Indiana women’s soccer returns to the road Sunday, hoping to find success away from home against No. 14 Wisconsin. The last times the Hoosiers played outside Bloomington, they defeated Ohio University 3-2 and Nebraska 1-0 on Sept. 6 and 10.
However, Indiana’s most recent match at home did not go as well as hoped. Hosting then- No. 6 Ohio State on Sept. 13, Indiana handedly lost handily 3-0, with the Buckeyes scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes of play.
Following a strong defensive showing against Nebraska, fifth-year Hoosiers goalkeeper Dani Jacobson returned to start and saved one of four Buckeye shots on goal. Indiana’s defense struggled to keep Ohio State’s strikers away, allowing 12 shots total throughout the 90 minutes.
Indiana only attempted five shots on the day. Senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors attempted the team’s one shot on goal, which was saved by Buckeyes senior goalkeeper Peighton Northrup. Indiana was unable to shut down the Buckeyes' premier goal scorer, senior forward Amanda Schlueter, who provided two of her team’s three goals.
Against Wisconsin, Indiana will have to control the attack of freshman midfielder Margaret Sisk, who leads the team with three goals scored across her eight games off the bench.
Wisconsin’s shut out Northwestern 2-0 in its most recent match, scoring in both halves. Junior midfielder Anya Gulbrandsen tallied the first goal in the 18th minute, followed by senior midfielder Erin Connolly in the 68th minute.
Wisconsin started the year ranked No. 22 and has built its ranking through non-conference victories and wins over Big Ten opponents. The Badgers scored six goals in their 6-2 victory over Central Michigan University, the most the team has scored in one match so far this season. This victory helped the Badgers move from No. 16 to No. 14 in the NCAA Top 25 ranking.
The Badgers are led by head coach Paula Wilkens, the winningest coach in Wisconsin women’s soccer history. She has commanded the Badgers to 18 NCAA tournament berths and six Sweet 16 appearances in her 20 years of coaching the team. In 2015, the Badgers finished the year 11-6-3, clinching a share of the Big Ten title with Penn State.
The last time the Hoosiers and Badgers met was in 2024, resulting in a 1-0 Indiana loss at home. Wisconsin leads the all-time series with a 17-11-3 record since the two programs' first match in 1993. Wisconsin currently holds a two-game win streak over the Cream and Crimson.
Indiana is 2-1 on the road this year, and Wisconsin presents another ranked challenge for the Hoosiers to overcome. The match kicks off at 2 p.m. at Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex in Madison, Wisconsin, with coverage available on B1G+.
Follow reporters Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) and Leonardo Vesperini (@leovmedia and lvesperi@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s soccer season.
