After having the task of facing two tough Big Ten foes in No. 19 Ohio State and Penn State, the Wisconsin women's soccer team ended its final weekend at home with ties against the Buckeyes (3-1-1 Big Ten 10-2-2 overall) and the Nittany Lions.
In both games, the Badgers (3-1-3 Big Ten, 6-5-4 overall) came back and tied the score when defeat seemed imminent.
Freshman midfielder Monica Lam-Feist scored the equalizer against Ohio State with a mere 18 seconds left to make it 1-1, and three different goal-scorers helped Wisconsin tie perennial Big Ten powerhouse Penn State 3-3 after being down 3-1 late in the second half.
Wisconsin and Ohio State both started slowly in the first half; neither team could get much going within the first 15 minutes.
After few breakdowns in their own attacking third, the Badgers finally got the offense in rhythm and created several chances off corner kicks near the middle of the half.
As the half went on, the Badgers began to dominate possession to create more scoring opportunities but could not quite put the ball away.
Wisconsin's best chance of the half came with three minutes left off yet another corner kick when a Badger sent a shot toward the top right corner of the net, only to have Ohio State senior goalkeeper Lauren Robertson make a spectacular save to preserve the 0-0 tie.
The Badgers could not maintain the same control in the second half.
Ohio State managed to get off 7 shots to Wisconsin's 6, and held a 3-to-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Wisconsin was not without its chances, though. After freshman midfielder Alev Kelter did some fancy footwork, the Badgers hit a cross into the box and a header that went just wide of the goal in the 58th minute.
Just five minutes later, the Buckeyes converted one of their corner-kick opportunities into a goal.
After the corner was sent in, the ball pinged around the box off several players until it finally ricocheted off an Ohio State player into the Wisconsin net.
Rather than admitting defeat, the Badgers came back with renewed vigor, and their hard work finally paid off when Lam-Feist scored her first career collegiate goal with just 18 seconds left after a frantic finish in front of the Ohio State net.
""[It felt] amazing,"" Lam-Feist said. ""I couldn't believe it, I lost my breath. It's so awesome.""
Against Penn State, the Wisconsin offense once again had trouble getting started up.
Penn State, on the other hand, created multiple chances with through balls to its speedy forward Danielle Toney, who finally capitalized in the 27th minute after she was sent a ball that split the Wisconsin defense and slid the ball past Badger junior goalkeeper Michele Dalton after winning the footrace.
Wisconsin took control of the game from there, dominating possession and getting scoring opportunities.
It took the Badgers a mere five minutes to respond, as freshman midfielder Paige Adams tallied the equalizer on a cross into the box that snuck in the far post.
Just when it appeared a tie going into halftime was imminent, the Nittany Lions got a fluke goal that slipped through the hands of Dalton with three minutes remaining in the half, giving Penn State a 2-1 advantage heading into the break.
With the Wisconsin defense on its heels at the start of the second half, Penn State continued its offensive pressure and sent more players into the attack.
After Dalton made a spectacular save off a Penn State shot going top-right, the Nittany Lions were awarded a corner kick. With the help of the gusty winds, the Lions were able to bend the ball directly into the goal, making it 3-1 with less than 20 minutes to play.
With hope seemingly lost, the Badgers caught a huge break two minutes later when they were awarded a penalty kick after a Penn State handball in their penalty box.
Sophomore midfielder Erin Jacobsen converted the kick to make the deficit 3-2.
Then it was sophomore forward Laurie Nosbusch who saved the day for the Badgers.
With nine minutes remaining, Nosbusch received a cross from Lam-Feist and headed it into the net to tie the score 3-3. With the overtime yielding no goals, the Badgers secured a tie against the Nittany Lions.
Having been down 3-1, head coach Paula Wilkins was proud of the resiliency of the team.
""I'm very proud of my players today in terms of not giving up when we're down,"" Wilkins said. ""I think we proved that we're never out of a game.""
The Badgers hope to continue their Big Ten success in their final three games of the season, in which they take on Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern.
