Wisconsin dropped its fourth consecutive match Friday night, falling to No. 11 Penn State, 2-0.
The Badgers (0-3 Big Ten, 3-6-1 overall) have been outscored 8-0 in their last three Big Ten contests.
The two goals scored by Penn State came in a span of under two minutes. Megan Monroig scored first for Penn State during the 37th minute by controlling the ball inside the 18 yard box off of a corner kick, and beating Wisconsin senior goalkeeper Lynn Murray on a shot that appeared to be deflected.
The second Penn State goal came in the 39th minute off the foot of Danielle Toney. The goal developed off of a goal kick by Penn State freshman goalie Alyssa Naeher. Forward Katie Schoepfer sent a hopeful header off of the goal kick which fell into the lap of Toney, who was able to beat the final Wisconsin defender and elude Murray.
Despite allowing the two sudden goals, senior defender and team captain Ann Eshun was pleased with the way her defensive unit played against the highly ranked Penn State squad.
This was a good night for us. A loss is never good, but I think we showed a lot of heart and some good possibilities for the future,"" Eshun said. ""Goals scored [against us] are definitely tough, but we kept our heads together and handled it pretty well.""
Wisconsin seemed to keep up with Penn State for the first 30 minutes of the game.
""We were winning tackles, winning headers and keeping numbers behind the ball,"" head coach Paula Wilkins said.
But Penn State soon picked up the pressure by earning two corners and a deep free kick within the next five minutes.
""They pushed some people forward and we weren't able to solve our problems,"" Wilkins said.
The best scoring opportunity for Wisconsin came midway through the second half. Midfielder Katie Meuer received a pass from Taylor Walsh within the penalty area. But Meuer pulled the trigger on a shot from an unpromising angle and the attempt was handled quite comfortably by Naeher. Meuer's attempt resulted in the only shot on target during the entire game for the Badgers.
Penn State out shot the Badgers 11-6, but managed to put just two shots on target. Wisconsin's Murray failed to record a save, while Naeher needed to make just one to record her third shutout of the season.
