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Game Coverage
Sunday, Oct. 29 | 1:00pm — Minneapolis
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MADISON, Wis. –It's what they have been working for all season long and it's finally here. The Big Ten Tournament awaits the Wisconsin women's soccer team as the Badgers will face Minnesota on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
The Badgers (12-4-2 overall, 6-3-2 Big Ten) drew the No. 6 seed while the Gophers (11-4-3, 7-3-1) drew the No. 3 seed. Sunday's match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network while live statistics will be available on UWBadgers.com and live updates via Twitter (@BadgerWSoccer).
1. UPSET CENTRAL: The Badgers are coming off of a thrilling 1-0 upset of No. 11 Penn State in their final regular season game. It was the first time UW beat PSU since 2011 and just the fourth time in program history. The victory also marked the second top-15 win for the Badgers this season after they also upset No. 3 Virginia early in the season on Aug. 31.
2. WEEKLY WINNERS: The upset win over No. 11 Penn State was the gift that just keeps giving, as Caitlyn Clem was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Cameron Murtha were named the Co-Freshman of the Week for their stellar game performances. Murtha, a freshman from Kensington, Maryland, had the lone goal in the Badgers' victory over the Nittany Lions, marking her fifth goal of the season and third in conference play. Clem stopped both shots she faced from the Nittany Lions to earn her ninth shutout of the year. She was also the Badgers' last Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 19.
3. ALL OF THE AWARDS: After leading UW to a successful season with 12 wins and a national ranking as high as No. 9, six members of the team were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Friday. Victoria Pickett headlines the group after being named to the All-Big Ten first team. After a standout season, forward Dani Rhodes was named to the All-Big Ten second team.
4. BORDER BATTLE, AGAIN: The last two times UW played Minnesota, the Badgers won 1-0 in overtime with the golden goal coming from Dani Rhodes, including one in Minneapolis. The Badgers lead the overall series with the Gophers, 16-13-1.
The loss to UW was just one of three conference losses for Minnesota, who also dropped decisions to Northwestern and Ohio State. Otherwise, the Golden Gophers have enjoyed plenty of success in the Big Ten with a double overtime 1-0 win over Nebraska, a dominant 4-0 blanking at Illinois, a shutout of Purdue and a 7-1 triumph over Maryland to highlight. They also defeated Indiana 3-2, Rutgers 2-1 and tied Michigan, 2-2 for their lone Big Ten draw.
UM also received conference accolades on Friday as Sydney Squires was named All-Big Ten First Team, both Molly Fiedler and Tori Burnett were selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and junior forward April Bockin was tabbed as a third-team selection.
5. BADGERS IN THE TOURNEY: The Badgers have three Big Ten Tournament crowns (1994, 2005, 2014). Clem, Harrison, Sydney McGinnis and Alexis Tye are the only current members of the team who were a part of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament champion team, while assistant coach Marisa Kresge was also a member of that team. UW is 3-3-1 in its last seven Big Ten Tournament games.