The Wisconsin women’s soccer team (5-4-1 Big Ten, 12-5-1 overall) will play its last regular-season game Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Iowa City, Iowa. The Badgers will square off against the Hawkeyes (2-5-3, 11-5-3), who are looking to maintain their spot in the Big Ten tournament.
Iowa started off the season 9-0 but has only won two games since. The Hawkeyes have not won since Sept. 23, and they are currently on a four-game losing streak. With that being said, the Hawkeyes have been competitive against high quality teams. Just last week, they battled No. 4 Penn State and came up just short in a 2-1 loss. Concentration and consistency will be important for Wisconsin Saturday.
The Badgers, on the other hand, are currently riding a five-game win streak as they head to Iowa. Led by sophomore forward Cara Walls, Wisconsin has scored 12 goals in its last five games, five of which have come from Walls. The Badgers will look to continue their offensive burst Saturday afternoon.
On the contrary, the Hawkeyes have only scored eight goals during conference play this season, compared to the Badgers’ 18.
The clear struggle for Wisconsin will be shutting down Iowa sophomore forward Cloe Lacasse. Lacasse leads the Hawkeyes with goals (12) and assists (six).
All time, the Badgers are 8-4-2 against Iowa, including 4-4-2 when playing the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Wisconsin has shut out Iowa in three of the teams’ last five meetings.
Although the Badgers have locked up a playoff spot, this game still holds incentive for Wisconsin to get a good seed in the conference tournament. A loss in this game could result in a two-spot slide of the Badgers’ current No. 4 seed. Further, a win in the regular-season finale would keep the momentum rolling for Wisconsin.
