The No. 4 seed University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to take on No. 5 seed University of Texas Friday. The final result was a 2-1 heartbreaking loss after a game highlighted big plays and officiating moments.
Goalkeeper Erin McKinney and UW’s defense allowed just 0.585 goals per game, second in the Big Ten, this season. The Badgers excel at keeping the ball out of the middle of the field and forcing opponents to play along the sidelines. Their stellar defense matched up well with the Longhorns.
Texas features two of the nation’s top four goal scorers in Lexi Missimo (2nd) and Trinity Byars (4th). Their 3.09 goals per game ranked fourth in the nation, as well. Their unrelenting offense and fast pace would test Wisconsin all game.
Missimo and Byars immediately made their presence felt.
In the fourth minute, Byars made a slick backheel pass to Missimo right in front of the Badgers’ box. It caught UW defenders off guard, but a quick recovery prevented Missimo from finding a proper angle before her kick hit the sidenet.
A collision in the ninth minute forced UW midfielder Aryssa Mahrt to miss the rest of the game.
Midfielder Dara Andringa subbed in for Mahrt. She and midfielder Maddie Ishaug did an excellent job clogging up the middle of the field.
The Longhorns continued to pressure the Badger defense. Byars used her speed to track down a long ball pass from her teammate in the 16th minute, but was shut down. Shortly after in the 18th minute, Texas had an opportunity to score on a well-placed corner kick from Missimo. Carly Montgomery was unchallenged, but her header hit the top of the bar and out.
UW regained control of the game and continued to apply pressure on the Longhorns. Midfielder Riley Philbin opened the scoring in the 39th minute on a pass from midfielder Ashley Martinez. Martinez floated the ball from the left up to around the penalty spot, and Philbin won a one-on-one with her defender before burying the ball into the left side of the net.
Momentum seemed to be firmly on the Badgers’ side when Montgomery received a yellow card in the 40th minute. Martinez was awarded a free kick on the left side of Texas’ territory. Her soaring kick curved its way into the Longhorns’ goal untouched to seemingly put UW up 2-0.
Play temporarily resumed for a few seconds, but the officials eventually waived the goal off, citing that two Wisconsin players were offside. The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Badgers.
It was a theme for most of the game.
UW was offside four times, while Texas was offside eight times. The Badgers were flagged for offsides 63 times this season, most in the Big Ten.
The stout Longhorn offense wouldn’t be shut out for much longer. They came out of halftime with energy. Missimo was able to work her way into the center of the field before finding Ashlyn Miller alone on the right side of the box. Miller rocketed the ball to the top left corner to even the score 1-1.
After losing Mahrt in the ninth minute, Martinez had to exit in the 61st minute after a hard collision with Abby Allen. She was able to walk off. A few words were exchanged by both teams at the spot of the collision, exhibiting how physical the game had been.
The game remained tied until the 68th minute when the Longhorns took the 2-1 lead. This time, it was Missimo who scored on a pass from Jilly Shimkin. Texas maintained control of the ball, getting another shot off in the 71st minute which McKinney handedly saved.
Wisconsin had a couple more opportunities to score, including a penalty kick in the 80th minute. Defender Hailey Baumann, who stymied the Longhorns on defense all game, was the target. She was swarmed by Texas defenders and was unable to find enough space for a header.
The Badgers’ energy never faulted, especially from McKinney whose voice could be heard around the stadium as she supported her teammates from the goal.
Wisconsin was unable to find another clean look.
They finished their impressive season with a 14-5-4 record. They were runners-up to the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Championship and defeated the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Paula Wilkins achieved her 300th win against Louisiana State University Aug. 31 when her squad defeated the Tigers 3-0.
