MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's soccer team returns to Loves Park, Illinois, for a pair of home matches at the Mercyhealth Sportscore Two Complex this week. UW welcomes in Illinois for an 11 a.m. match on Thursday before facing Purdue on Monday at 1 p.m. Both matches are not open to the general public.
Fans can follow the action via live stats on UWBadgers.com or on Twitter (@BadgerWSoccer).
1. LAST TIME OUT: UW is coming off of a 1-1 road trip to Ohio State and Michigan. After suffering a 3-1 setback at Ohio State last Thursday, UW bounced back with a 1-0 win at Michigan, ranked No. 17 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer Poll.
Emma Jaskaniec scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute while
Jordyn Bloomer stopped all five shots she faced to not only earn her second win of the year, but her second shutout as well.
2. EMMA IS CLUTCH: Emma Jaskaniec has made a habit of scoring important goals for the Badgers as all three of her goals have been game-winning efforts. Jaskaniec's first career goal was UW's game winner against Penn State last year, while she also netted the game-winning goal in UW's 2-0 win over Nebraska in 2019. A 2019 Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree, Jaskaniec has started 19 of her 20 games at Wisconsin.
3. ROSE SHINES ON WORLD STAGE: Former Wisconsin women's soccer standout Rose Lavelle shined for the U.S. at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup last month as the midfielder was named the most valuable player of the four-team tournament. Lavelle helped the U.S. to its second-straight title as she scored the game-winning goal for the U.S. in its 1-0 win against Canada. The Cincinnati native also recorded an assist for the Red, White and Blue.
4. AGAINST ILLINOIS AND PURDUE: The Badgers earned a 1-0 win at Illinois last season as
Dani Rhodes scored the game-wining goal in Champaign. The series is tied at 11-11-4, but UW has had the upper hand as of late as the Badgers have a seven-game unbeaten run against IU.
The Badgers split their games last year against the Boilermakers as UW defeated Purdue, 1-0, in the regular season thanks to
Jenna Kiraly's first career goal. However, the Boilermakers defeated UW, 1-0, in the opening round of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament at McClimon Soccer Complex. UW leads the all-time series, 12-9-3
5. UP NEXT: Wisconsin will head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the Cornhuskers on Saturday, March 13. Kickoff is at 2:05 p.m.
