The Wisconsin women’s soccer team (5-5-1 Big Ten, 12-6-1 overall) arrived in Iowa City Saturday to face off against the Hawkeyes (3-5-3 Big Ten, 12-5-3 overall), looking to continue its five-game winning streak and end the regular season on a positive note. As expected, the match would be an important one for the Badgers, who looked to enter postseason play with momentum and confidence.
Although UW generated a respectable amount of offensive pressure in the second half, a flat start and five-minute breakdown in the defense allowed Iowa to net two goals and defeat the Badgers 2-1.
Iowa senior midfielder Dana Dalrymple put the Hawkeyes on the board late in the first half as she headed a ball past Wisconsin junior goalkeeper Genevieve Richard. The Badgers were lucky to enter the half only down by a goal after surrendering 11 shots to the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin’s lack of first-half offense can be credited to its ability to generate just one shot on Iowa freshman goalkeeper Meg Goodson.
The Badgers’ defensive breakdown occurred less than two minutes into the second half, giving the Hawkeyes a two-goal lead as sophomore forward Chloe Lacasse beat a Wisconsin defender and drilled a shot past Richard from 15 yards out.
It appeared as if the Badgers might pull another come-from-behind victory when senior forward Paige Adams netted a goal in the 70th minute, but Iowa’s ability to capitalize on a five-minute defensive breakdown gave the Hawkeyes all they needed to defeat UW.
Wisconsin was unable to play spoiler Saturday as Iowa snuck into the Big Ten tournament with the decisive victory. Consequently, the Badgers fell from the No. 4 seed to the No. 6 seed. Despite a disappointing finish, the Wisconsin women claimed a second-straight trip to the postseason.
