INSIDE
WOMEN'S SOCCER
BY JEREMY WODAJO
@BADGERWSOCCER
SCHEDULE (6-1-1, 1-0-0)
LAST WEEK
Sept. 15 Milwaukee
Sept. 22 at Purdue
W, 3-0
W, 3-1
COMING UP
Sept. 27
at #13 Michigan 6 p.m.
Sept. 29
at Michigan St.
Noon
Oct. 4
#8 Penn State
7 p.m.
Oct. 6
Ohio State 11:30 a.m.
Supporting cast: Role
players providing depth
Badgers peaking as Big Ten play kicks off
oming into the season,
most people who have
followed the Wisconsin
women's soccer team were
aware of the type of impact
players like Cara Walls and
Kinley McNicoll would have on
this year's squad.
But after a month of regularseason action, it has become
evident that UW head coach
Paula Wilkins is working with
C
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VARSITY September 26, 2013
a full deck. The Badgers owe
much of the success they've
seen this season, including an
unbeaten road mark, to the
role players who have made
their presence known when
players like Walls or McNicoll
are the focus of opponents' defensive schemes.
After sitting out all of the
last season due to injury and
joining the Badgers this fall,
sophomore Marisa Kresge has become a
mainstay in the front line, netting three
scores in the last four games. Kodee Williams is also making the most of her junior season, as the Toronto, Ontario, native has recorded goals in each of UW's
last two matches, including the gamewinner in the Big Ten opener at Purdue.
Along those same lines, Wilkins has
also praised the play of junior defenders
Carly Vogel and Alexandra Heller, who
rarely jump out statistically but have
been vital to UW's stout defense in 2013.
"We are a much stronger and more unified group when we play together rather
than when we defer to teammates or try
to take on challenges alone," Wilkins explained. "When certain players are able
to take advantage of the attention that
Cara and Rose (Lavelle) get, we become
much more dynamic and versatile.
"Those are the types of things that will
make us a hard team to beat come late
October and early November."
TOP-25 BATTLE
● On Friday, the Badgers will travel to
Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on 13thranked Michigan in what should be
one of the more interesting top-25
matchups this week. Michigan is coming off of its first loss of the season
while Wisconsin looks to continue its
road unbeaten streak.
