After starting the weekend with a 1-1 tie against Nebraska, the Wisconsin Badgers (2-2-2 Big Ten, 5-4-5 overall) continue their homestand with a game against Iowa (1-5-0, 7-7-0) Sunday afternoon.
Iowa, which has struggled mightily in Big Ten play, is coming off a tough 3-0 loss to Minnesota on the road Thursday night, where the shot-happy Gophers proved way too much for Hawkeye freshman netminder Claire Graves to handle.
With UW’s offensive dominance thus far this season, Graves will be in for another tough test when her Hawkeyes come to McClimon Soccer Complex: The Badgers have outshot their opponents 218-122 and have outscored them 16-13 overall.
Leading the Badgers in scoring are senior midfielders Micaela Powers and Rose Lavelle. Powers has led the charge with three goals and three assists, while Lavelle has recorded two goals and three assists. Lavelle is also head and shoulders above the rest of the team in shots, with 52. UW has an additional weapon in freshman forward Dani Rhodes, who has scored three goals to date, two of which were game-winners.
The Hawkeyes have their own sharpshooting pair that will look to match UW’s trio of Powers, Rhodes and Lavelle in Bri Toelle and Karly Stuenkel. Toelle, a senior, leads Iowa in both goals, with 5, and shots, with 41. The junior Stuenkel is scary accurate, but has not put up any points since Sept. 4 against SIU-Edwardsville. If the Badgers want to win, the key will be solid defense and keeping Toelle and Stuenkel far, far away from junior goaltender Caitlyn Clem.
The Badgers kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday at the McClimon Soccer Complex, where they will be celebrating Senior Day. The game will also be televised on BTN Plus.
