The No. 1-ranked Wisconsin women’s soccer team (6-1-1, 0-1-1) travels to the Land of Lincoln for two weekend matches against Big Ten opponents Northwestern and No. 10 Illinois. The trip is the ladies’ first action away from the friendly confines of the McClimon Complex since Sept. 5.

“We know what it takes to win a Big Ten title, and you have to win away games,” coach Dean Duerst said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to build up some momentum this weekend.”

The Badgers start their trek through Illinois Friday with a game against Northwestern. Both teams will be looking for their first Big Ten victory of the year after a rough opening weekend. The Wildcats (4-4-0, 0-2-0) are coming off a pair of tough 3-2 losses, losing to both Michigan and Michigan St. last weekend.

Adding another dimension to the game is the presence of Wildcat coach Jenny Haigh. Haigh was a Badger standout in the early years of the program. From 1991-95 Haigh and the Badgers went to the NCAA tournament four times, including the NCAA championship game in 1991. While this is Haigh’s fourth year leading the Wildcats, Duerst still gets excited to compete with his former player.

“It adds to the dynamic of the game, I think,” Duerst said. “You want to always be able to beat Northwestern and add to the rivalry a little bit … and now that she’s there coaching, it’s like there’s a great friend of yours but you want to kick their butt.”

The Wildcats opened the season allowing only six goals in as many games. Three of those games were shutouts for the Wildcats. While the Big Ten season hasn’t been as friendly to the Wildcats, the Badgers’ offense struggled last weekend.

The Badgers will also be forced to contend with Northwestern’s freshman phenom Kelsey Hans. The Lakeville, Minn., native has been a scoring machine for the Wildcats, tying the Northwestern mark for goals scored by a freshman with eight. While Duerst believes Hans slipped under the radar early, he’s not surprised at her ability to score goals.

“Wiemer did it at Penn State,” Duerst said. “We’ve seen it at different times and what tends to happen is people start recognizing what she is capable of now. She’s found a way to consistently score so far in a couple of games and because of that she’s somewhat targeted. The focus is to contain her. Make sure you are aware of her … but not overly concerned.”

In the game Sunday, UW will face its third ranked team in the last four games when they face a tough Illinois squad. The Illini (7-1-0, 1-1-0) will be searching to rebound from a 1-0 loss against Michigan last weekend. Though the Illini were the preseason co-favorite to win the Big Ten, along with Penn State, last weekend’s loss is an example of the extreme parity in the Big Ten this year.

“Illinois and Penn State are the front runners, and I just feel like any of those teams can loose. We are all capable of beating any of the top teams in the conference,” Duerst said.

The Illini defense is lead by senior goalkeeper Leisha Alcia. In eight starts this season, the Mississauga, Ontario, native has allowed only two goals and earned four shutouts.

“Against Illinois you need to get crosses off, you need to get toward the endline because she is such a good keeper and you need to try and eliminate her strength. You’re not going to be able to shoot from a distance and have a lot of success,” Duerst said. “Corners also where we can crowd the box in front of her, we know going in we need to be able to seize those opportunities.”

Despite a sparse showing last week, scoring only one goal, the Illini pose a diverse offensive threat for the Badgers. Illinois already has five players having scored at least two goals so far this season. The diverse attack will put consistent pressure on freshman goalkeeper Lynn Murray, and the defense in front of her. According to Duerst, the Badgers will need another stellar performance, similar to the effort in last weekend’s Ohio State 0-0 tie.

“It’s interesting because their styles (Ohio State and Illinois) are similar,” Duerst said. “They have a lot of team speed which is what Ohio State had, so I think that Ohio State game will really help us against Illinois.”