The Wisconsin-Marquette rivalry in women’s soccer resumes this Tuesday as the Badgers look to win their fourth game in a row this season.
Both Wisconsin and Marquette take the field tonight riding momentum from successful weekend campaigns. Wisconsin upped its record to 3-1 with a 3-1 victory at Northern Illinois Friday and a 3-2 win over a previously unbeaten Kansas squad at home Sunday.
The Badgers used a team philosophy in its efforts to post back-to-back wins over the weekend. Senior forward Jenny Kundert notched her first two goals of the season at Northern Illinois, as Wisconsin controlled the contest throughout and was able to outshoot its opponent and get consistent shots on goal. In scoring those two goals, Kundert gained sole possession of the No. 10 ranking on UW’s career scoring list, giving her 54 points.
“Jenny’s ability to score will make her feared by opponents. She is an emotional leader on the field,” coach Dean Duerst said.
In Sunday’s game against Kansas, the Badgers were able to overcome one of the hottest scoring players in the country — the Jayhawks’ Caroline Smith. Smith scored all but one goal for her team coming into the game and tallied both goals for the Jayhawks Sunday afternoon. With the Badgers and Jayhawks all knotted up at 2-2, Kundert responded again and got what proved to be the game winner, following a beautiful run and assist by fellow teammate Katy Lindenmuth. For her efforts last weekend, Kundert was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
The Badgers will be counting on freshman goalkeeper Stefani Szczechowski, who recorded eight saves over the weekend, and freshman Kara Kabellis, who returned to her home state to record her first collegiate goal Friday in the Badgers’ hot play against Marquette.
Marquette will be looking to maintain their weekend success as they put their 2-1-1 record on the line against the Badgers. The Golden Eagles won the Nike Michigan Invitational Championship after beating Oakland (MI) 2-0 Sunday. Marquette claimed the title on a plus two-goal differential after tying 15th ranked USC Friday 0-0.
Marquette split games the weekend before, slipping by Vanderbilt 1-0 before falling to Dayton 0-1. Two Marquette players were selected this season among the 11 chosen to be Preseason All Conference-USA. Seniors Anne Ioder and Kristen Jensen look to lead the way against UW in tonight’s matchup.
Yet, the player to keep an eye on this game seems to be senior forward Carolyn Klopp, who scored her second goal and second match winner of the season against Oakland Sunday. Junior goalkeeper Kate Bissen has also been rock solid defensively so far this season. Bissen, in Sunday’s win, made two saves and picked up her third shutout of the year. In Friday’s tie with USC, she used a strong defensive effort to record nine saves. Bissen has allowed just one goal this season, coming off a penalty kick against Dayton. Her goals against average is at 0.24 per game for the season.
The last time the Golden Eagles met UW, they ousted them 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last November. Marquette did win last year’s regular season matchup in Milwaukee 1-0, and had won three straight in the series from 2000 on until Wisconsin’s win. The short series history is even for both teams at 4-4-1.
Tonight’s game will pit Wisconsin’s high-scoring offense against Marquette’s stingy defense. UW has tallied ten goals so far this season, with three in each of the last three games, while giving up a total of six goals. Marquette as a team has only scored three and given up just one goal.
“Our goal is to be able to win,” Duerst said. “It’s obviously one of those special games. It will be important to be prepared, having to play three games in five days.”
A win tonight would give head coach Dean Duerst his 109th victory, making him Wisconsin’s all-time winningest women’s soccer coach in school history. Duerst is 108-73-23 since stepping up from assistant to head coach in 1994.
The contest tonight will be one of the most important games of the season, since both teams look to pick up a win before diving into the conference portions of their schedules. It is also an opportunity for both teams to improve upon areas that are deemed vulnerable to their conference opponents.
This is especially important for the Badgers, who hope to use their Big Ten Tournament runner-up and NCAA 2nd round finishes as a springboard for a challenging schedule that looms ahead this season.
