In its first regular season action under new head coach Paula Wilkins, the UW women’s soccer (0-1-1 overall) team came out winless after two games in this weekend’s Georgia Nike Invitational Tournament in Athens. After a double overtime shutout performance against Vanderbilt (1-0-1 overall) Friday afternoon, the Badgers received their first loss of the season when they were overcome by host team Georgia’s (0-0, 2-0-0) offense Saturday.
The 0-0 shutout tie against Vanderbilt was highlighted by a solid performance by the Badger defense. Junior keeper Jamie Klages recorded 10 saves, which surpassed her single-game high from last year when she tallied nine saves against Iowa State. Offensively, Wisconsin managed four shots on goal, but the Commodores’ rookie goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel came up with four saves in her first start for Vanderbilt.
“We played well and got better as the game went on against a very good SEC opponent,” Wilkins said after Friday’s game. “We weren’t satisfied with a tie and had the chance to win it late in overtime, but are extremely proud of how our players battled and competed through regulation and overtime.”
The bout with Georgia to round out the weekend for the Badgers ended with a 3-1 loss as the Bulldogs took advantage of a supportive crowd of more than 1,200 and the hot foot of freshman midfielder Caroline Simpson. Simpson was responsible for all three of Georgia’s goals with assists from Kristin Garman and Kelli Corless. UW struggled offensively, getting out-shot 23-4 by the Bulldogs and only two shots on goal. Wisconsin’s lone point came from an unassisted shot by freshman midfielder Darcy Riley at the 55-minute mark. Klages made nine saves on the afternoon.
“I thought Georgia was a very good team,” Wilkins said. “They gave us a new dimension that we have to learn how to deal with. I was disappointed in our performance in terms of our level of competition.”
The Badgers will return home this weekend to host the Wisconsin Invitational Tournament in the newly resurfaced McClimon Soccer Complex for the first time this year. UW will spend the week preparing for the likes of UC-Santa Barbara Friday and Boston University Sunday.
“We are excited to watch our progress this season as we get better every game and after each week of practice,” Wilkins said. “We are all looking forward to playing at McClimon next week in the Wisconsin Invitational against Boston University and UC-Santa Barbara, who are both very good teams.”
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
