Wilkins' way working for Wisconsin
November 18, 2009 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 18, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - Three years ago, Paula Wilkins led Penn State past Boston College in a 1-0 victory to make her fifth appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament.
Now, in her third year as head coach at Wisconsin, Wilkins has led a team from the bottom half of the Big Ten Conference to its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 16 years – and a meeting with Boston College.
With nine freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup, Wilkins has brought in more than just a new mentality. With the help of assistant coaches Tim Rosenfeld and Patrick Farmer, her competitive fire has trickled down to everyone on the team, whether they are part of the starting 11 or provide support from the bench.
Last year, the team missed a berth into the Big Ten tournament placing 10th overall in conference. After a 4-4-1 start to the 2009 season, which included a tough 6-0 loss to top-ranked Stanford, the Badgers entered conference play determined.
“I don’t think our belief was as strong at the beginning of the season,” said the team’s leading scorer, Laurie Nosbusch. “We played Stanford and got a little embarrassed. With that loss we were like, ‘We don’t have anything to lose, let’s just go out and throw it all out there in the Big Ten.’
“We’ve been successful, so you keep rolling and expecting to win.”
So how did they get here? For starters, after suffering an injury in the first game of the season, freshman forward Paige Adams returned to the lineup for the team’s Big Ten opener against No. 15 Purdue.
Since her return and the Badgers’ loss to Stanford, UW has only dropped one contest. That loss was against Minnesota in 2-1 defeat that came as the result of a penalty kick in overtime.
Adams and Nosbusch became a dynamic duo, combining for nine points on the season. Nosbusch assisted on all three of Adams’ goals and Adams assisted on three of Nosbusch’s team-high six goals.
With the help of Adams and the new mentality Wilkins instilled, the Badgers were on the rise.
“The biggest difference is the competitiveness of the team,” said senior Whitney Owusu, who played her first season at UW under former coach Dean Duerst. “When I came here, the culture of this team wasn’t to compete and go out there and fight for 90 minutes.
“It was just kind of lackluster, and when Paula came, she totally changed that.”
In six years at Penn State, Wilkins led the Nittany Lions to six Big Ten regular season titles and six NCAA tournament berths. When she took the reins at UW, Wilkins was up for the challenge to build a program.
She led the Badgers to a 6-11-1 record her first season while guiding them to an improved 9-9-1 record in 2008. This season, her team is 10-5-6 with and on its way to the Sweet Sixteen, a place she is very familiar with.
Wilkins had her work cut out for her, bringing in two large recruiting classes to blend with the Badgers’ upperclassmen.
“I talked to a lot of the older players and said, you know, when you came here, you didn’t buy in, you didn’t come for me,” said Wilkins, a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year honoree.“They were willing to be flexible enough to change and do some of the things I asked them to do, which I think is a difficult thing for players.
“They created the culture to allow the younger players to be themselves, to get the experience, and to support them, and that’s made a huge difference.”
Whether or not UW advances to the national quarterfinals, Wilkins has already guided the program to its best finish since the NCAA tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 2001.
“I’d always hoped this would be the outcome,” said Owusu. “But I always thought, personally, that I’d be leaving the program while it’s on the rise. I didn’t know that we were going to be in the Sweet Sixteen, but I knew I was going to leave the program at a good point. We definitely exceeded expectations.”
They may be the underdogs, but Wisconsin is not looking to give up now. Wilkins has instilled confidence and a strong work ethic that has prepared her team for this moment.
“I’ve bought into the program by going 110 percent every practice,” said junior Taryn Francel. “Bringing energy, staying focused, working on all the details, making sure everyone around you is coming along with you and sacrificing some things on and off the field, that is what she has taught us.”
Jacqueline Boscacci
Wisconsin Athletic Communications
