S
40
ome teams and coaches would have been
satisfied with a tie, especially at the end of
a challenging four-game road swing that included travel to Connecticut, Illinois and Oregon.
Some teams and coaches would have been satisfied with a tie, especially with so few seniors (2)
and so many freshmen and sophomores in the lineup and on the roster (18 of 26).
Some teams and coaches would have been satisfied with a 1-1 tie at Oregon State; but not this
Wisconsin women's soccer team, and not this head
coach, Paula Wilkins.
"Obviously I'm not satisfied with the result," said
Wilkins, now in her seventh season with the Badgers. "The one thing that was nice was that the players weren't satisfied with the result.
"They felt they could have done better and deserved a little better in the game (last Sunday's
draw). I think the program has evolved to the point
where they're not satisfied with a tie."
Wilkins took great satisfaction in saying that.
While the youthful Badgers have been picked to
finish in the middle of the Big Ten, there are many
things that she likes about this group of players.
"They like soccer, they like each other; they have
a good time, they have a good spirit," she said. "They
enjoy the moments they have together; they're
more in the moment than most teams I've had."
It's quite an endorsement coming from Wilkins,
who's nearing 200 career wins. She has coached so
many good teams at Wisconsin and at Penn State,
her previous stop, how good can this one be?
"It can be a great team," she said, not pulling any
punches. "We've only begun to see what they can
do because they've had to go on road (to start the
season) … the travel hasn't been easy."
Over a two-week span, the Badgers have played
on a Friday-Sunday in Storrs, Conn., and Normal,
Ill.; and then again on a Friday-Sunday in Eugene
and Corvallis, Ore. Moreover, they went 3-0-1.
Wisconsin will finally get to play a home game
Friday at 5 p.m. against Vanderbilt. As part of the
PAC the MAC twinbill at the McClimon Complex, the
UW men will play Western Michigan at 7:30 p.m.
So what has Wilkins learned about her players?
"I learned they are pretty resilient and they know
how to come from behind; they don't panic, they
keep playing," she said.
That was seconded by her talented goal-scorer,
//
VARSITY September 5, 2013
