Adrian Northrup

The UW-Eau Claire women’s soccer team proved on Tuesday why it was seeded No. 1 on the WIAC Tournament bracket. The Blugolds breezed past UW-Platteville to a 3-0 victory on what was a particularly cold and
windy day.

The Blugolds got off to a fast start, with sophomore Liz Kooistra taking a rebound off a header and scoring the first goal of the game at 2:40.

Sophomore Amy Smith, one of the two players credited for an assist on the first goal, said her team was able to come out strong in the first five minutes just like it had been talking about all season.

“Those first five minutes were really important for us. And obviously, it helps (we) got a goal.”

At 14:24, Kooistra scored her second goal of the game, which was also off a rebound. The first half of the game gave the Blugolds a 2-0 lead and 16 total shots on the Pioneers’ goal.

Smith also said the team got past the weather on Tuesday and was able to get off to a strong first half.

“Obviously the wind was a huge factor. But I think we adjusted really well to it and we kept the ball on ground and passed around them . so it really helped us with the wind.”

The second half remained scoreless until sophomore Jessica Millard scored the Blugolds final goal of the day at 78:22, sealing the team’s 3-0 victory. Millard led the team with six shots on goal, while Kooistra and Smith tied for second with five each.

The Blugold defense came up big for the team by not allowing a single shot on goal by the Pioneers, compared to Eau Claire’s 34 shots total. The Blugolds tied their record from last year with their 14th shutout of the year.

Kooistra feels that the defense was particularly important to the team’s success that day.

“I think our defense played really well,” Kooistra said. “I know that a couple of them are struggling with injuries . but I think they stepped it up today and played their game.”

The Blugolds will play UW-River Falls in a WIAC Semifinal match on Friday at Bollinger Field. The last meeting between the two teams came on Oct. 21, which the Blugolds won 3-0.

For now, Smith said that the Falcons will be the team’s only priority until Friday’s game.

“We’re trying not to look past our next game on the schedule,” Smith said. “We’re just going to look at (what) River Falls has done against us in the past and what we’ve done against them and focus on how to beat them.”