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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Badgers return to Big Ten tournament

WS_ZL
Senior Laurie Nosbusch (16) and the Badgers are determined to keep their season and NCAA Tournament hopes alive by taking down neighboring rival Minnesota today.[/media-credit]

With the Big Ten Tournament beginning Wednesday at Northwestern, the fourth-seeded Wisconsin women’s soccer team will face the No. 3 Minnesota Gophers at 7:30 p.m.

Wisconsin last appeared in the conference tournament in 2006 and holds a 12-10-2 overall record in its history of tournament play. If the Badgers are victorious, they will face the winner of No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 8 Northwestern in the semifinals Friday afternoon. Another win would put UW in the championship game, which will be played Sunday afternoon.

If UW loses, the team will be eliminated from the tournament and must wait for the NCAA tournament selection show, which will air at 3:30 p.m Monday, to see if it earns a berth in the NCAA tournament.

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With every game having the potential to be UW’s last of the season, senior forward Laurie Nosbusch knows the Badgers must make the absolute most of its their opportunity.

“I think, for all the seniors, we just want to play every game like it’s our last,” Nosbusch said. “If we play like that, it probably won’t be our last. So, we just want to go out with desperation and know that we want to remember the game well and not have any regrets.”

Despite failing to take advantage of earning the three seed after losing to Iowa this past Saturday, head coach Paula Wilkins emphasized that UW still has the power to determine the outcome of its season.

“Their fate is in their own hands,” Wilkins said. “I’ve believed that all along during the season. They’re in control of their own destiny. They’re talented enough; I think that if their focus is in the right direction and they go as a group, they are going to be successful.”

The last time the two teams faced each other, Sept. 29, they played to a 2-2, double-overtime finish. The teams needed to overcome heavy rain and wind gusts near 30 miles per hour in the contest.

In order to best Minnesota this time around, Wilkins said consistency is critical.

“I think we need to have a quicker start, but, as we’ve said all season, the biggest thing is consistency throughout the game,” she said. “I think we have good splits, and against Minnesota we had a good 15-minute segment in the second half. I think there’s going to have to be longer consistency, and we have to capitalize on opportunities when we get them.”

Although Minnesota’s offense ranks in the middle of the conference statistically, freshman forward Taylor Uhl was recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and is coming off a hat trick in the Gophers’ 6-3 win over Nebraska. Uhl also received Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the performance.

Despite the legitimate challenge Uhl poses to the Badgers, senior goalkeeper Michele Dalton, who was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year on Tuesday, noted that UW has faced more than its share of offensive threats.

“I would say that we wouldn’t treat [Uhl] any differently than Sarah Hagen, or Maya Hayes, or (Laura) Heyboer; the list goes on. Every team usually has a very good weapon, and we tend to deal with those weapons very well. Obviously, they’ll get their chances, and I’m sure she’ll be dangerous, but we’ve always been good at handling these situations,” Dalton said.

Defensively, the Gophers are eighth in the Big Ten in goals allowed. This could turn out to be key, as the Badgers’ offense may find it easier to have success and complement UW’s strong defense.

Interestingly, the upcoming contest with Minnesota marks the latest start time for a UW women’s soccer game this season. With a 7:30 kickoff, Nosbusch said she likes the mindset of playing in a night game.

“I think we’re pretty excited about playing the night game,” Nosbusch said. “It kind of makes the atmosphere a little bit more exciting, and we can usually run a bit longer in night games.”

Also of note, junior defender Lindsey Johnson earned second-team All Big Ten honors, and freshman forward Cara Walls made the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Freshman midfielder Julia Roddar was also recognized as the recipient of Wisconsin’s Sportsmanship Award.

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