Down goes No. 11 Penn State

Wednesday, October 25

MADISON, WI.

7 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

12-4-2, 6-3-2

Penn State

10-4-3, 6-2-3

PSU

Wisconsin

October 25, 2017 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Wisconsin upends Nittany Lions 1-0 in a game with huge postseason implications

MADISON, Wis. – The Badgers have believed in themselves all season.

The Wisconsin women's soccer team believed against No. 3 Virginia at the beginning of the season when they won 1-0 and the Badgers believed at the end of season against No. 11 Penn State, earning a 1-0 shutout over the Nittany Lions on Wednesday night to close out the regular season.

The first and only strike of the game came off a Penn State (10-4-3 overall, 6-2-3 Big Ten) foul where the Badgers' (12-4-2, 6-3-2) Sammy Kleedtke was awarded a free kick opportunity. She sent a beautiful, high-arching ball to the middle of the box where Cameron Murtha finished it to the bottom corner off a header. It was Murtha's fifth goal of the season and third goal in conference play. The pass marked Kleedtke's second assist of the year.

Despite the low-scoring affair, Wisconsin dominated the parts of the pitch that culminated into a noticeable differential between the two. The Badgers impressively led Penn State, 10-6, in shots and 6-2 in shots on goal.

Notes to know:
- It is Wisconsin's second win over a top-15 team this year, beating then-No. 3 Virginia and No. 11 Penn State.

Up Next: Wisconsin now turns its gaze to the postseason, and more specifically, the Big Ten Tournament. Tournament play will start on Sunday afternoon and the Badgers are the No. 6 seed. The official bracket will be released on Thursday.

You know what happens after a W for UW... #Varsity pic.twitter.com/6f1dByebyr
— Wisconsin Soccer (@BadgerWSoccer) October 26, 2017

Straight from the pitch:

Coach Paula Wilkins
On the win vs. Penn State:
"Just really excited. Any time you beat a top team, it teaches you about yourself and the team. It teaches us what we need to do better. And gives us confidence moving forward."

On the postseason:
"I'm looking forward to seeing how much these players can grow. Getting better every practice and every game."

Freshman Sammy Kleedtke
On what she wants to do in the Big Ten tournament:
"Advance. I definitely want to play teams that we lost to earlier in the season. I think we can definitely capitalize on the things that we've learned and improved on."

Freshman Cameron Murtha
On the team's youth:
"I don't think it matters. I think that we're all very confident on the field and that we've had twenty games. We're used to it and we're ready to play."