Women’s soccer: The Badgers have gone on a tear to end their season, earning themselves a 15-4-1 overall record, with runs of 6-0-0 and 7-0-0 to bookend the season. During their latest 7-0 run, the ladies have amassed 16 goals while goalkeeper Lynn Murray has allowed just two goals in seven matches, earning four shutouts, including a fifth in a combined effort with Stefani Szczechowski.
But the ladies are far from finished. The Badgers will face off against the Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and could face the winner of the Ohio State/Purdue match in the second round. UW has not lost to any of these opponents in ’04.
But the tournament may also hold an integral piece to the Badgers’ NCAA tournament dreams. With 15 wins on the year, the Badgers appear to be a shoo-in for an NCAA berth, but a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament may not only guarantee a spot in the NCAAs, but also an early-round home match-up in the frigid weather of Madison.
“You can’t leave it up to a committee,” head coach Dean Duerst said. “The way that you finish your season is important to a committee.”
— Adam Parks, Women’s Soccer Writer
Women’s hockey: The Badger women’s hockey team will take one of the longest road trips in the team’s history this month, playing three different weekend road series with a bye week stretching over the entire month of November.
The Badgers have spent three weekends away from Madison several times in team history, but never have they spent an entire calendar month on the road. The Badgers won’t play at the Kohl Center again until Dec. 4 in a series against WCHA frontrunner Minnesota.
This road trip should be a litmus test of the team’s potential in the regular season and beyond. So far this season, Wisconsin is 1-1 on the road, splitting a series against Ohio State two weekends ago. The road trip begins at No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth, moves to North Dakota after a bye week and finishes at the Harvard Invitational, with one game each against Harvard and Northeastern.
Two Badgers will have an even longer road trip this month. Senior defenseman Carla McLeod and Molly Engstrom will be playing for their respective countries in this year’s Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y. during Wisconsin’s bye week. The tournament begins Nov. 11 and runs through Nov. 14. McLeod will be playing in the tournament for her second straight year wearing a Team Canada jersey, while Engstrom will be playing for Team U.S.A. The two will actually face each other in competition when their teams meet Nov. 11 at the only off-site game, held at the University of Vermont.
Despite the long road trip, the Badgers have reasons to be optimistic. In the three times Wisconsin has played three road series in a row, they went 12-2-3. This year, they will face the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the nation in Harvard and UMD, but they also get to play the struggling North Dakota and Northeastern squads.
— Robert Panger, Women’s Hockey Writer
Men’s soccer: Senior forward Nick Van Sicklen had another week to remember, scoring four goals and assisting on another en route to being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. The Madison native scored two of the Badgers’ four goals in last Wednesday’s win over UW-Green Bay and tallied both Wisconsin strikes in Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Michigan State.
On the year, Van Sicklen currently leads the Big Ten in goals (11) and points (28) and recently moved up to No. 5 on the Wisconsin career points scored list with 73. The Badger tri-captain can tie Eric Senn for fourth with one more point.
“[Van Sicklen] was disappointed last year in maybe not being as productive as he would have liked and for sure we would have liked,” head coach Jeff Rohrman said. “But this year his attitude and his approach and his work ethic and just everything he’s done has put himself in a position where he going to be a guy that’s going to get it done for us.”
In other news, sophomore midfielder Aaron Witchger has been out of the Wisconsin line-up during the last two games due to a suspension for what Rohrman deemed “team discipline policy reasons.”
— Tom Ziemer, Men’s Soccer Writer
Volleyball: In 2003, Wisconsin had little to no depth to speak of. When head coach Pete Waite turned to his bench for a spark, his primary option at all three front-row positions was freshman Maria Carlini. That has all changed this season. With a bench Waite believes might be the best UW has had since the national runner-up season of 2000, the Badgers have plenty of reserve options to turn to.
“It’s been fantastic because no player can be on their best game every single day,” Waite said. “If someone has an off day, someone is stepping in and giving the team a lift.”
Three players have seen time at left-side hitter this season. Aubrey Meierotto has started all 20 matches, while Marian Weidner and Carlini have split time at the other left-side spot in the rotation. Carlini has started the last nine matches, but Waite has been quick to turn to Weidner, a senior co-captain, when the team needs a boost.
After starting the season’s first four matches, sophomore Amy Bladow was replaced by freshman Taylor Reineke at middle blocker. Bladow has remained a vital contributor off the bench, however. One of the Badgers’ more outwardly emotional players, Bladow has been a go-to player when the team is in need of a lift. The coaching staff also believes the Monument, Colo. native is a stronger offensive player in front of the setter than Reineke, who is more comfortable behind the setter.
Should starting setter Jackie Simpson falter, UW also has a very capable backup in sophomore Katie Lorenzen. Waite also has several defensive options in freshmen Megan Mills and Amanda Berkley, as well as Weidner, who is an excellent back-row player.
“The tough thing about scouting us is they’ll have one video tape or one scouting report, and we’ll have a slightly different line-up in there,” Waite said. “We can very quickly alter the look of our team, and that’s very hard for opponents to defend.”
— Joe Ziemer, Senior Volleyball Writer