In a physical battle, the Wisconsin women’s soccer team closed their three game road series with a scoreless tie against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Sunday in Lincoln.
The Badgers moved to 7-3-2 on the season and 3-1-2 in the Big Ten, with seven games left in the regular season.
Fresh off a 1-0 upset against the University of Michigan followed by a thriller against No. 2 Michigan State that ended in a 3-2 loss, Nebraska (3-3-6) did not make it easy for the Badgers on either side of the ball.
Coming into the game, Goalkeeper Avery Gillahan led the Big Ten in saves with 78 on the season, earning a season high eight against Michigan State on Sept. 24.
Gillahan continued to hold down Nebraska’s backline against Wisconsin, adding six total saves. While both teams traded momentum in the opening minutes, it was Nebraska who threatened first, earning three straight corners. But, Goalkeeper Drew Stover was up to the task, quickly grabbing the ball on the third corner kick and sending it out wide to Defender Delaney Cox for a Wisconsin counter attack.
In the 14th minute, Wisconsin freshman KK Panella had the first shot on goal from outside the box, forcing Gillihan to make her first save of the day. For the rest of the first half, much of the back-and-forth play remained in the midfield. The teams went into halftime scoreless.
Wisconsin continued to hold it down on defense in the second half, a piece of their play that has consistently held steady throughout the season. Anchored by Senior Defender Hailey Baumann who was named to the MAC Hermann mid-season trophy watchlist and Stover, the backline has given up eight goals in 12 games.
Tied for third place in the Big Ten standings, Wisconsin has one of the top defensive lines in the conference. Among them are No. 1 Michigan State at the top spot, who have given up nine goals in 12 games and No.7 Ohio State with only three goals against in 11 games.
On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin put up 13 shots in the second and 21 in total on Gillahan. Forward Jane Rodgers and Abby Ballek each had five, followed by Erin Connolly who had three.
Wisconsin will return home to play Ohio State at McClimon Soccer Complex on Oct. 8. After Sunday’s tie, the Badgers dropped to 20th from their previous 14th ranking in the United Soccer Division I Coaches poll.
With one loss, the Buckeyes are the highest ranked team the Badgers will have played so far this season. It’ll be a defensive battle for a top spot in the Big Ten conference. With a win, the Badgers are looking to take down a powerhouse and move up in the standings.
Shane Colpoys is the former sports editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth on the Wisconsin women's hockey team beat, and she is now a senior staff writer covering state news.
