The University of Wisconsin women’s soccer program began their playoff run toward a 2023 College Cup Championship this past Friday, where they hosted in-state rival University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in a first round battle.
UW entered as a No. 4 seed in their region, giving them home field advantage in the round of 64 matchup.
On a brisk, chilly night under the lights at the McClimon Soccer Complex, the Badgers found themselves in control on the offensive end throughout the majority of the game.
In the first half, UW possessed the ball and was aggressive on offense. They had seven shots on goal in comparison to Milwaukee’s one, but could not convert any in a quiet first 45 minutes.
Their suffocating defense — a trait that has been on display for the entirety of the year — was key to keeping the match scoreless in the first half.
The Panthers could not gain any momentum early on, leading to a second half breakthrough for UW.
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In the 59th minute, the Badgers took advantage of a corner kick and finally tallied a goal. A ricocheted ball found midfielder Maddie Ishaug who one-touched a line drive to midfielder Emma Jaskaniec. In an instant, Jaskaniec flicked the ball with her right foot past Milwaukee’s diving goalkeeper and got UW on the board.
From there, the Badgers never looked back.
They finished the second half with 12 shots on goal — including six from Jaskaniec. It was a relentless pursuit of the ball for UW, who controlled the game throughout. Goalkeeper Erin McKinney — who has put up numerous quality outings on the pitch — only had to make two saves for the entire 90 minutes.
Defenders Liv Curry, Ella Ottey and Gabby Green played the whole game and were dominant on the defensive end of the ball.
Ishaug iced the game away with the Badgers’ second goal of the evening — coming in the 66th minute. It was once again off of a corner kick where the junior found the back of the net.
As the ball shot to the outside, Ishaug used her right foot to chip in the goal, deflecting off of the Panthers’ goalkeeper’s hand and into the goal.
For the final 24 minutes, UW hung onto their 2–0 lead and eventually won the game. A commanding offense, complemented by a clean sheet from McKinney, allowed the Badgers to defend their home turf and advance to the second round of the tournament.
Friday, Nov. 17, UW will travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to take on the No. 5 seed, University of Texas. The game will be played at 1 p.m., as the Badgers look to make it back to the Sweet 16 after appearing in it in 2021.
