Badgers battle each other in preseason Red vs. White scrimmage
August 10, 2010 | Women's Soccer
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin women's soccer team held its annual Red vs. White intra-squad scrimmage on Tuesday at the McClimon Memorial Soccer Complex.
The closed scrimmage allowed the team to play in a game-like situation for the first time during preseason and also gave the Wisconsin coaching staff the opportunity to see how different players work together during full-field play.
"It was a great game to give us (as coaches) some insight on players," Wisconsin head coach Paula Wilkins said. "It is very competitive right now for us and we are trying to figure out who we are going to play and where. It definitely gave me some insight, but it also allowed me to see what we need to improve on."
The scrimmage consisted of 80 minutes of play, however, the first 40 minutes were brutal as the teams battled each other under the sweltering sun.
The first half of competition was broken into 20-minute segments to ensure that the teams stayed well hydrated. After the first 40 minutes, the sun was finally hidden behind the large UW Hospital buildings and the players were able to safely play and enjoy the cool summer breeze without stopping halfway through.
This year, it was the Red who captured the victory, scoring a goal in each half to seal a 2-1 advantage over the White.
Just before the 20-minute mark, at the peak of the heat, sophomore Lindsey Johnson took a free kick from the right side of the 18-yard box. The ball was perfectly placed on the foot of junior Laurie Nosbusch, who one-touched it into the right side of the net to put the Red up 1-0.
After 36 minutes of scoreless play, the White team tied the scrimmage with 24 minutes left. From just inside the goal box, Darcy Riley crossed the ball to Kelsie Harris who stuffed it into the left side of the goal.
Shortly after, the duo of junior Lauren Cochlin and freshman Kodee Williams answered with a goal to seal the 2-1 victory for the Red team. After settling a header from Cochlin, Williams used some fancy footwork to get around the White defenders and find the back of the net.
Williams may have displayed a lot of composure in her first organized scrimmage with the Badgers, but leading up to tonight's play, the Toronto native wasn't as calm as she looked on the field.
"I was really nervous about playing well," Williams said. "You always want to do your best in front of the coaches and it was the first full-field game we have had. I just really wanted to perform well. I probably put a little too much pressure on myself. I was really nervous, but everyone was very supportive and encouraging each other on the field and that was really nice."
Although Williams has only officially been a Badger for a week, she was able to see what the team is doing well and what it still needs to work on based on the intra-squad scrimmage.
"We started off a little slow today," William said. "But once we got going we started playing well together. We just need to get to know how each other plays so we can start to become more composed with the ball and make crisper passes. I think that as long as we keep encouraging each other on the field we can definitely improve that."
Williams and the rest of the squad will get their first opportunity to show an in-state foe how far they have come during preseason on Aug. 14 as they battle Marquette at 7:30 p.m. at the Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wis.
