The Badgers (7-1-1 Big Ten, 13-2-1 overall) picked up a huge road win Saturday night in Minneapolis, defeating Minnesota (5-4-1, 8-7-1) by a score of 4-1 to remain in the Big Ten title hunt.
The victory pulls them to within two points of conference-leading Penn State (8-1-0, 13-2-0) and virtually ends Minnesota’s shot at the conference, as the Golden Gophers are now eight points behind.
Wisconsin, who had not defeated the Gophers since 2010, came out firing from the opening kickoff. Just four minutes into the game, redshirt senior midfielder Kodee Williams found the back of the net, notching her fourth goal of the season.
Shortly after, Minnesota senior forward Taylor Wodnick beat redshirt senior goalkeeper Genevieve Richard to even the game at one. The game would stay tied at one for the remainder of the first half.
However, the second half was all Badgers from the beginning, as they scored three times within a nine minute span to vanquish the Gophers.
Sophomore defender Kylie Schwarz opened the second half outburst with a goal in the 56th minute off a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Rose Lavelle. The goal was Schwarz’s first of the season and the assist was Lavelle’s seventh.
Soon after, leading goal scorer senior Cara Walls, who was challenged by head coach Paula Wilkins at halftime to improve her play, put one past the goalkeeper for her 10th goal of the campaign. The goal was again assisted by Lavelle, giving her eight assists on the season, a stat which now leads the team.
“I really think one of the differences tonight was Rose [Lavelle],” Wilkins said. “She was fantastic and had a huge role in the goals. Whether it shows in the stats or not, she was at a different level.”
In addition to leading the team, Lavelle is now tied for third in the Big Ten in assists. Walls completed the second half offensive flurry with her second goal of the night in the 65th minute. Walls, who continues to be the most prolific offensive player for Wisconsin, moved into second place in the conference after finding twine for the 11th time this season.
On the defensive side, after allowing the early first half goal, Richard buckled down for the rest of the game, recording five saves and improving her record to 13-2-1. Wilkins was pleased with the overall performance of her team.
“I think it’s a group that’s raising their level and having a high expectation of what they want to do as a program,” Wilkins said.
With this win, the Badgers are knocking on the door of the conference title. They are within striking distance of Penn State, but will most likely need some help.
Penn State has four games remaining to clinch the title, with just one of those games on the road. They play Michigan State and Nebraska who are both under .500 in the conference.
However, Penn State will also have to defeat Iowa and Maryland, who both have winning records in the Big Ten. Maryland could prove to be a pesky matchup as the Terrapins have tied five times this year.
Regardless, Wisconsin will most likely need to win out to have a shot at capturing the crown. The final homestand begins Friday with a powerhouse matchup against Rutgers (7-1-1, 11-1-1), who the Badgers are tied with for second place in the Big Ten.
