Wisconsin Soccer Central

Header off the crossbar, header off the crossbar and volley for a goal. Sounds like some sort of a trick shot, right?

But in reality, it was how the University of Wisconsin women's soccer team scored the lone goal in a 1-0 non-conference victory over UW-Green Bay on Sunday afternoon at the McClimon Complex.

Freshman forward Cara Walls (Wauwatosa East) finished off the play with aplomb after her header and one by senior strike partner Laurie Nosbusch (Mequon Homestead) bounced off the woodwork in the 28th minute.

"I said, 'Don't you have to call that?"  Badgers coach Paula Wilkins said of Walls' second goal in as many games.

UW (2-1-0) won its second match of the weekend, following a 2-1 victory over No. 23 Washington, and improved to 15-0-0 all-time against the Phoenix. Senior goalkeeper Michele Dalton was credited with one save in her first shutout of the season and the 19th of her career.

She nearly had a perfect weekend, but allowed the Huskies' Lindsay Elston to curl in a free kick with 27 seconds left Friday night.

"I haven't really slept, I think maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight after that," Dalton said of Elston's late goal.

"I've been thinking about that a lot. I pride myself on shutouts, as does the team. That's my focus, that's my job back there. I kind of felt like I didn't close out of the game, so I didn't do my job for the entire game. And today I did."

The Badgers had a 20-4 advantage in shots, but there really weren't many prime scoring opportunities. Green Bay senior keeper Maddie Drusch (Appleton Xavier) made six saves in 70 minutes, the best one a stop on Nosbusch on the left post in the 25th minute.

Three minutes later, UW junior midfielder Alev Kelter got to the end line on the right side and whipped a cross to the far post, where Nosbusch pounded a header off the crossbar. The rebound found Walls on the other side of the goal and her header also clanged off the bar, but she stayed with the play and volleyed the ball in from the doorstep for what proved to be the lone goal.

"It came right to me, so I had no other choice than to go for it," Walls said.

The freshman is in an impressive run of form, having closed out the summer as the Golden Boot winner as the top scorer as her FC Milwaukee club team won the U.S. Youth Soccer Under-18 national championship in late July. While Nosbusch, the Badgers' leading scorer the past three years, hasn't found the back of the net this season, Wilkins is excited about the new forward pairing.

"I think she's able to get behind people, that's one of the things that we haven't had in the past, is that she can stretch defenses, and to be honest, she's a great complement to Laurie," Wilkins said of Walls, whose older brother Tony is a standout for the Green Bay men's team.

"I think it's a great complement, because they bring two different things and I think Cara's learning every day more and more how to play with Laurie – and she's a quick learner, so that's important. And she has some physicality. I think people look at her and they don't think she's going to be as physical as she is, but she definitely does, and she has a different gear. I think it's going to help Laurie in the long run, because it's going to open stuff up for her."

Most everyone on the UW sideline, though, was disappointed the Badgers didn't have more to show for all their shots and possession.

"That's very surprising for us, because we've been pretty efficient ... but any coach is going to say I'm very happy that we're just getting the opportunities," said Wilkins, whose team is unbeaten in its past nine home matches (6-0-3) dating to last season.

"They're going to eventually fall, just keep believing in what they're trying to do. I know they've gotten a little frustrated, but you know what? That's what I like about those guys: They're itching and they want more."

For the young Phoenix, it was another solid performance against a team from a bigger conference – they played Iowa State to a 0-0 draw on Friday night in Green Bay.

"We're not ashamed at all, a 1-0 loss to the Badgers on their turf. We've done better than many teams that will come in here," said coach Trevor Warren, who had four freshmen in his starting XI and brought three more off the bench. "We tried to sit in a little bit and counter attack, which is what we have to do against this team – and we had chances."

Freshman midfielder Hannah Kernen (Belleville/Sugar River) had one of the chances, a shot right at Dalton off a counter in the 11th minute. Hekla Palmadottir, a converted defender from Iceland playing up front alone in a 4-5-1, fired a shot that rolled to the left of the goal in the 56th.

"It just fizzed past the post, and that would have made things interesting at 1-1, wouldn't it?" Warren asked rhetorically.

From the touchline

Wilkins confirmed that senior midfielder Erin Jacobsen and sophomore forward Kodee Williams will miss the season because of knee injuries. Jacobsen, who was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference pick last fall, was hurt during the Badgers' 2-0 exhibition loss to Marquette on Aug. 13. Williams was injured during the summer playing with the Toronto Lady Lynx in the USL W-League. "I always say the blessing is I get to work with them for another year. We'll look at it that way," Wilkins said. ... UW sophomore central defender Ali Heller, meanwhile, is recovering from a stress fracture in her leg. ... In addition to Walls, Swedish midfielder Julia Roddar and defender Lauren Reid also have started all three matches as freshmen. ... Kernen was one of three Green Bay freshman starters from the Madison area, joining defensive midfielder Abby Juzwik (Verona) and central defender Jenna Harrington (Madison La Follette).

Wisconsin – Cara Walls 28

WISCONSIN: Michele Dalton; Lauren Reid, Meghan Flannery, Lindsey Johnson, Catie Sessions; Julia Roddar, Monica Lam-Feist, Joana Bielefeld, Leigh Williams; Laurie Nosbusch, Cara Walls. Substitutes: Alev Kelter, Lauren Cochlin, Lindsey Hamann, Paige Adams, Nicole La Petina, Nikki Greenhalgh.

UW-GREEN BAY: Maddie Drusch; Megan Braatz, Jenna Harrington, Ahna Logan, Corey Arno; Abby Juzwik, Chanel Aries, Renee Therrien, Hannah Kernen, Emily Friedl; Hekla Palmadottir. Substitutes: Chandra Eigenberger, Sierra Valentine, Devyn Alberts, Jennifer Sturchio.

Saves: W 1 (Dalton 1), UWGB 6 (Drusch 6, Sturchio 0). Shots: W 20, UWGB 4. Fouls: W 9, UWGB 3. Corner kicks: W 9, UWGB 1. Offsides: W 3, UWGB 0. Discipline: None. Att. — 765.