Badgers to Clash with Dayton in NCAA First Round
November 11, 2004 | Women's Soccer
The University of Wisconsin's women's soccer team (15-5-1) returns to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence and will take on Dayton (20-1) in the first round at 4 p.m. CT Friday in South Bend, Ind.
UW, which earned its Big Ten Conference-leading 13th NCAA berth on Monday, will be in the same regional as Eastern Illinois and No. 4 seed Notre Dame. Those two teams play at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday, and the winner will meet the Wisconsin-Dayton victor in Sunday's regional championship, which will begin at noon.
In their past five NCAA tournament appearances, the Badgers have not advanced beyond the second round'in 2003, they beat Marquette before falling to Pepperdine.
This year's squad seeks to break that trend. Wisconsin is 7-1 in its past eight matches, with the lone loss from Michigan in the Big Ten tournament last week. UW also is undefeated (10-0) in non-conference contests.
'We have so far beaten all our non-conference opponents, and we want to continue that feat this weekend,' head coach Dean Duerst said. 'We know Dayton is a very good team, but our focus will be on what we're able to do.'
The Flyers certainly are a very good team, as they are riding the nation's longest winning streak at 20. The Atlantic 10 champions have gotten the bulk of their scoring from forward Reba Sedlacek, who has racked up 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. For her accomplishments this season, Sedlacek was recently named the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
Goalkeeper Stacy DeLuca, meanwhile, has been integral in Dayton 's success, as the senior has recorded eight shutouts this season and an astonishing 0.53 goals-against average.
DeLuca will be challenged by the Badgers' potent attack, which is led by junior midfielder/forward Amy Vermeulen (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). The first-team All-Big Ten selection paces the squad with 33 points from 11 goals and 11 assists.
She and second-team All-Big Ten members Kara Kabellis (Homer Glen, Ill.), a sophomore midfielder, and Katy Lindenmuth (Geneva, Ill.), a junior midfielder/forward, are part of a balanced offense that has six different players with more than three goals.
'We're ready to step up and play anybody,' Duerst said. 'Our players are confident right now and they're willing to take that next challenge.'
The regional champion will meet the winner of 13th-seeded Arizona 's bracket'which has Colgate, Harvard and site host Connecticut 'in the third round at a location to be determined.
Dayton's student radio station will be broadcasting the game online at www.udayton.edu/%7eflyer-radio/index2.htm .
