The Wisconsin women's soccer team (0-2-0 Big Ten, 3-5-1 overall) did not start the Big Ten schedule the way it wanted to, falling to the highly touted Boilermakers of Purdue (1-0-0, 9-1-1) by a score of 4-0 Friday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Wisconsin came into the contest following a bizarre week. The Badgers lost 1-0 Sept. 21 to non-conference in-state rival UW-Milwaukee (1-0-0 Horizon, 5-3-1) in a game riddled by poor weather conditions. Then Wisconsin's contest with Northern Iowa Sept. 25 at the McClimon Soccer Complex was canceled on account of the incident at UW Hospital and the UW-Madison campus lockdown.
Purdue has had Wisconsin's number in recent years. Last season, the Boilermakers shut out the Badgers by the same score of 4-0. This year Purdue came into the contest ranked No. 22 in the nation.
Purdue scored early and often against the Badgers' inconsistent defense. The Boilermakers scored in the first half on a header by freshman defender Jessica Stellhorn. After two more goals, Purdue headed into the half with a 3-0 lead. Purdue scored one more insurance goal in the second half.
Friday's contest with the Boilermakers exposed a definite weakness of this year's Badgers squad: lack of shots on goal. Purdue out-shot Wisconsin 15-4 in the game. So far this season, the Badgers have been outscored by their opponents 11-6 - and out-shot by their opponents 110-57.
Despite the loss, Badgers head coach Paula Wilkins remained positive about the team's state, looking at the contest with the Boilermakers as a true learning experience.
I think they are going to be one of the top teams [in the] Big Ten this year, so it is important for us to learn from this game,"" Wilkins said after the contest. ""Purdue showed us what level we need to be at to play in the Big Ten.""
Badgers shut out at Indiana
The Wisconsin women's soccer team finished a punishing weekend on the road with a 2-0 loss Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
The Badgers are now 0-2 in the Big Ten and 3-5-1 overall, while Indiana improved to 8-1-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
In a game of two halves, the Hoosiers took their chances while the Badgers were unable to capitalize on their dominance in the second half.
The Hoosiers came into the game undefeated on their home field, and they had the majority of possessions throughout the first half.
The Hoosiers swiftly asserted their dominance on the game, and sophomore forward Kristin Arnold gave Indiana the lead with a shot that flew beyond the reach of Wisconsin goalkeeper Jamie Klages.
Arnold doubled her tally in the 23rd minute when she beat Klages with a low shot to the right post. It was her sixth goal of the season, and it left the Badgers trailing 2-0 going into the break.
""I was disappointed with the way the team performed in the first half,"" Wilkins said. ""We made two major mistakes allowing them to score on their first two chances.""
The Badgers came out determined to mount a comeback, and they dominated the next 45 minutes.
Wisconsin freshman defender Taryn Francel had a chance two minutes into the second half, but her header failed to find the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Krista Liskevych was the next to threaten Indiana's goal with a shot in the 61st minute that sailed wide.
The Badgers surged forward in search of a goal, but they were unable to pull to one back despite having 11 shots on goal in the second half.
""We responded very well in the second half as the girls were playing much more aggressively. The whole team was more focused, but we need a consistent performance for 90 minutes rather than just in spurts,"" Wilkins said.
The Badgers return home next weekend to take on Penn State Friday at the McClimon Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. Wisconsin will then go head-to-head with Ohio State at 2 p.m. Sunday.
In preparation for the upcoming games, Wilkins said, ""It will be a week of working on consistency. We will be working on more individual responsibility and taking care of individual things.""
