It was a tumultuous season for the UW women’s soccer team (10-8-1, 4-6-0), which struggled in conference play to finish in eighth place, but the team ended in style with a stunning upset win over No. 6 Penn State on a penalty-kick shootout, advancing UW to the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament.

Wisconsin entered conference play with a 4-2-1 record, but after winning the conference opener against Indiana, the Badgers suffered a four-game losing streak to fall to 5-6-1 overall. After splitting their next four games, the Badgers finished strong with wins in their final three regular-season contests and the shootout win against top-seeded Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament before they ended their season with a 1-0 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament semifinal.

“We wanted to be a very good team at the end of the year, and we were,” head coach Dean Duerst said. “I can say that with all honesty. I’m really proud of the seniors and their effort. That game against Penn State shows what your group can bring to the table when they put their minds to it.”

Along the way, Duerst became the most successful women’s soccer coach in school history, notching his 109th career win with a 3-0 victory over Marquette Sept. 9. With 115 wins in 10 seasons with the Badgers, Duerst holds the career mark for coaching victories, surpassing his predecessor Greg Ryan, who earned 108 wins in eight seasons.

Leading scorer Jenny Kundert also made history this season, moving into second place on the career-assists list. With four assists this season, Kundert increased her career mark to 24, just two shy of the school record held by Theresa Senn, who recorded 26 assists from 1981-83.