A third-place finish in the Big Ten standings; their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1993. These are the moments that defined the 2009-'10 Wisconsin women's soccer team, and these are the moments that earned them the title of UW women's team of the year.
Having achieved their most successful season in over 15 years, it is fair to say they deserve this honor, which is no small feat considering the Badgers had 13 freshmen and only two seniors.
The regular season was full of highlights for Wisconsin. Whether it was sophomore forward Laurie Nosbusch's hat trick in a thrilling 3-2 victory over then-No. 19 Indiana or tying perennial Big Ten power Penn State 3-3 after being down two goals with little time to play, the Badgers gave fans plenty to cheer about.
However, the year was not without its hiccups. Without a doubt, the lowest point of the season came during the Stanford Invitational, in which the Badgers were outscored by a combined 8-1 by eventual national runner-up Stanford and then-No. 12 Santa Clara.
Wisconsin rebounded and went unbeaten through nine of the next 10 games, finishing with a regular season record of 9-5-5 and claiming the third spot in the Big Ten standings. These accomplishments led to the Badgers' first NCAA tournament berth since 2005, where they defeated Arizona State and Central Florida before ending their season with a loss to No. 7 Boston College in the Sweet Sixteen.
