The Wisconsin women's soccer team wanted to make this past weekend a memorable one. As the program commemorated its 25th anniversary, things got off to a rocky start with a 1-1 tie against Michigan Friday night, but the Badgers bounced back with an impressive 3-0 victory over Michigan State. The victory provided the finishing touch on a weekend that saw former players come together to watch the current squad give head coach Dean Duerst his 150th career win.
"I don't think it could've come on a better day," Duerst said. "Just how it was capped off by this weekend is just something I'll never forget."
Wisconsin's attack was quick and decisive Sunday afternoon as the Badgers scored all three goals on their first three shots within the first 16 minutes. The Badgers never looked back, improving their record to 6-4-3 overall and 3-2-1 in Big Ten play.
The first strike came in the sixth minute as Wisconsin junior defender Ann Eshun took a free kick and sent it into the penalty box. With her back facing the net, Wisconsin senior midfielder Kara Kabellis headed the ball and flicked it over Michigan State junior goalkeeper Nicole Galas for her fourth goal of the season.
Just under seven minutes later, the Badgers were at it again. Senior midfielder Allison Preiss took a throw-in and threw the ball toward the net as Sheri Ferron eluded her defender. Ferron then sent a crossing pass to Walsh who beat Galas for her fourth goal of the season.
Walsh struck again less than four minutes later, again getting assists from Ferron and Preiss. This time, Ferron sent a through ball to Taylor Walsh into the box. Galas charged out from the goal to snare the loose ball, but was unable to get a hold of it. Walsh gained possession and buried the ball into a wide-open net.
"We came out really hard today and we really wanted to win today," Walsh said after the game. "We seem to do a lot better on Sundays, which is weird, but we played a lot better today."
The Badgers were able to hold off the Spartans for the remainder of the game as Wisconsin junior goalkeeper Lynn Murray notched her third shutout of the season.
With the game in control, Duerst was able to use more players off the bench than he normally would.
"The nice thing about it was that they kept the quality of the play up," Duerst said of those that came off the bench. "They played quickly, worked hard, really hustled out there and you want a pretty good, seamless transition. It was a great boost for the team."
While Sunday's finish was nearly perfect, things didn't get off to a great start on a chilly Friday night as the Badgers rallied to force a 1-1 tie against Michigan.
Michigan struck early and it appeared as though the anniversary weekend was going to kick off on a sour note, but Preiss' goal in the 72nd minute tied the game at 1-1.
Overtime wouldn't solve anything as neither team could muster much offense in the two 10-minute sessions, as both Wisconsin and Michigan got off two shots each.
The Wolverines took control of the match early and, within 15 minutes, had the lead.
Michigan senior midfielder Judy Coffman took a pass from junior forward Melissa Dobbyn and blasted it passed Murray, who, despite her diving attempt, was unable to stop it.
Trailing 1-0 at the start of the second half, the Badgers came out looking stronger and more aggressive than they had in the first stanza.
While the new aggressive play didn't pay off initially, the Badgers finally broke through in the 72nd minute. On a free kick just beyond midfield, Eshun launched a pass into the penalty box. Preiss found herself 1-on-1 against Megan Tuura, and beat her to the far post.
"The ball just sort of popped out to me, and I just turned and tried to put it on goal and it worked out," she said.
While the weekend looked as if it may not live up to its potential after Friday's game, the Badgers more than made up for it Sunday.
"The whole weekend just brought back a lot of memories," Duerst said after Sunday's game.
"The thing I encouraged this team for today was to honor those past successes," he added.
