| | 1st | 2nd | Final | Ohio State
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Wisconsin
| 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | Goalkeepers | Min | GA | Sv | | OSU | Geldernick (5-7-0) | 90:00 | 2 | 4 | | WIS | Richard (11-1-0) | 90:00 | 0 | 1 | | | Stats at a Glance | OSU | WIS | | Shots | 6 | 15 | | Shots on Goal | 1 | 6 | | Saves | 4 | 1 | | Offsides | 3 | 3 | | Corner Kicks | 2 | 5 | | Yellow Cards | 0 | 0 | | Red Cards | 0 | 0 | | |
Oct. 3, 2014
MADISON, Wis. -- No signs of oversight or letdown from this group of Badgers.
With a pivotal home contest against No. 7 Penn State on the horizon, the No. 13 Wisconsin women's soccer team (11-1, 5-1 Big Ten) remained focused on the task at hand and earned a 2-0 shutout against Ohio State in Madison on Friday night.
The first home game in nearly two weeks and just the second in the past eight games, the friendly confines of the McClimon Complex and the 760 fans in attendance fueled the Badgers to their eighth multi-goal game of the season behind scores from Rose Lavelle and Cara Walls.
"We wanted to come into this game really focused," Walls said. "We knew Ohio State was a good team, but we also were confident in ourselves. We knew that if we played our game, we were going to get our chances. We wanted to come in really focused, on top of things and sharp."
The focus and attention to detail paid off, as Walls scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season. Defensively, the Badgers earned their fourth-straight shutout and ninth in 12 games this season.
| Fast Facts | | • UW improves to perfect 6-0-0 at home this season | | • Badgers earn fourth-straight shutout, ninth in 12 games | | • Walls scores team-leading eighth goal; first since Sept. 7 | |
"One of the things we wanted to make sure of was stopping their transition," UW head coach Paula Wilkins said of the Buckeyes (5-7, 2-4 Big Ten). "I think they are very effective and dangerous, and I thought our backline did a great job with that. I thought all four of them were excellent and paying attention, and it made a huge difference in the game."
Genevieve Richard improved to 11-1-0 on the season, as the UW keeper was called on to make just one save in what was her seventh shutout of the season. The redshirt senior has allowed just four goals all season and only one goal at home.
Lavelle broke open the scoring for the Badgers just before halftime. The sophomore midfielder scored her second goal of the season in the 44th minute on a free kick from 35 yards out, knocking in her shot off the right post to beat OSU keeper Megan Geldernick and give UW the 1-0 lead.
Walls closed out the victory in the 65th minute, extending Wisconsin's lead to 2-0 by beating the keeper high far post from the top of the box. Molly Laufenberg set up Walls for the score, which marked her first assist of the season and just the second of her career.
It marked the first goal for Walls since Sept. 7 against Portland. The senior forward opened the season scoring seven goals through her first six games, but was sidelined with an injury before getting back in the scoring column on Friday.
In total, the Badgers outshot the Buckeyes 16-5, including six shots on goal to just one by OSU.
Wisconsin improved to a perfect 6-0-0 at home on the season and won its seventh-straight match in Madison dating back to last season.
"Ohio State has good tempo and a good pace," Wilkins said. "They're very physical, and I think that's what our game will be like Sunday (vs. Penn State). It's going to be important for us to get this feeling in the game to play Penn State, who is obviously going to be very good."
The stage set, No. 13 Wisconsin will host No. 7 Penn State on Sunday in a match with Big Ten championship implications. Two of the conference's top teams are set to kick off at noon at the McClimon Complex.
