After moving up from No. 25 to No. 13 in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 poll, the Wisconsin women's soccer team will not have time to take a breath as they head to Portland, Ore. this weekend for the Nike Invitational.
The weekend includes a marquee match-up Friday night at 9:15p.m. against the Portland Pilots (4-0), who are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation. The tournament will then wrap up Sunday at 1p.m. against Washington.
The Badgers (3-0-1) have started the season strong, including a 3-2 overtime victory on the road at Kansas, who was ranked No. 23 at the time. Portland, however, will be their toughest non-conference opponent this season, and facing the Pilots on their home turf at Merlo Field will not be easy.
Wisconsin has been guided by senior Amy Vermeulen, who leads the team with 4 goals and 16 shots, including two game-winning goals. Both Vermeulen and teammate Katy Lindenmuth have scored twice in a game this season, most notably in the Kansas game where Lindenmuth provided the first two goals and Vermeulen backed her teammate up in overtime with the game winner. These two will certainly be the players to watch this weekend.
For Portland, the player to watch will be senior forward Christine Sinclair, who leads the Pilots with nine goals in only four games. Sinclair was named the national player of the week by Soccer Buzz, who has Portland ranked No. 4 in the nation. Scoring has been hard to come by against the Pilots, who have yet to give up a goal this season. They have outscored opponents 14-0.
Sunday, the tournament will wrap up as the Badgers take on Washington (0-2-2). The Huskies have struggled early despite being ranked No. 20 in the preseason. They have lost to No. 4 Penn State and San Diego State, while tying Hofstra and Pacific. Washington is led by junior goalkeeper Kelsey Rasmussen, who has 29 saves in just four games.
The tournament field also includes No. 20 West Virginia, who comes in with a 2-2-0 record.
