The Wisconsin women’s soccer team closed out its regular season with a 1-1 draw against Northwestern on Oct. 23 in Evanston.
The Badgers came out strong, taking early control of possession and tempo. Sophomore defender Jadea Collin anchored the back line, repeatedly breaking up Wildcat counterattacks. Northwestern struggled to maintain possession while Wisconsin circulated the ball well through midfield. Still, despite long stretches in the attacking third, the Badgers couldn’t turn their possession into clear scoring chances.
Northwestern’s first dangerous moment came in the 9th minute when Wildcat freshman defender Keira Kemmerley forced Wisconsin senior goalkeeper Drew Stover into a diving save to the bottom left corner of the net. From there, the Wildcats found space on the counter, testing Wisconsin’s composure on defense. Stover and Collin stayed sharp, with Collin stepping up to intercept several threatening through balls.
Wisconsin nearly took the lead in the 24th minute when sophomore forward Brooke Allen fired a shot low to the corner, but Northwestern keeper Nyamma Nelson pushed it wide. The Wildcats answered with back-to-back chances in the 31st minute, both denied by Stover in quick succession.
Tension flared late in the half after a hard challenge between Collin and Northwestern’s junior forward Megan Norkett, but the game remained scoreless heading into halftime.
The second half began with instant drama.
In the 46th minute, Wisconsin’s persistence finally paid off when junior midfielder Erin Connolly capitalized on a great kick from sophomore midfielder Jenna Baumann and Allen, slotting a composed header to give the Badgers a 1-0 lead. Connolly celebrated with a worm celebration that led to boos from the Northwestern home fans.
Galvanized by the goal, Wisconsin poured on the pressure. Between the 50th and 65th minutes, the Badgers earned four corners and peppered the box with chances. Junior defender Ella Ottey and graduate forward Adee Boer each tested Northwestern, who stood tall with a string of saves to keep themselves within reach.
Despite Wisconsin’s control, the missed chances began to pile up. Allen sent two efforts narrowly wide, and Ottey saw another shot blocked by Nelson in the 64th minute. Northwestern took advantage of the missed opportunities and began building momentum of their own around the 70th minute.
Stover came up big again, stopping three consecutive shots, but the pressure eventually broke through. In the 78th minute, a Northwestern corner caused chaos in the box; Stover made the initial stop, but the Wildcats pounced on the rebound to bury the equalizer and make it 1-1.
Wisconsin responded with urgency, pushing forward and earning another corner just a minute later. Ottey’s close-range attempt in the 80th minute was denied once more, and Allen’s shot from distance in the 84th flew just wide. The Badgers continued to threaten in the dying minutes, but Northwestern’s defense held firm until the final whistle.
The 1-1 draw marked the end of Wisconsin’s regular season, a match that highlighted both the Badgers’ possession dominance and their need for sharper finishing in front of goal.
With their focus now shifting to postseason play, Wisconsin will travel to Indiana to face Iowa on Saturday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.
