Football
At his weekly press conference Monday, Wisconsin (2-1) head coach Paul Chryst harked on the recent growth of many of his players, while adding there is plenty of room left to grow after his team’s 28-3 win against Troy this past Saturday.
Even after the 25-point win against the Trojans, the Badgers’ defense was a major point of conversation Monday when Chryst addressed the media. He openly acknowledged that his team struggled to adjust to Troy’s style and tempo, adding that his defense made many mental mistakes, as well as “controllable penalties” throughout the course of the game. He did say, though, that the targeting penalties called on both junior linebacker Leon Jacobs and sophomore cornerback Derrick Tindal, which led to their respective ejections, were merely examples of two players trying to make plays on the ball carrier.
Tangentially, any notion that members of the defense would become more hesitant as a result of the ejections was sniffed out by Chryst, who said it is his job to make sure that he and his staff are constantly communicat- ing with their players, talking through issues and reinforcing proper techniques.
In Jacobs’ absence, freshman linebacker Chris Orr was forced into an expanded role and finished the game with 14 tackles. Chryst said that “one of [Orr’s] strength are his instincts.” He also felt that that after playing a little bit against Alabama, and slightly more against Miami (OH), Orr is doing a better job of “attacking early, trusting what he is seeing and playing a bit more downhill.”
The Badgers’ defense has currently gone 128 minutes and 2 seconds without allowing a touchdown, but Chryst acknowledged that Hawaii is a very skilled and physical team with a difficult scheme to defend. Chryst posited that his players are excited for the first true night game at Camp Randall in three years and the chance to participate in a bit of a “different atmosphere.”
Women’s Soccer
Monday afternoon, Wisconsin women’s soccer head coach Paula Wilkins seemed to let out a smile at the thought of playing at home- when addressing the media after playing four games and spending nearly two weeks on the road.
The Badgers’ (0-1-1 Big Ten, 3-4-3 overall) most recent road trip was their longest of the sea- son, spanning more than 10 days and bringing them as far East as State College, PA. against Penn State. The Badgers finished the trip with a 4-0 loss to the Nittany Lions and three double-overtime ties. Wilkins said the score of her team’s game against Penn State is “not as indicative of how well her team played.”
Wilkins added that her young team is “still looking for an answer on how to score goals.” She expressed that they are good in spurts, but are struggling to put 90 minutes, or in the case of their most recent road trip, upward of 110 minutes, of quality soccer together.
Wilkins, now in her ninth season, is looking to guide Wisconsin to their fifth NCAA tournament in the last seven years, but at 3-4-3, she admitted that her team has “the parts,” but that, “as a coach, my job is to maximize their potential, and I don’t think they’re at their maximum potential.”
In the next two weeks, the Badgers play three Big Ten foes at the McClimon Soccer Complex, a place of comfort and success for the Badgers. Over the last four seasons, Wisconsin is 23-8-1 at home and is looking to win at least five or more home games for the eighth season out of the last nine.
Volleyball
“Strong tournament, strong competition,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said while reflecting on the Creighton Classic, where Wisconsin (8-2) finished the weekend tournament 2-1.
After downing Kansas State (8-4) in four sets and dispatching Creighton (6-7) in three straight, the Badgers came up short against a very talented Arkansas (10-2) team, losing a heartbreaker in five sets.
Despite the loss to Arkansas, the Badgers had a very solid overall showing in the Creighton Classic.
“I felt we got great performances out of Lauryn Gillis, and Kelli Bates [and] Taylor Morey. I thought those three were really, really solid.”
Gillis recorded a career high 18 kills and 16 digs, while Morey had 29 digs against Kansas State on Friday night.
“Haleigh Nelson, Tionna Williams, Romana Kriskova had their best matches in a Badger uniform,” Sheffield said.
In the five-set loss to Arkansas, Nelson provided 18 kills and Williams added 16 more.
Entering Big Ten play this week, the team remains optimistic. “Our ceiling is getting a little higher,” Sheffield said. “Our goal is to compete for National Championships.” This week Wisconsin will open at No. 1 Penn State (11-0) Wednesday. Sheffield looks for- ward to Wisconsin’s annual matchup with Penn State, noting that the Nittany Lions will be eager for the game as well.
“They’re also equally jacked up to be opening up conference play,” Sheffield said.
Like years past, Penn State again is not only one of the top teams in the conference, but in the country.
“A typical Penn State team, very very good,” Sheffield said. “We’re going against a program that has storied excellence, and our players want to feel that.”
Wisconsin will also face No. 12 Ohio State (11-1) Sunday.
Men’s Soccer
Wisconsin (1-0-0 Big Ten, 2-4-0 overall) finally managed to break through, earning its first two wins of the season, both in impressive fashion.
Against Rutgers, (1-1-0, 3-2-1) the Badgers won 1-0, thanks to a dramat- ic last-second, double-overtime goal by sophomore Christopher Mueller.
“Really proud of the effort put in,” head coach John Trask said. “I think people are starting to realize that the performance at Rutgers to get that win was big.”
On the road against St. John’s (1-6), the Badgers pulled out a 2-1 win. After allowing St. John’s to tie the game 1-1, Mueller delivered once again for the Badger in the 61st minute, scoring on a free kick to put UW up 2-1. That was all they needed to hold off their opponents.
“Regardless of [St. John’s] results up to this point, everybody knows it’s a difficult place to play, and our guys went in and got the job done, so congrats to the players,” Trask said.
As of now, the Badgers are 2-4 on the season, but they were without key player Sam Brotherton, who was playing for the New Zealand national team during the first few games of the season.
“We have only had this team intact for four games, and in my mind we’re 2-2 on the season in terms of having a full complement of players,” Trask said.
“The confidence level is high, they know they can win,” Trask said. “Now hopefully we can continue with our three games at home... and we are looking forward to getting back in the comfy confines.”
This week Wisconsin will take on Southern Illinois Edwardsville, and No. 9 Maryland. The Badgers will honor the 20th anniversary of the 1995 National Championship Team at the Maryland game.
Despite UW’s slow star, coach Trask remains optimistic and energetic on the remainder of the season.
“I think we are well on our way. I like this team,” Trask said. “While still relatively young, we are looking forward to the challenges in front of us.”
