The Wisconsin Badgers women’s soccer team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 20 in a match that felt like a reflection of its season as a whole: commanding stretches of play, consistent build up a relentless work rate — and, ultimately, frustration in the final moments where games are decided.
Despite dominating for long spells of possession and creating more sustained attacking sequences than Baylor, the Badgers fell 1-0 in the second round of the College Cup after a controversial first-half penalty kick that became the game’s lone goal.
From kickoff, Wisconsin looked every bit like the side that had battled through a competitive Big Ten schedule and earned its way back to the national stage. The Badgers moved the ball crisply, broke lines with confidence and repeatedly found space out wide. Baylor, however, stayed compact and disciplined, blocking crosses and limiting the clean looks Wisconsin tried to carve out.
A string of early chances, including a strong strike from junior defender Hailey Baumann in the seventh minute and a low driven shot from graduate forward Adee Boer minutes later, demanded top-tier goalkeeping, and Baylor’s senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez delivered it. Alvarez, who has been among the most consistent keepers in the nation this season, set the tone early with sharp positioning and reaction saves that would continue throughout the night.
Wisconsin kept pressing, despite Alvarez’s commanding presence. Junior midfielder Erin Connolly’s movement and defensive effort anchored the midfield, while sophomore defender Jadea Collin provided a steady pressure. By the midpoint of the half, the Badgers held much of the ball and had begun to stretch Baylor’s shape. In the 29th minute, Boer nearly broke the match open, sprinting into space and hitting a clean shot bound for the bottom corner — only for Alvarez to produce a highlight-reel stop that kept the game scoreless.
But where Wisconsin’s buildup excelled, the final third once again became an area of tension. The Badgers progressed up the pitch well but struggled to connect the last pass, a familiar storyline in tight contests throughout the season.
Then, in the 44th minute, the game’s defining moment arrived.
Baylor broke forward on a rare push and drew a collision in the box. After a VAR review, one that commentators described as “harsh” and lacking clear evidence of deliberate contact, the referee ruled in favor of Baylor and awarded a penalty. Moments later, Baylor converted the penalty, firing a powerful shot that even senior goalkeeper Drew Stover’s correct guess couldn’t keep out. What had been a strong, composed half for the Badgers ended suddenly with a deficit that came from a controversial call.
Wisconsin came out of the locker room with urgency. Within seconds of the second-half kickoff, the Badgers stitched together one of their sharpest attacking sequences of the match, cutting through Baylor’s lines but failing to find the finishing touch. That sequence foreshadowed much of the half: Wisconsin on the front foot, Baylor defending deep and chance after chance falling just short.
As the match grew more physical, frustration mounted. A series of uncalled fouls in transition moments that stalled Wisconsin’s momentum drew visible reactions from both players and fans. Still, the Badgers kept pressing, led by Boer, who continually found pockets of space and fired multiple shots just wide or into Alvarez’s gloves.
Wisconsin generated corner after corner but couldn’t capitalize, a recurring problem all season. Despite creating volume, the Badgers struggled to turn set pieces into quality chances. 85th minute efforts from graduate midfielder Ashley Martinez and Baumann came close, but Alvarez stood firm every time.
Baylor managed only a handful of second-half counters, each turned away by Stover or the back line, but the Bears didn’t need another goal; they needed discipline, defensive organization and the steady goalkeeping that defined their night.
As the final whistle sounded, Wisconsin’s season ended not with a collapse but with a pattern that had followed them through the fall: strong possession, intelligent sequences, standout performances across the pitch and simply not enough end product to tilt the match.
Even so, clear positives will be remembered from the Badgers’ year. A team reshaped by young contributors and anchored by consistent veterans produced a resilient season marked by a maturing team, rising individual performances and the defensive stability that kept them competitive in nearly every match they played. Thursday’s loss stung not because Wisconsin underperformed, but because it showcased just how close the team was to breaking through.
In the end, the final match of the season became a microcosm of a season defined by fight, structure and promise; one that fell just a step short on the scoreboard, but not in identity or effort.
