As the saying goes, college is the fastest four years of
your life.
Six seniors on the University of Wisconsin women's soccer
team had an opportunity to extend their college soccer experience by doing
something only 16 other senior classes have accomplished at UW -- earning a bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer
Championships.
After a 12-7-1 mark, the Badger senior class guided the UW
to its third NCAA tournament berth in four years. Many of the current seniors
experienced Wisconsin's 2009 Sweet 16 run, so the success the team saw this
season was unprecedented, and frankly inevitable.
Supported by talented underclassmen, seniors Lauren
Gunderson, Olivia Hoff, Erin Jacobsen, Monica Lam-Feist, Lindsey Hamannm Joana Bielefeld and
Lindsey Johnson, led a Badgers squad that was arguably one of UW head coach
Paula Wilkins' strongest teams to date.
Considering Wilkins has a 21-8 overall record in NCAA tournament
games, including a pair of College Cup Semifinal appearances, the fact that she
described this year's squad as "special" is no small accolade.
The impact of the senior class rippled through the entire
season, like a wave that travels across a large body of water, from one shore
to another. It all began with the Badgers' season-opening win over Notre Dame --
the Badgers second win over the Fighting Irish all-time -- which was secured by
a game-winning goal from Lam-Feist, a 2012 second team All-Big Ten honoree.
Gunderson sparked the Badgers' 3-0 start, posting
three-consecutive shutouts and finishing with five on the season. Bielefeld and Johnson were the unsung heroes at the midfielder and defender positions, respectively, deflecting nearly every potential
scoring opportunity that threatened UW's keepers. Bielefeld also contributed a pair of goals in 2012 -- both were game-winning goals. Hoff, Hamann and Jacobsen all
played supporting roles, but were instrumental in their team's development.
The 2012 class was vital in the success of the Wisconsin
women's soccer program in more ways than one --
but more importantly, Wilkins' first recruiting class played the biggest
role of all in laying the foundation for future classes to come.
