 | | |  | 13 Wisconsin 1, Purdue 0
Boilermaker Complex • West Lafayette, Ind. • Attendance: 371
Final Stats | Final Stats  |  | |
| | 1st | 2nd | Final | Wisconsin
| 0 | 1 | 1 | Purdue
| 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | Goalkeepers | Min | GA | Sv | | WIS | Richard (10-1-0) | 90:00 | 0 | 5 | | PUR | Ginther | 90:00 | 1 | 8 | | | Stats at a Glance | WIS | PUR | | Shots | 17 | 12 | | Shots on Goal | 9 | 5 | | Saves | 5 | 8 | | Offsides | 3 | 2 | | Corner Kicks | 4 | 5 | | Yellow Cards | 0 | 0 | | Red Cards | 0 | 0 | | |
Sept. 28, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Behind its latest goal of the season in regulation, the No. 13 Wisconsin women's soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over Purdue at the Boilermaker Complex on Sunday.
McKenna Meuer scored in the 66th minute to give the Badgers (10-1-0, 4-1-0 Big Ten) the late lead, then Wisconsin suffocated the Boilermakers (6-5-1, 2-4-0) over the final minutes and secured the victory with the team's third-straight shutout and eighth in 11 games this season.
"I told the team that Big Ten championships are won on Sunday," UW head coach Paula Wilkins said. "It may not have been the prettiest at times, but I thought we played better in the second half. They showed resilience defensively and it's great to see effort on that side. Getting another shutout on the road is great."
With the win, the Badgers became the fastest group in school history to reach 10 wins on a season and just the fourth to begin with a 10-1 start. Wisconsin also extended its school-record streak of winning at least 10 games to a sixth consecutive year.
| Fast Facts | | • Meuer scores first goal of season to lift Badgers in win | | • UW posts eighth shutout of season and third straight | | • Badgers become fastest team to 10 wins in school history | |
Wilkins credited Sunday's win and the season success to team chemistry.
"Their relationships with one another were something that they really worked on over the offseason," Wilkins said of the group. "It's something that's showing up now. We can continue to lean on that."
A competitive game throughout, the first half was scoreless despite the Badgers earning a 9-7 advantage in shots by the break. With a combined nine shots on goal between the two teams, UW keeper Genevieve Richard was called on to make four saves in the first half alone.
Rose Lavelle was the aggressor of UW's offense early, recording three of the team's five shots on goal in the first half. Kinley McNicoll and Becca Harrison each had two shots, including one shot on goal apiece.
Meuer finally helped the Badgers break through in the 66th minute, scoring her first goal of the season with a header point blank at right post off a corner kick taken by Lavelle. Wisconsin took a 1-0 lead with the score, as Lavelle tallied her sixth assist of the season.
Meuer became the ninth different Badger to score a goal this season. Wisconsin is led by McNicoll and Cara Walls, who have each scored a team-high seven goals.
The slight advantage was all Richard (10-1-0) and the UW defense needed, as the Badgers went on to blank the Boilermakers despite facing 12 shots and five shots on goal. Jordan Ginther made a career-high eight saves at goalkeeper for Purdue but allowed the game-winning score in her duel with Richard.
Since allowing a season-high two goals in a road loss against Michigan, Richard has bounced back for Wisconsin with three consecutive shutouts. The senior earned her sixth shutout of the season, having allowed just four goals.
As a group, the Badgers won their fifth game this season decided by one goal.
Offensively, Kodee Williams finished with a season-high five shots, including two shots on goal. Fellow senior forward Walls made her return to the starting lineup for the first time in three weeks, recording one shot in 73 minutes.
Wisconsin returns home for a three-game homestand, beginning Friday against Ohio State. The Badgers close out the season with five of their final eight games at the McClimon Complex.
