Wisconsin’s historic season came to an end Friday in Tallahassee as the Badgers fell to Central Florida 3-2.
With two of the top defenses in the country facing off, including two top-notch goalkeepers, this game had all the makings for a defensive battle. However, Central Florida managed to put up three goals on Wisconsin while holding off a late flurry of offense from the Badgers.
The Knights struck in the ninth minute on a goal from junior midfielder Ashley Spivey, who headed a pass from senior forward Tatiana Coleman past redshirt senior goalkeeper Genevieve Richard. Until that point, the Badgers defense had not allowed a goal in 751 minutes.
In the 23rd minute, Coleman came through for the Knights again, finding the back of the net to extend the lead.
The Badgers headed to halftime trailing for the first time all season.
But continuing a theme of their campaign, the Badgers refused to go away and fought until the bitter end.
"It's always hard when you go on the kind of run that we had and then have your season end this way," UW head coach Paula Wilkins said. "When we went down two goals, there was still this belief that they were going to come back. I love the battle that they put forth.”
Redshirt senior forward Kodee Williams scored an unassisted goal in the 76th minute to cut the deficit in half and give the Badgers a chance at coming back.
The Knights returned the favor six minutes later on another goal from Coleman. The game looked to be all but won for Central Florida, but the Badgers had not given up just yet.
In the 88th minute sophomore midfielder Micaela Powers notched her first goal of the season on a pass from sophomore midfielder Rose Lavelle to bring Wisconsin back within one.
However, the Badgers were unable to find an equalizer in the final two minutes and the magical run was over.
"This was a special group of players,” Wilkins said. “The hardest thing for me as a coach is I don't want to see it end. I like the fact that they went out fighting."
Although the Badgers loss is a tough one, this was ultimately one of the program’s most successful seasons. Wisconsin finished with 19 wins, making this year’s squad the winningest team in school history.
The Badgers also captured the Big Ten Tournament title, a feat they had not accomplished since 2005. It was a goal the team set last year after a disappointing loss in the first round of the conference tournament.
This campaign made major strides for the Wisconsin soccer program, which will now be expected to consistently perform at an elite level.
"Not just this season, but this team has left its legacy on this program," Wilkins said. "Its more than just the stats and everything. What they left, from the standpoint of expectations and professionalism, is something that's going to last for years."
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
