PISCATAWAY, N.J. --Â Thanks to
Dani Rhodes' third game-winning goal of the season, Â the Wisconsin women's soccer team improved to 2-0-0 in Big Ten Conference play after knocking off No. 13 Rutgers, 2-1, in overtime on Sunday.
Rhodes won a penalty kick in the 97th minute of the match for the Badgers (6-2-1, 2-0-0) and then calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner past Rutgers (7-1-1, 1-1-0) netminder Megan McClelland to lead UW to its first win over a ranked team this year.
The Badgers took an early 1-0 lead nine minutes into the match after
Lauren Rice found
Cameron Murtha for her third tally of the season.
The Scarlet Knights tied the game at 1-1 early in the second half after Amanda Visco scored off a corner kick for Rutgers before Rhodes won the game for UW in overtime.
Straight from the Pitch
UW head coach Paula Wilkins
"It's great to pick up six points from the weekend. I think a big part of it was our ability to go deep into our bench against Maryland on Friday. That gave us better legs on Sunday and I think it is a huge credit to a lot of people who played, no matter what minutes they played."
"I am happy that the team was resilient in overtime, they stayed focused, took care of the details and came away with a win in a very hard environment with a tough turnaround."
Senior forward Dani Rhodes
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Notes to Know
- Wisconsin controlled action in the first half, outshooting Rutgers 9-4. It marked the eighth-straight game UW has outshot its opponent in the opening 45 minutes.
- Wisconsin enjoyed a 13-2 advantage in corner kicks, including an 8-1 lead in the first half.
- The Badgers have gone to overtime in five of their nine matches this season and hold a 3-1-1 overtime record this year.
- It marks the second time in three seasons UW has started Big Ten play with a 2-0-0 record.
- Rhodes now has 29 career goals, which puts her in a tie with Laurie Nosbusch (2008-11) for sixth in school history and needs just one goal to become the sixth Badger to collect 30 goals in a career.
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Jordyn Bloomer made three saves on Sunday en route to picking up her sixth win of the season.
Up Next
Wisconsin returns home for a three-game homestand at the McClimon Soccer Complex. UW will host Ohio State on Friday in the annual "Pac the Mac" game. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and all tickets are $1. Following Friday's battle against the Buckeyes, UW will host Penn State on Sunday in a nationally televised game on ESPNUÂ that begins at 12 p.m.Â
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