Wisconsin Gears Up for 2005 NCAA Tournament
November 11, 2005 | Women's Soccer
The Wisconsin women's soccer team (13-8-2) will face fourth-seeded Marquette at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles are serving as host for the first and second rounds. Purdue and UW-Milwaukee will play at 5 p.m. Friday, and the winners will meet in the second round at 1 p.m. Sunday.
How They Got Here
In the middle of October, Wisconsin was unsure they would even go to the Big Ten Tournament. Following a non-conference win at UW-Green Bay, the Badgers earned victories over conference foes Ohio State and Northwestern to earn the final spot in the conference tournament. UW would beat second-seeded Purdue, third-seeded Michigan State, and eighth-seeded Michigan to win the crown and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Wisconsin in the NCAA Tourney
The Badgers are making their 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the most of any Big Ten school. Last season, UW earned a 2-1 overtime win over Dayton before falling to eventual national champion Notre Dame, 1-0 in the second round. In 1991, the Badgers made it all the way to the national championship game where they fell to North Carolina, 3-1 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Scouting Marquette
No. 12 Marquette enters the NCAA tournament with a 17-3-1 record. The Golden Eagles finished second in the A Division of the Big East, their first season as a member of the conference, with a 9-2-0 mark.
Christy Zwolski leads Marquette with nine goals on the season. She also is first in shots with 42, including 24 on goal. Lindsay Michuda leads the squad with eight assists. Meanwhile, Laura Boyer has tallied 99 saves in the net for the Golden Eagles and also has six shutouts on the year.
The Series
Wisconsin and Marquette did not meet in the regular season for the first time since 1994. In the all-time series, Wisconsin leads Marquette, 6-4-1. The last time the two squads met during the regular season was in 2004. The Badgers escaped Engelmann Field with a 1-0 victory
The two teams have met once before in the NCAA tournament. In 2002, Wisconsin defeated Marquette 3-2 in the first round held in Milwaukee.
Sister, Sister
Wisconsin freshman Elise Weber and her older sister Lauren will be battling on the field against each other Friday for a chance to move on in the NCAA tournament. Lauren Weber has six goals on the year for Marquette and has also dished five assists for 20 points.
Back in the Rankings
With its Big Ten tournament championship, Wisconsin is making noise in the national rankings. The Badgers have entered the Soccer Buzz poll at No. 25 and are receiving votes in the NSCAA/adidas poll. In the Great Lakes region, Wisconsin currently is fourth in the NSCAA/adidas ranking.
Big Ten Tournament Champs!
Wisconsin earned its first Big Ten tournament title since 1994 with a 3-1 win over Michigan Nov. 6 in the championship game. Amy Vermeulen scored twice for the Badgers, while Katy Lindenmuth also netted a goal. Marisa Brown tallied two assists in the conference finale.
