There's no rest for the weary, and the Wisconsin women's soccer team is learning the meaning of that very phrase. After going 5-2-1 against some tough competition, including undefeated No. 5 Portland and BYU, Wisconsin opens the Big Ten season on the road, visiting Iowa Saturday and Illinois Sunday.
Iowa has struggled to get off on the right foot this year, going 1-5-2, with its only win coming against Air Force, winning 3-2 in overtime. In nine games this season, Iowa has allowed 16 goals while only scoring seven.
Despite this, sophomore goalie Lindsey Boldt has tallied 43 saves in the net in seven games for the Hawkeyes. Despite their sub-par record, head coach Dean Duerst knows better than to take any team, especially a Big Ten team, lightly.
"Iowa is that hardworking team that will never go away," Duerst said. "They're dangerous on things such as our set plays and that's maybe where they can take advantage of us. For us, it's just going after them and pressuring them because that's where their weakness is."
The Hawkeyes' lone bright spot has been senior forward Katelyn Quinn. Quinn has scored only one goal, but leads the team in shots (33) and shots on goal (10).
"They have one impressive player, Katelyn Quinn, [who's] done some damage to other Big Ten teams that you just don't want to leave alone," Duerst said.
Unlike Iowa, Illinois has a balanced attack, and their record has backed that. The Fighting Illini are 4-2-1, including a tie against Stanford and a win against Nebraska.
What makes the Illini so dangerous on the offensive side of the ball is that they have no player that stands out from the rest of the group. Four players are tied for the team lead with two goals scored on the year, while junior Jessica Bayne leads the team with four assists.
"Illinois is a scary team this year, because they are a little inconsistent right now, kind of up and down, and they get a little rattled," Duerst said. "They possess some good strikers. They have good speed and they have some very good one-on-one players."
If Wisconsin hopes to win its first Big Ten Conference title, it will have to do so on the defensive side of the ball. Anchored by fifth-year senior Jessica Ring, Wisconsin has been stellar all season long on defense, allowing two goals or more in a game only once.
Wisconsin Goalie Lynn Murray has also contributed, stopping 39 shots in eight games. Despite the move to conference play, Ring believes that the tough non-conference schedule has prepared them for the rigorous Big Ten schedule.
"The Big Ten is our conference and we want to finish well and finish higher than we have in the past," Ring said. "At the same time, every game is another game and we have to prepare for every game."
Along with Ring, Duerst has made sure his team remembers their priorities: stick to the basics of soccer, take each game one at a time and put all the pieces together on a consistent basis.
"We're preparing for our game," Duerst said. "We need to stick to our principles, which is just play smart, play hard and play together. I think that is what you saw when we played Milwaukee last weekend. We really put that game together and we have been able to do that this year. If you get into the conference and you are thinking too much about the other opponents, I think it will hurt you and go against you."
