Badgers Eye In-State Rivals
October 20, 2004 | Women's Soccer
With the University of Wisconsin's women's soccer team's (11-4-1 overall, 5-4-1 Big Ten) Big Ten Conference season done and a berth into the league tournament secured, the Badgers now turn their attention to their final four opponents, starting this week with a match against UW-Milwaukee at 3 p.m. Thursday in Milwaukee and a contest against UW-Green Bay at 1 p.m. Sunday at McClimon Soccer Complex.
UW concluded its conference slate in style, knocking out Michigan State 1-0 and then-No. 13 Michigan 3-1 at home last weekend. The victory against the Spartans 'which also was freshman keeper Lynn Murray's (Marietta, Ga.) third career shutout'proved to be enough for Wisconsin to get a bid to the Big Ten tourney, its third straight.
"We told our team the wins are great, but we need to work hard and stay focused," head coach Dean Duerst said. "We will think one game at a time and continue to do the things that we're doing well."
One such thing the Badgers are doing well is spreading the wealth on offense, as evidenced by the three different scorers in Sunday's triumph. Besides leading scorer Amy Vermeulen (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), who notched the first goal against the Wolverines, Marisa Brown (Evanston, Ill.) and Kara Kabellis (Homer Glen, Ill.) also scored.
All three will be looked upon to put points on the board against the Panthers (8-6-2), who are undefeated in their last eight matches (7-0-1), including a 1-0 (2OT) win over Butler on Sunday. UWM also has a talented offense, as 12 different players have scored this season.
Wisconsin holds a 15-1-4 advantage in the series, including 8-0-2 in Milwaukee and victories in the last two matches.
The Phoenix (3-8-3), on the other hand, have never defeated the Badgers, losing all 10 matches dating back to 1987. In fact, they have only scored two goals total in those 10 matches, with the last coming in 2002.
Forward Stephanie Gross leads her squad with five goals and four assists for 14 points. She was held without a point in the Phoenix's 2-1 loss to Butler on Friday but scored in the team's 1-1 tied with Loyola on Tuesday.
"There's enough character in our team that they understand the (in-state) rivalry against Milwaukee and Green Bay," Duerst said. "We understand the importance of these games and that they will be intense, which is great because we're used to that."
UW-Green Bay plays host to Detroit on Friday prior to its contest against the Badgers.
