The sun sets over Camp Randall, slowly lowering its view below the threshold of the Badger’s new multi-million dollar scoreboard. Outside the stadium, the dying sunlight barely illuminates the nearby practice field, where the women’s soccer team concludes its workout. On the women’s field there are no bands, no cameras and no curious minds trying to catch a glimpse of the team. This is definitely not a football practice.

But as midfielder Molly Meuer looks up at Camp Randall’s prized renovation, she’s got her own ideas on how to use the field.

“What if at halftime, instead of having the band go out, we could go out there and start playing 11-on-11?” Meuer said with a grin. “That would be awesome, getting to play in front of 82,000 people. It would be a shock for the fans, but it would be awesome for us.”

While the Wisconsin band probably sees things differently, you can’t blame her for dreaming about it. Camp Randall’s attendance is the polar opposite of the turnout for a women’s soccer game, and any athlete would tell you they love to perform for the crowd.

“We’d love to see a lot of attendance with students packing the stands and families with little kids running around; that would be great,” Meuer said. “But we realize everyone has time constraints and our field is a little bit farther away than Camp Randall, but what can you do?”

What Meuer has done is continue to play, regardless of the crowd. For four seasons Meuer has been a mainstay of the Wisconsin program, enjoying both the good times and the rough times of the program. But with her senior season nearly halfway through, she refuses to think of this as the end.

“I mean, yeah this is it with the University of Wisconsin, but you can’t look at it that way,” Meuer said. “I want it to be special, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m going to miss hanging out with the girls. I have some of my best friends on this team. I hope to keep in contact with a lot of them and come back and have little reunions, but I’m going to miss the girls and everyone’s little quirks and nicknames and whatever else.”

Meuer can attribute her love for her team and the game to her father, who ultimately got her started in soccer. Her father, Kelly Meuer, played for Wisconsin’s men’s soccer team from 1977-79.

“I got started because my father got me into it,” Meuer said. “He played soccer here at the university, so he just said, ‘Molly, I want you to try it,’ and I started playing. I played on an all-boys team till I was 12, and then I started playing for the 56ers. And I actually played for Stuart Barker, who is (assistant coach) Carrie Barker’s husband, so that’s kind of funny now.”

Growing up in the Madison area afforded Meuer the chance to grow up around the UW soccer team, attending Badger clinics throughout her youth.

“I was at every single one of them,” Meuer said. “I remember Jackie Billet when she was here, Carrie was my coach for a while, a bunch of people were here. I’ve known Dean (Duerst) for a while, and my dad’s known him too.”

Yet even though Meuer’s father originally got her into the sport, she never felt pressure to come to her father’s alma mater. Instead, like many children in Wisconsin, she gained her love for the University of Wisconsin through the sports she watched.

“There is some much rich tradition here,” Meuer said. “My father played here, my grandfather swam here, so did my aunt, my uncles played hockey here and my mom was an athletic trainer here. There was no way around it. I remember growing up in the red and white, the Bucky Badger sweatpants and sweat suit. I always wanted to come here. I didn’t feel pressure to come here, but I always wanted to come here.”

Since Meuer left the red and white sweat suits of her youth for the red and white uniform of the women’s soccer team, she’s been a steady force for Duerst’s squad. During her freshman campaign, Meuer shared the Big Ten’s freshman of the year award despite seeing action in only 12 matches. Meuer improved even more during her sophomore season, seeing action in 24 games despite playing with a solid corps of returning players.

Entering her junior campaign, Meuer earned herself a spot as one of the team’s tri-captains, learning to lead from captains Jenny Kundert and Bethany Heine. Prior to this season, Meuer was again named a captain, joined by first-time captains Marla Froelich and Jessica Ring. This season, though, Meuer has shown a marked improvement in her leadership, according to coaches.

“It’s also about picking someone you trust, someone you know will fully go out of her way to communicate to the players, communicate with the coaches openly and honestly, and she’s very willing and open to speaking her mind,” Duerst said. “She almost takes charge to a fault sometimes, but I think she’s actually done a better job this year of understanding how to live the role and get other people involved in getting other people to step up and take responsibility.”

Entering this season, Meuer prepared for another change as she was joined on the team by younger sister Katy. But, Meuer says, playing with her sister has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of her life.

“She got to train with me this summer, which was so enjoyable, I loved it,” Meuer said. “She’s definitely faster than I am, so we’d run and she’d beat me. But then on recovery stuff I get her, and it’s a very good combination. We’re a good combination together.”

“I love hanging out with her,” Meuer added. “It’s fun to pick on her every now and then. We make fun of her a little more, kick balls at her, but she’s my sister.”

Coach Duerst can relate to the experience his team leader has enjoyed this season, after playing alongside his brother during his playing days.

“I played here with my brother; I was the little brother,” Duerst said. “I kind of know what that feels like. We’re fortunate now to have eight years out of a Meuer. I call (Katy) mini Meuer or mighty Meuer, just to call her something different and we’ve got another Katy on our team too. It’s a neat dynamic.”

Though Meuer’s time as a Badger is coming to an end, she concedes that soccer may still be in her future. Although whether it will be coaching or playing in her future remains unknown.

“Hopefully in the spring I’m going to Madrid, studying abroad,” Meuer said. “After that, I applied to the physician’s assistants program, so we’ll see if I get into that. But I don’t know. When I’m abroad I might try and play on a team there; we’ll see how that goes. I’d love to coach. I would absolutely love to coach, but I’d have to get all the licensing and whatever else; definitely a thought.”

While Meuer’s future remains in doubt, one thing is certain. The Per-Mar security staff running the football games might want keep on the lookout for Molly and her team. Dreams were made to come true, and you never know, they just might try to play that game at halftime. Now wouldn’t that be something?