Following a thrilling 2-0 win over the No. 3 seed Minnesota Gophers Sunday afternoon, the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team is moving onto the Big Ten Conference semifinals on Friday afternoon against the No. 2 seed Northwestern Wildcats.
The Badgers are now riding a three-game win streak, which is their second highest streak of the season next to their seven consecutive wins earlier this year.
They have now defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Minnesota Gophers with three consecutive shutout victories and are looking to continue that success with an upset win against Northwestern.
The Badgers are trying to avenge their recent 0-2 loss against Northwestern Oct. 15. In that game, they gave up first half goals to McKenna Angotti and Grace Orndorff and were unable to get their offense going.
Women’s soccer: Badgers finish off Minnesota in overtime thriller
Since then, the Badgers have rallied and they haven’t lost a game since. The Badgers are led in scoring by star sophomore forward Dani Rhodes, who leads the team with 26 points, which includes 11 goals and four assists as well as freshmen Cameron Murtha and Lauren Rice who have 10 and 9 points respectively.
They combine this offense with an elite defense that has given up an average of only 0.79 goals per game. The defense and goaltender Caitlyn Clem have now pitched 11 shutouts in 19 games which is an incredible accomplishment.
This has all contributed to the Badgers’ current 13-4-2 record. This is a significant improvement from their 9-5-8 record from a year ago. Many of the Badgers underclassmen have risen to the occasion and have been more than ready to compete in Big Ten going 5-2-4 during conference play.
Women’s soccer: Badgers dominate Hawkeyes in final road challenge
The winner of this game will take on the winner of the No. 1 seed Ohio State vs No.5 Penn State that takes place earlier in the afternoon.
This semifinal game will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Westfield, Indiana and will be available to watch on the Big Ten Network. Tune in to watch the Badgers attempt to advance in the Big Ten tournament as well as improve their seeding in the upcoming NCAA tournament later in the month.
