Wisconsin Soccer Central

In the end, the Madison 56ers ended up missing out on the Women's Premier Soccer League Midwest Division playoffs by the slimmest of margins.

University of Wisconsin forward Kodee Williams scored in the 85th minute as the 56ers knocked off the Des Moines Menace 2-1 on Friday night at Breese Stevens Field to put the pressure on the Iowa club heading into its finale.

The Menace held off the Quad City Eagles 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to finish 5-3-0, tying Madison for fourth place in the division – the top four teams qualify for next weekend's playoffs. Des Moines and the 56ers split their meetings, each winning 2-1 at home, but the Menace had a plus-7 goal differential in league play, while Madison's was plus-6.

Interestingly, two of Des Moines' victories were 3-0 forfeit wins over Soccer St. Louis Defenders, who dropped out of the league before the season started. The 56ers, meanwhile, received a forfeit from Fort Wayne FC on Saturday.

Had Quad City (3-4-0) won or tied Saturday's match, Madison would have finished fourth.

The Ohio Galaxies (6-1-0), Kansas City Shock (6-2-0) and Fire and Ice SC (6-2-0) will join the Menace in the Midwest playoffs. Talking after Friday's game, Madison coach John Reddan said his team likely would've several personnel issues for the playoffs had they qualified due to previous commitments.

"I like Des Moines, those guys know what they're doing," Reddan said. "They're well-coached and they have a plan, so it's a challenge. But I thought we did a good job."

The visitors took the lead in the 16th minute off a set piece. A Menace player made a run to the near post on a corner kick and dummied the ball, leaving it for Holly Winter to come and redirect it past UW-Green Bay goalkeeper Katy Pilarzyk (Madison Memorial) for the opener.

The 56ers answered before the break on a play that pleased Reddan. The coach said he's been critical of his midfielders for not winning headers, but Chrissy Papageorge went up and flicked on a goal kick to start the sequence. A Menace defender ended up with the ball but played it out of bounds under pressure, and the ensuing throw-in found UW's Lindsey Holmes (Verona) with her back to the goal at the corner of the top of the box.

"Alex Melin called and just came screaming in behind her and Lindsey just made a quick, little pivot and plunked it between two defenders for Alex running in," Reddan said. "She took a touch and crossed it hard across the 6. The goalkeeper tipped it a little bit, but Taylor Madigan came in on the back post and slammed it in."

Iowa midfielder Melin (Verona) and Marquette attacker Madigan (Waunakee) missed the 56ers' matches last weekend in Indiana as they were part of the FC Wisconsin Nationals team that finished second in the Women's Under-23 tournament at the U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Women's Championship.

"It was pretty even overall and they certainly had their chances," Reddan said of the first half. "In the second half, they had a few, but we tended to do our job. We were in their end a decent amount."

Madigan was involved in the winner, too, pressuring a Des Moines defender near midfield on the right side and taking the ball. She looked up and spotted Williams darting in on the left side and crossed it over to the UW striker.

"She took a touch that looked too big, then she caught up to it and then it was bouncing, so it was a bit of a volley," Reddan said of Williams, who scored the winner against Fort Wayne FC last Sunday in the final 10 minutes. "She's on our left side, coming across the top of the box, then hit it with her right foot back against the grain into the lower corner.

"It was a nice finish, we were happy to get that to go ahead. Then it just was a matter of battoning down the hatches and seeing out the game."

MADISON 56ERS: Katy Pilarzyk; Ashley Burkhardt, Geena Swentik, Jenna Harrington, Sarah Schmelzer; Mary Erikson, Lindsey Holmes, Shaina Riciputi; Molly Laufenberg, Sara Spaulding, Kodee Williams. Substitutes (open): Mara Wyttenbach, Alex Melin, Taylor Madigan, Chrissy Papageorge, Meghan Ledin (GK), Elise Brown, Sara Stern.