The University of Wisconsin-Madison women's soccer team is off to a good start as the Badgers have a 3-1-1 record in their first five games of the season.
Last season, the Badgers were ranked third in the Big Ten overall but were knocked out in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The Badgers were then ousted in the second round of the NCAA tournament by the University of Texas-Austin.
The 2023 season also marked the end of Emma Jaskaniec’s time with the team as she played her last season of eligibility. Jaskaniec led the Badgers with 12 goals in 2023, outscoring the next-highest players by seven. She also recently signed to the new USL Super League’s Spokane Zephyr FC.
Coming into 2024, the Badgers were ranked 19 by the United Soccer Coaches.
In their home opener, Wisconsin defeated Loyola University Chicago 3-0. One of the three goals came from midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, a graduate student playing in her third year with the team. In the second home game of the season against Western Michigan, which ended in a 1-1 tie, she scored the only goal for Wisconsin.
Mahrt started all 23 games for the Badgers last season and scored five goals total. To compare, in the first five games of this season, Mahrt has already scored five goals and completed one assist. Mahrt scored in four of UW’s last five games, making up the difference, especially in the game against Providence, that led the team to victory.
Mahrt is not alone in her strong start to the season. Senior midfielder Ashley Martinez has assisted in two of Mahrt’s goals and has taken 13 shots herself. Martinez has the second-highest number of shots taken on the team, trailing Mahrt by four.
The Badgers struggled in their first away game of the season, losing to No. 3 Brigham Young University 0-1. A goal in the 17th minute by BYU proved to be too much for the Badgers, who have an 0-2 record against the Cougars in total. But Wisconsin did lead BYU in shots (17-7), shots on-goal (6-3) and corner kicks (12-1).
The Badgers came out on top in their next two away games with 2-1 wins against both the University of Connecticut and Providence. Mahrt scored both goals in the UCONN game, while Martinez and graduate midfielder Dara Andringa scored against Providence.
Despite a good start, the Badgers are currently ranked ninth as they enter Big Ten competition. After their Sept. 5 game against UW-Milwaukee, they will face Big Ten opponents for the remainder of the season, which will be crucial for the Big Ten tournament in October and the NCAA tournament in November.
Gabriella Hartlaub is the former arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has also written state politics and campus news. She currently is a summer reporting intern with Raleigh News and Observer. Follow her on Twitter at @gabihartlaub.
