Game Coverage
Friday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m. CT — Wallis Annenberg Stadium, Los Angeles
MADISON, Wis. – The third-seeded Wisconsin women's soccer team heads to Los Angeles to take on Duke in a second-round game on Friday in the 2019 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. The Badgers and Blue Devils will meet at 7 p.m. CT (5 p.m. PT) at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium on the campus of UCLA.
The winner of UW/Duke will face the victor of UCLA/Clemson on Sunday in a 6 p.m. CT (4 p.m. PT) match.
1. LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin is coming off of a 1-0 win over in-state rival Milwaukee in a NCAA first-round game at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
Dani Rhodes scored in the 24th minute off a feed from fellow senior
Camryn Biegalski that punched UW's ticket to the second round for the fourth-straight season. The win over the Panthers also gave UW a sweep of its in-state rivals after the Badgers defeated Marquette and Green Bay during the regular season.
2. ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR DANI: With her game-winning goal against Milwaukee, senior
Dani Rhodes took over sole possession of fourth place in school history with 37 career goals. The Waukesha, native needs only three goals to become the fourth Badger in school history to score 40 goals for the Cardinal and White. In addition, Rhodes ranks third in the country in game-winning goals this year with eight.
3. BLOOMER LOVES THE POSTSEASON:
Jordyn Bloomer earned her third career postseason shutout on Friday night and her 11th blank sheet of the 2018 season. The Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year improved to 3-1-0 in postseason play and holds a 0.26 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. Bloomer came up clutch for the Badgers against the Panthers, making two critical saves in the final 10 minutes to send UW to the second round.
4. DEFENSE IS KEY: The Badgers rank ninth in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 0.483 goals per game. In addition, UW ranks fifth in scoring defense among the 32 teams left in the NCAA tournament.
5. ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS: Duke enters this weekend with a 9-3-7 record and defeating Utah, 4-0, in its first-round game. The Blue Devils are led by the trio of Mackenzie Pluck, Ella Stevens and Marykate McGuire who have scored 25 of the team's 38 goals this year.
Friday's matchup will mark only the second time UW and Duke have met on the pitch as the Blue Devils bested the Badgers, 1-0, in a matchup during the 1997 season. Wisconsin and Duke share one common opponent this year in Florida State as both teams suffered 1-0 set backs to the Seminoles in Tallahassee.
