Badgers Face Stiff Road Challenge
October 17, 2003 | Women's Soccer
The Wisconsin women's soccer team faces a pair of ranked opponents on the road this week, traveling to 25th-ranked Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. Friday and No. 11 Penn State at 11 a.m. Sunday. Penn State enters this week's play with 12 points in conference play (6-1-0). Ohio State is tied with the Badgers for sixth with nine points in Big Ten matches (2-2-3).
Follow Wisconsin on the Internet
Fans can follow the Badgers' matches on the internet this weekend. Ohio State's web site (ohiostatebuckeyes.com) will offer live stats, while an audio broadcast of Sunday's match will be available at Penn State 's web site (gopsusports.com).
Scouting the Buckeyes
Series History: Wisconsin leads 6-4-2
Last Meeting: Ohio State won 2-1 on Nov. 10, 2002 in East Lansing, Mich., in the championship game of the 2002 Big Ten Tournament
Ohio State (8-2-3, 2-2-3) failed to pick up a win in its two conference road matches last weekend. The Buckeyes fell 2-0 at Illinois Friday before tying Northwestern 1-1 Sunday. Heather Miller scored in the 74th minute against the Wildcats to tie the match. OSU settled for the tie despite outshooting Northwestern 19-10. Colleen Hoban leads a balanced Buckeye scoring attack with 12 points on five goals and four assists. Nine Ohio State players have recorded five or more points this season. OSU has outscored its foes 27-9, including a 15-3 advantage in the second half.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Series History: Penn State leads 9-1-2
Last Meeting: Penn State won 3-1 in Madison on Oct. 20, 2002
Penn State (12-2-2, 6-1-0) enters the week on a five-match winning streak including two wins last weekend. The Nittany Lions posted a 4-2 win at Northwestern Friday before defeating Illinois 2-0 Sunday. Tiffany Weimer scored twice on Friday and once on Sunday. With a whopping 16 goals this season, Weimer ranks among the nation's leaders in the category. She leads the Big Ten with 38 points (16 g, 6 a), while Joanna Lohman has added 26 points (11 g, 4 a). Amanda Brown is 11-2-2 in goal with six shutouts to her credit.
Last Week's Action
Wisconsin posted a victory in its only match last week, winning 2-1 at Iowa Friday. Katy Lindenmuth tallied her third goal of the season off an assist from Lindsey Walker at the 12:45 mark to give UW a 1-0 lead. Iowa tied the game on a goal by Kitty Montgomery at 23:05, but Molly Meuer got the game-winner in the 72nd minute off assists from fellow defenders Bethany Heine and Jessica Ring. UW outshot the Hawkeyes 14-10 and held a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. Freshman Stefani Szczechowski made five saves in goal to pick up the win.
Two is the Magic Number
Obviously the more goals a team scores, the better its chances of winning are. The number two is a good indicator as to whether or not the Badgers are successful this season. Wisconsin is 7-0-0 when it scores two goals or more in its matches this season. When UW scores one goal or less, the team's record drops to 0-6-1.
Instant Impact
A total of 11 freshmen have seen playing time for the Badgers this season. Kara Kabellis has started all 14 matches, recording three goals and two assists for eight points. Emily Kintzer and Lindsey Walker have also appeared in every match, while Allison Preiss has played in 13. Kintzer has tallied goals against Iowa State and Nebraska, while Preiss scored in UW's first match of the season at California. Rachael Hansen has made seven starts and has appeared in 11 matches. She posted her first career goal in a win over Kansas. Natalie Horner has earned 13 starts and has provided solid play defensively. Stefani Szczechowski has started 11 matches in goal for the Badgers. She has made 35 saves and has a 1.30 goals-against-average. Szczechowski earned shutouts against Marquette and Indiana. Fellow keeper Kristin Sonderman has made three starts, allowing three goals while making three saves in just over 227 minutes of action. She picked up her first career win in a 2-1 victory over Northwestern. Maria Boncyk'another keeper 'played 5:19 in goal against Purdue after Szczechowski picked up a red card. Alli Saari and Stacy Omundson have played in two matches apiece defensively for Wisconsin.
Kundert Eyes Assist Mark
Senior forward Jenny Kundert has recorded three assists this season and in now just three shy of the UW career record. Kundert has totaled 23 assists in her Badger career and currently ranks tied for second with Jill Stewart (1993-96). Theresa Senn tallied 26 assists from 1981-83.
Badgers Picked to Finish Third in Big Ten Preseason Poll
Wisconsin was picked to finish third in the inaugural Big Ten Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Badgers tied for fifth place in the Big Ten last season, advanced to the Big Ten tournament championship game and the second round of the NCAA tournament. Penn State, the 2002 Big Ten regular season champion, was picked first, while defending runner-up Michigan was picked second. Purdue and Illinois ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Michigan State notched sixth and Indiana seventh, followed by Ohio State, Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota.
Team Captains
Wisconsin women's soccer head coach Dean Duerst has named seniors Bethany Heine and Jenny Kundert and junior Molly Meuer as the squad's captains for the 2003 season. Heine, a former walk-on from Waukesha, Wis., is the most experienced Badger. She has started 43 out of 44 games in the last two years. Anchoring the Badger defense, Heine was named UW's co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. Kundert, UW's co-MVP last season, led the Badgers in almost every offensive category in 2002. She tallied eight goals, 15 assists and 31 points to record UW's first 'triple-crown' since 1993. Her 15 assists rank third all-time in UW 's single-season record book. A Madison West product, Kundert was named to the NSCAA All-Region second team last season and its first team in 2000. Meuer was named UW 's co-Freshman of the Year in 2001. There was no sophomore slump for the Madison Memorial High School grad as she started 20 of 24 games in 2002, scoring three goals. She tallied eight points for UW in 2002.
UW to Host 2003 Big Ten Tournament
The University of Wisconsin women's soccer team will serve as host to the 2003 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament from Nov. 6-9 at the McClimon Complex. This year marks the Badgers' second opportunity to accommodate the top eight teams in the regular season standings for the conference tournament. UW also hosted the tournament following the 1994 season, the first year that the Big Ten sponsored women's soccer. The Badgers are hoping for a repeat of their 1994 performance, as the team captured the tournament title that year. Four quarterfinal matches are slated for Thursday, Nov. 6. The quarterfinal winners will meet the following day in semifinal round action, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8.
