 | | |  | 13 Wisconsin 3, Nebraska 0
McClimon Soccer Complex • Madison, Wis. • Attendance: 928
Final Stats | Final Stats  |  | |
| | 1st | 2nd | Final | Nebraska
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Wisconsin
| 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | Goalkeepers | Min | GA | Sv | | NEB | Schatz (4-4-1) | 90:00 | 3 | 0 | | WIS | Richard (8-1-0) | 90:00 | 0 | 6 | | | Stats at a Glance | NEB | WIS | | Shots | 10 | 7 | | Shots on Goal | 7 | 4 | | Saves | 1 | 7 | | Offsides | 1 | 3 | | Corner Kicks | 7 | 1 | | Yellow Cards | 0 | 0 | | Red Cards | 0 | 0 | | |
Sept. 20, 2014
MADISON, Wis. -- It had been a while since Wisconsin defeated Nebraska. Three of the last four meetings between the two teams came down to overtime, including a last-second, double overtime defeat last season in Madison.
That was then.
The No. 13 Badgers (8-1-0, 2-1-0 Big Ten) took care of the now, leaving no doubts and shutting out Nebraska 3-0 to earn a win in their Big Ten home opener at the McClimon Complex in Madison on Saturday night.
Marisa Kresge, Kinley McNicoll and Kodee Williams each scored goals to carry the load offensively, while Wisconsin as a whole shut down the Huskers (4-4-1, 0-2-1 Big Ten) defensively to record the team’s sixth shutout in nine games this season.
Wisconsin claimed its first win over Nebraska since 2011 and its first ever against the Huskers in Madison.
| Fast Facts | | • First win over Nebraska since 2011 and first ever in Madison | | • Williams, Kresge and McNicoll each score goals | | • Wisconsin posts sixth shutout in nine games this season | |
"The one thing that we really wanted to do was get a Big Ten win," UW head coach Paula Wilkins said. "We also talked about being desperate. Teams that are desperate in certain moments are the ones that are going to win. I'm really happy with the team and how they handled it."
That desire was visible from the start, as Williams wasted no time getting the Badgers out in front and scored just 58 seconds into the match. Capitalizing on a defensive turnover by the Huskers, the redshirt senior forward scored her third goal of the season by ripping off a shot from 18 yards out and beating Nebraska goalkeeper Kelly Schatz high far post for the score.
Fast starts have served Wisconsin well, as the team improved to 8-0-0 this season when scoring first. It was also the fifth goal scored by the Badgers this season within the first 10 minutes of games.
"It really gave us great momentum going into the rest of the game," Williams said of her early score. "I thought we really had them on their heels the better part of the first half. I had really been focusing on Marisa (Kresge) and I having good chemistry this week."
That preparation paid off, as it was Kresge who also scored her third goal of the season in the 20th minute to extend Wisconsin's lead to 2-0 early. The redshirt junior took an assist from McKenna Meuer, then chipped her shot past the last defender to beat Schatz far post for the score.
In net for Wisconsin, Genevieve Richard recorded her eighth win of the season (8-1-0) behind a season-high six saves on the night. Despite facing seven shots on goal, the redshirt senior left the Huskers scoreless and earned her fourth shutout of the season and the 11th of her career.
McNicoll sealed the victory in the 86th minute for the Badgers, scoring her seventh goal of the season off the assist from Williams. With the score, the junior surpassed her goal total from all of last season (6) and recorded her team-leading 20th point.
Wisconsin returns to the road next weekend, beginning with a game against Indiana next Friday in Bloomington.
