After an explosive opening to the season, the Wisconsin women's soccer team (2-0-0) hits the road again this weekend looking to pick up where it left off. The Badgers defeated Ohio 6-0 and Kentucky 3-1 to win the Kentucky Invitational in one of the biggest offensive outpours in recent Badger memory.
Wisconsin will look for much of the same production tonight at Missouri (1-1-0), the first of two games this weekend as part of the Nike Tiger Invitational. The Badgers will also take on Baylor (0-1-1) Sunday morning.
\When we're playing a team like Missouri, which is a very good Big 12 conference team and we're a very good Big Ten conference team, we need to find ways to score,"" Head Coach Dean Duerst said.
The Badgers had no trouble putting the ball in the net last weekend.Sophomore forward Kara Kabellis led the team with three goals on the weekend as she and junior midfielder/forward Amy Vermeulen each scored two goals in the game against Ohio.
Wisconsin has had great success in taking the momentum early in its games. Five of the team's nine goals thus far have been scored in the first 10 minutes of the first or second halves.
""That's really one of our goals; over the first five or 10 minutes, is to really put the pressure on them and really go hard and see what we can do,"" Vermeulen said.
Duerst is not only pleased with the number of goals being scored, but also in the way the goals are being scored.
""We're scoring both in set plays and through the flow of plays,"" Duerst said. ""I think we are dangerous on set plays, so teams cannot afford to foul us or give us many corner kicks.""
The production on offense, combined with stingy defense, has eased the pressure on freshman goalkeeper Lynn Murray. She allowed just one goal after facing eight total shots last weekend, and only had to make one save in the game against Ohio.
""We have a really strong team pretty much all around,"" Murray said. ""With the three in front of me, they make my job really easy. The less shots they give up, the less shots I have to save.""
It will be the first time Wisconsin has taken on Missouri, who took on two Big Ten teams last weekend, beating Northwestern before falling to Illinois.
""We're definitely expecting a tough game, just like Kentucky,"" Vermeulen said. ""It's really important that we just come out and play our game and not worry too much about how the other teams play.""
If the first weekend of the Badgers schedule was any indication, playing their game should pave the way for success not only in Missouri this weekend but throughout the entire season.
