Wisconsin, Michigan Rematch in Big Ten Tournament
November 04, 2004 | Women's Soccer
Riding a seven-match winning streak, the University of Wisconsin's 25th-ranked women's soccer team (15-4-1) will look to keep up its momentum when it takes on third-seeded Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten tournament at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
The sixth-seeded Badgers accomplished two of their season goals last week. By defeating Marquette 1-0 on Wednesday, UW'which also topped UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay'managed to beat all of its in-state opponents for the second straight year.
Then on Saturday, a 2-0 triumph against Northern Illinois made Wisconsin undefeated (10-0-0) vs. non-conference foes'a feat accomplished for the first time in school history.
"We wanted to put a stamp on the end of the regular season and I felt we did," head coach Dean Duerst said. "Fifteen wins in a season and 10-0 against non-conference teams'I'm just really proud of our team and its efforts."
Two main reasons for UW's recent success have been strong goalkeeping and a balanced offense. Freshman goalkeeper Lynn Murray (Marietta, Ga.) posted three shutouts during the winning streak and sports a 1.09 overall goals-against average.
In terms of offense, the Badgers over the past seven matches have had 10 different scorers, including sophomore midfielder/forward Allison Preiss (St. Louis, Mo.), who notched two game-winning goals during that span.
UW will have to keep using its formula for success to beat the Wolverines (10-7-2) for the second time this year and to avenge last year's tournament loss. In 2003, Wisconsin fell to Michigan 1-0 in the second round to conclude its season.
Michigan defeated Western Michigan 2-1 on Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak. Forward Therese Heaton, the team's leading scorer with 20 points from eight goals and four assists, added one assist in the victory. She was held without a point in the team's loss to UW.
Goalkeeper Megan Tuura has bolstered the defense with her strong play, recording six shutouts and a 1.21 goals-against average. The three goals she allowed by Wisconsin were the third most all year for her.
Recent erratic play by the Wolverines (3-4-1 in their past eight contests), who were ranked No. 13 just two weeks ago, could prove the difference against a streaking Badger squad.
"The beautiful thing about us is right now we're consistent and we're confident," Duerst said. "Anytime you step into a championship run, you need to be having a confident team ready to go to war. I think I see that winning mentality."
The winner of the Michigan-Wisconsin match will play the winner of the No. 2 Ohio State-No. 7 Purdue contest at 6 p.m. CT Friday. The championship match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. CT Sunday and will be televised live on CSTV.
Live scoring for all matches will be provided on www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com and www.bigten.org.
