MADISON, Wis. – Nine minutes. That was all it took for Wisconsin women's soccer to establish the tempo and energy in Sunday's game.
Following Wisconsin's upset victory over third-ranked Virginia Thursday night, the Badgers (5-1 overall) extended their win streak to four games Sunday afternoon by defeating the Tribe of William & Mary (4-1) by a score of 3-1.
The young combo of forwards, sophomore
Dani Rhodes and freshman
Lauren Rice connected on a goal in the ninth minute when Rhodes dumped the ball off to Rice and let her perform.
Rice's goal was the first of her season, as well as the first of her career.
In the 12th minute it looked as though William & Mary had tied the game when junior defender Mackenzie Kober put a shot by Wisconsin keeper
Caitlyn Clem. Shortly after a whistle was blown for offside and Wisconsin's lead was maintained.
After assisting on the first goal, Rhodes found her name in the scoring column, getting a shot past sophomore goalie Katelyn Briguglio, giving the Badgers a two score advantage. Freshman
Maia Cella sent the cross to Rhodes from the left side and she headed it in.
Down two, William & Mary refused to let up. In the 39th minute Kober hit the back of the net, her first of the season, on an assist from sophomore forward Sully Boulden.
Wisconsin outshot the Tribe 10-6 in the first half. UW also took two corners while the Tribe had none.
Nine minutes after the second half began, Rice was a victim of déjà vu, netting her second goal of the game, second of her career and extended the Badgers' lead 3-1.
Rice's second goal would be the last goal scored in Sunday's contest.
William & Mary outshot the Badgers 13-11, seven coming in the second half, and only allowed Wisconsin to get one shot off.
Regardless of the aggression by the Tribe, Clem was arguably at her best, falling one save short from her career high. She finished with six saves on seven shots on goal.
Straight from the pitch:
Head Coach Paula Wilkins
"I think to get two results on the weekend, especially having the first game against Virginia was really important. Obviously winning there gave us a lot of challenges and it's something we can definitely grow from. I know we got the result but it's still a good learning tool for us to learn how to play on the second day. As a coach, I walk away from this thinking that there are plenty of things that we can learn from and talk about how we can better on the second day.
"For Dani to get another goal after Thursday and for Lauren to get her first two on the road, I think that's exciting for the program. I thought some of our play was good at times but it can be better, even Cammie (Murtha) getting wide and Maia (Cella) getting her first assist of the year is something we're really excited about because of the young combinations in there. I think this group is going to get better and better with more experience.
On Caitlyn Clem's performance:
"That's what you want from a senior goalkeeper. We were looking to get the shutout in the second half. We weren't happy giving up that goal in the first half and that comes back to some discipline defensively. That's stuff we can learn from, not just for our back four but also everywhere from the midfield and up front. One of the things I want to come away with for this team is that when we score goals and get up 2-0, how do we control it, what should we do and how should we read what they're doing tactically? It's going to be something we focus in the coming weeks, but having that leadership in the back is really important to us."
Up next: Wisconsin wraps up its three-game road trip in Des Moines as it goes up against Drake University on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). Following Thursday's game, the Badgers return to Madison for a three-game home stand.
