, good for seventh place and 7-7-3 overall.
The Badgers will take their show on the road with a crucial game in Minnesota before returning home to finish out the season with two non-conference games.
A win at Minnesota would secure a spot in the Big Ten tournament and build confidence as the postseason approaches.
“At this point in time, we can head to the Big Ten tournament and become Big Ten champions,” Duerst said. “This team has proved to me they can play with anybody out there.”
