GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Wisconsin women's soccer team saw its season draw to a close following a 3-2 loss in double overtime at No. 9 Florida in the second round of NCAA tournament play.
 
"It always hard to see the season end" head coach Paula Wilkins said. "As a coach I couldn't have asked for anything more from them."
 
This marks the first time that Wisconsin (9-5-8 overall, 5-2-4 Big Ten) has lost an overtime match this season.
 
Brooke Sharp sealed the win for the Gators (17-4-1), slipping one past Wisconsin goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem in the 107th minute to send Florida to the Sweet Sixteen.
 
The Badgers nearly upset the home team after a goal by freshman forward Dani Rhodes off of an assist from junior forward Sydney McGinnis in the 77th minute lifted Wisconsin over Florida, 2-1. One minute later, the Gators benefitted from an own goal following a corner kick to tie the match up 2-2.
 
It was a tale of two halves for both teams as they went into halftime scoreless, but both UW and UF turned up the heat in the second half as they battled to extend their seasons.
 
Florida got on the board first after Meggie Dougherty Howard of the Gators found the back of the net on a penalty kick, but it wasn't long until Badgers found an equalizer in similar fashion.
 
After Florida's Julia Lester was issued a yellow card in the 66th minute, it was senior midfielder Micaela Powers who lined up to take the penalty kick.
 
Powers stutter stepped as she approached the ball, confusing the Gator's keeper, Kaylan Marckese, who dived toward the left post while Powers easily tucked the ball away into the right corner.
 
Both teams showcased aggressive play throughout the match, with 17 fouls being drawn from each team, five of which led to yellow cards.  
 
UF held the advantage over Wisconsin in shots (18-13), shots on goal (11-5) and corner kicks (7-1) thought the 107 minutes of play.
 
Powers and junior midfielder Alexis Tye led the team in shots with three each while McGinnis also recorded three.
 
The Badgers' goalkeeper was the heroic story of the game. Clem had a night for the record books as she made a career-high eight saves on the night for the Cardinal and White.
 
The junior was on her game against one of the most productive offenses in the country, making several clutch saves, including two back-to-back saves in the second overtime period, to keep Wisconsin in the game until the very end.
 
The match ended what was a historic and successful season for the Badgers. UW made its 10th second round NCAA tournament appearance in school history. In addition, head coach Paula Wilkins clinched her 100th win with Wisconsin as she guided senior Rose Lavelle to first-team All-Big Ten honors.
 
Lavelle closed out an incredible career at Wisconsin as a two-time Big Ten midfielder of the year, the first student-athlete to ever garner the award in back-to-back years, and as the program's first Senior CLASS Award finalist.
 
Clem was a third-team All-Big Ten selection while Rhodes and Allie Winterfield landed spots on the All-Big Ten freshman team.
 
Wisconsin will say goodbye to a stellar senior class in addition to Lavelle that includes Powers, Meghan Ledin, Holly Heckendorf, Morgan Taylor and Kylie Schwarz. Their senior class won the Big Ten tournament in 2014 and were Big Ten regular season champions in 2015.