Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Welcome Badgers To Lakeside Field Sunday
10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By: Jasper Scherer
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Looking to build on a 2-0 victory over the No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini, the Northwestern women's soccer team will finish up a two-game homestand with a match against the Wisconsin Badgers at Lakeside Field on Sunday at 1 p.m.
One week after keeping Illinois forward and then-NCAA scoring leader Jannelle Flaws off the score sheet, the 'Cats will look to do the same against a Wisconsin offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in goals. Led by junior midfielder Kinley McNicoll (seven goals, six assists) and senior forward Cara Walls (eight goals), the Badgers have won 11 of their 14 matches this season and are 5-2-1 in the Big Ten.
Northwestern packs some punch of its own, led by forward Addie Steiner. The sophomore from Prairie Village, Kan., scored a pair of long-range goals against the Illini to give her eight on the season, a total that leads the Wildcats and ranks third in the Conference.
Joining Steiner on the attack is junior midfielder Niki Sebo, who assisted on one of Steiner's goals on Sunday, and fellow midfielders Sami Schrakamp, Kim Jerantowski and Rachel Zampa, all of whom have recorded multiple goals on the season. Freshman forward Michelle Manning, who scored her first career goal against Ohio State on Sept. 28, has also provided valuable minutes both off the bench and in a starting role.
On the other side of the pitch, Northwestern's defense came up big against the Illini, with freshman goalkeeper Lauren Clem picking up her fourth clean sheet of the season behind six saves. The back line of Nikia Smith, Jackie Alyinovich, Kassidy Gorman, Margo McGinty and K.K. Barr held Flaws without a shot on goal and will look to repeat the performance against Wisconsin.
The Badgers defense should put up a fight themselves, having allowed six goals all season, including just one in the first half and none in overtime. Wisconsin allowed a single goal in its first six games of the season, but also appeared vulnerable on Sunday against Penn State, allowing a pair of second-half goals to the Nittany Lions' top-ranked attack.
In the previous matchup between the two teams, the Badgers prevailed 3-0 in Madison, Wis. But in the last game in Evanston, in October 2011, the 'Cats forced a tie with a last-minute goal from Sebo before the defense preserved the draw in overtime. Northwestern's last victory against the Badgers came in 2008, so they'll be looking to break the streak this coming Sunday.
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