Coming off two hard-fought losses to No. 19 Pepperdine and No. 14 UCLA during their west coast road trip last week, the Wisconsin women’s soccer team (2-2) will look to rebound with a pair of home games against Loyola Chicago Friday and Illinois State Sunday.
Game 1: Loyola Chicago (2-1-1), Friday at 7 p.m.
What to Watch for: Unfamiliar Territory
The opening game of the home stand finds the Badgers in the midst of their first losing streak since late in the 2013-14 season, when the team lost consecutive conference matches to Minnesota and Indiana. A third consecutive loss would put Wisconsin less than .500 for the first time since their 2011-12 campaign, in which they dropped their season opener to Notre Dame.
A balanced offensive approach for UW: Part of Wisconsin’s inconsistencies on offense this season can be traced back to a lack of production from the forward position thus far. All five goals scored by the team have been credited to the attacking efforts of veteran midfielders Rose Lavelle and McKenna Meuer. Look for the forwards to cut down on turnovers and get themselves in better position to score from up top, alleviating the pressure on their midfielders.
Neutralizing Loyola’s freshman forwards: Similar to UW, Loyola’s offense has also scored five goals in four games, but this effort has been led by the freshman scoring tandem of Jenna Szczesny and Claire Oberle, each contributing two goals already this season. Look for Wisconsin’s back line, anchored by seniors Brianna Stelzer and Molly Laufenberg, to use experience to their advantage and force the rising stars into taking low-percentage shots and getting less-proven contributors involved on the attack.
Game 2: Illinois State (1-3) Sunday at 1 p.m.
What to watch for: Big Ten Blues?
The Illinois State Redbirds kicked off their season with a Columbus, Ohio, road trip, taking on Wisconsin’s Big Ten rival, Ohio State. What followed was a four-goal defeat at the hands of the Buckeyes, where the Redbird defense was drummed to the beat of 14 shots and four goals in the opening 35 minutes, culminating in a 2-6 defeat. The team then followed up with a one-goal shutout loss to the Illini at home, extending their Big Ten losing streak to seven. Illinois State’s last win against Big Ten competition was a 2-1 overtime victory over Northwestern in the 2011-12 season.
Continued poise from Caitlyn Clem: In her first four games as the starting goalkeeper for the Badgers, Caitlyn Clem has endured a trial-by-fire, facing two of the nation’s top offenses on the west coast trip. Despite team losses to both Pepperdine and UCLA, Clem held up her end, totaling five and seven saves against each opponent respectively. While the attacking efforts of Illinois State may be underwhelming in comparison, Clem still needs to keep her mental edge and sharpness in the box to avoid any chance of a Redbird upset.
An offense without a star: Ironically enough, the top scorers last season for each team (Cara Walls for Wisconsin and Rachel Tejada for Illinois State) were both drafted as forwards by The Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL this season. Tejada’s departure has since left the Redbirds struggling to find their next offensive star as they pursue a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Look for Wisconsin’s defense to capitalize on a rare rebuilding period for the typically dominant Illinois State offense, currently averaging just 1.25 goals per game after last season’s mark of 2.64.
