The Nebraska-Wisconsin rivalry has been dominated by the Cornhuskers in recent years, but head coach Paula Wilkins and the Badgers didn’t let that continue Saturday. Especially after their rough loss last Sunday against Michigan, the team was motivated to get another conference win.
“It was a bad taste in our mouths all week, coming off of that Sunday loss,” senior forward Kodee Williams said. “We were really excited to get back out here, and it’s a really great feeling.”
That great feeling started just 58 seconds into the game, when Williams scored an unassisted goal on a chip over the goalkeeper.
“It really gave us great momentum going into the rest of the game. We really had them on their heels for the better part of the first half,” she added. “It’s been rough without Cara [Walls] up there, and I was really just focusing on Marisa [Kresge] and I having good chemistry this week.”
Their chemistry payed off 19 minutes later when redshirt junior forward Kresge beat the keeper off of a ball Nebraska’s defender mishandled. With a nice, early advantage, the Badgers were able to focus on their defense for the rest of the game.
Wilkins spoke highly of her team’s defending after the game. “I’m happy they battled to the very end. They could have easily been relaxed at [the end], but we talked about being all 90 minutes - being desperate in those minutes. Desperate but disciplined.”
That defensive mindset led to a fairly chippy game. The Badgers were called for 13 fouls, including nine in the second half. Williams admitted it was difficult at times. “It’s tough. You think you have a home-court advantage here, but we know the Big Ten is physical, and we know that Nebraska is a desperate team,” she said.
“They blocked some shots and some crosses, and they really get in there. We had a couple fouls, but I thought we were good. They weren’t dirty fouls. It was a bit chippy, but I thought we kept our cool.”
Despite fouls and physical play, Wisconsin was able to top off their win with a third goal with less than five minutes remaining, when Williams found junior midfielder Kinley McNicoll in the box for the score. Wilkins knows her midfielders, McNicoll and sophomore Rose Lavelle, are key to their offensive success.
“One thing that’s great about Rose and Kinley is that they are good at keeping possession in tight areas, and that spreads out other teams so we can keep it a little bit more,” she explained. With leading scorer senior forward Cara Walls, still “day-to-day” with an ankle injury, Wilkins’ team has done a great job of filling the void.
The team is hoping to have Walls back for their trip to Indiana, where they’ll face the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers this weekend, looking to rack up more conference victories.
