Coming off a pair of home victories last week against Indiana and Purdue, the Wisconsin women’s soccer team (5-4-3, 2-1-1 Big Ten) now looks to knock off No. 11 Minnesota (9-1-2, 4-0-0 Big Ten) in the annual border battle this Friday at 6 p.m. at the McClimon Center.

But, extending the winning streak could be an uphill battle for the Badgers, as the conference-leading Gophers ended September on a six-game tear to take a two-point advantage over Northwestern in the early standings.

Head-to-Head

The Badgers visited Minnesota last season in their most recent matchup and ran away with a 4-1 victory, but it was also the program’s first win over the Gophers since 2010.

Wisconsin’s Keys to Victory

Set-Piece Defense

A notable improvement for the Badgers this season is the defense’s execution of corner and free kick clearances. Part of this can be attributed to the improved chemistry between keeper Caitlyn Clem and the rest of the backline.

Clem took on seven corner kicks in the 1-0 victory over Purdue last week, and none of them posed a real threat. Similar poise will be needed Friday to shut down an aggressive Minnesota attack that has taken 84 corner kicks already this season.

Aggression from the midfield

Still recovering from the loss of star forwards Cara Walls and Kodee Williams, the Badgers have turned to their attacking midfielders more often than not this season to put points on the board (11 of the 14 total goals scored have been scored by a midfielder). If Wisconsin wants to contend against a high-powered Gophers defense, they’ll need to find creative ways to give leading scorers McKenna Meuer (five goals) and Rose Lavelle (four goals) space to shoot in the attacking third.

At this point of the season, the Gophers have given up just six goals to 106 shots (an opponent shooting accuracy of just 5 percent).

Matchup to Watch

Minnesota F Simone Kolander vs. Wisconsin G Caitlyn Clem

The team leader in assists for her first two seasons, Kolander has also proven her ability to find the net, leading the team with seven goals this season in an efficient 27 shots. Kolander comes into Friday’s contest on a five-game scoring streak. On the contrary, Clem has been on a dominant stretch of her own, saving 12 consecutive shots en route to a three-match shutout streak.