Perhaps the Wisconsin women’s soccer team has found a cure for its recent scoring drought: let the defenders do the scoring. Junior defender Molly Meuer scored her second goal in as many matches off assists from a pair of other members of the back in the 72nd minute to help UW to a 2-1 win at Iowa Friday night.
Meuer, who posted the game-tying goal in a 2-1 win over Northwestern Sunday, put home the game-winner off assists from Bethany Heine and Jessica Ring. With its second consecutive victory, Wisconsin improves to 7-6-1 overall and 3-4-0 in the Big Ten with the win. Iowa falls to 3-9-1 and 0-6-1 with the loss.
Meuer picked up her third goal of the season following a corner kick for the Badgers. Heine took the corner, and Ring served a header to Meuer, who put the shot past Hawkeye goalkeeper Britta Vogele.
“We played the kind of 90-minute game that we needed to,” Wisconsin head coach Dean Duerst said. “I think that the biggest thing that we did was follow the win (over Northwestern) and were able to get some momentum.”
The Badgers scored first at the 12:45 mark. UW played a ball in behind the Iowa defense where Lindsey Walker made a run to the end line and served a cross to Katy Lindenmuth, who finished the goal on the back side for her third tally of the season.
Iowa tied the match in the 24th minute as Kitty Montgomery scored unassisted for her first goal of the season from 25 yards out.
Lindenmuth had a couple of great chances to record her second goal of the match, but Vogele, a second-team All-Big Ten pick last year, tipped one shot over the crossbar and another one just wide of the goal.
Wisconsin was forced to withstand a late Iowa charge in the closing minutes of the contest to seal the win.
Stefani Szczechowski made five saves at goal for the Badgers, and the team was credited with another save. Vogele made seven saves for the Hawkeyes. The Badgers held a 14-10 edge in shots and a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
“Our team hung together,” Duerst said. “We put a lot of energy into it. This gives us confidence and momentum heading into a big game against Ohio State.”