Badgers Ousted From NCAAs by No. 5 Waves in OT
November 17, 2002 | Women's Soccer
The Wisconsin women's soccer team lost a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to third-seeded and fifth-ranked Pepperdine Sunday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Badgers scored first and put themselves in a position to win, but Pepperdine finally broke through in regulation and tallied the game-winner with 18 seconds left in OT.
'I think we definitely could have won the game,' head coach Dean Duerst said. 'This is a great team, [it was] a great year. '
UW guarded a 1-0 lead for most of the game and was eight minutes away from reaching the third round of the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin dominated Pepperdine physically, but the Waves were able to put pressure on the Badgers, outshooting Bucky 12-5. Pepperdine finally found the back of the net at 82:20. Megan Woods tipped the ball to Lacey Ubaldi in front and Ubaldi fired the ball into the low left corner to tie the game.
In overtime, Pepperdine won the crucial coin toss as the sun began to set on Valley Fields on the Marquette University campus. The coin-flip win put UW keeper Kelly Conway in the east goal, facing the setting sun. In the final 30 seconds of OT, a battle for the ball in the box knocked Conway down and the ball out of bounds. Pepperdine rushed to return the ball to play and Conway was still visibly stunned and down when the ball returned to play. The ball flew to the front and UW senior co-captain quickly rose to her feet to defend the net. Conway made an initial save on a shot by Tasha Spangler, but Jenna Fodor instantly found the rebound and tapped it home for the win.
Wisconsin grabbed its early lead in the 13th minute. Taking advantage of a turnover deep in Pepperdine territory, junior Jenny Kundert fired a shot at the Waves ' keeper, Anna Picarelli. Senior Jess Wolff scooped up the rebound and blasted the ball high over the diminutive Picarelli's head. It was Wolff's second goal of the 2002 NCAA Tournament and third of the Badgers' 2002 postseason.
Conway was impressive in net for the Badgers, making eight saves. Conway made several key saves to maintain the Badgers 1-0 lead. In the first half, Janelle Hillseth fired a low shot from inside the box to Conway's left. But Conway made the diving save, tipping the ball out and fellow senior co-captain Lauren Schmidt cleared the rebound.
'I think we found ourselves as a team through leadership, freshman filling their roles and chemistry,' Duerst said. 'This team leaves a great impression on me. They battled a lot of teams. There's a bright future ahead.'
The Badgers close their 2002 campaign with a 13-9-3 record.
