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42 ing three goals a game," Wilkins said. "In my six previous years here, I think we averaged 1.5 goals. "They've created an environment where they "Now part of that is attributed to Kinley (McNicoll, the UW's leading scorer with 20 points) and get excited about it," Wilkins said of the team. "I Cara (Walls, the second leading scorer with 16) and think they get excited about it because they a bunch of other players. enjoy playing with each other and they know "But I think she (Lavelle) has a part in that." Lavelle has been grateful for the support of her what they need to do to be successful." teammates. "I have a lot of good players around me," she said. During her Monday presser, Wilkins singled out goaltender Genevieve Richard ("She's made big saves in big games to keep us in it") and midfielder McKenna Meuer, a Madison Memorial product. "McKenna is probably the Cal Ripken-type player; she's Steady Betty," Wilkins said. "If I ask the question she has the answer to it because she knows what we're trying to do tactically." The Meuer Clan has plenty of history with the Badgers. McKenna's dad, Kelly, played soccer here in the late '70s. Two sisters, Molly and Katy, also played soccer for the Badgers. Her brother, Keegan, is a member of Mike Eaves' hockey team. "She's a bit of a drill sergeant in the middle of the field," said Wilkins. "You won't see stats on her "McKenna (Meuer) is probably because she's basically doing a lot of the work in the Cal Ripken-type player; she's the midfield; she's just the engine of the team." Steady Betty," Wilkins said. The Badgers are very young, but it's no secret that Wilkins likes the chemistry. "The biggest thing is their cohesiveness," she said. "They hold each other accountable because they like each other. One thing that's interesting about this group is that they're a group that lingers. "I don't know if many people understand what that means. But I've had teams where when they get off the field, they want to get off as fast as they can and get home and get on to the next thing. "This group lingers around, talks about the game. On the way back (from Michigan State), we had players watching the video already. I hadn't even gotten around to watching the video. "They've created an environment where they get excited about it. I think they get excited about it because they enjoy playing with each other and "(Genevieve Richard) has they know what they need to do to be successful." made big saves in big games Most importantly, she added, "They're still in to keep us in it," Wilkins said. control of their destiny in the Big Ten." // VARSITY October 3, 2013