SEATTLE, Wash. --- Juliana Guthner scored her first career goal and the Pilots nearly came back from a two-goal deficit, but in the end the Wisconsin Badgers held on for a 2-1 win over Portland on the final day of the Husky Nike Invitational on Sunday at Husky Soccer Stadium.
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Guthner's goal came in the 85th minute, and it pulled the Pilots within one of the Badgers. A loose ball inside the area found the feet of Guthner, who found the back of the net to pull the Pilots within one. Taryn Ries set up the goal after she had possession near the touch line, beat a couple of defenders, and sent a ball into the 18-yard box.
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From there the Pilots (2-3-0) searched for the equalizer, but Wisconsin (4-1-0) would escape with the win and the tournament title.
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The first half was mostly Badgers as they jumped out to an early lead with goals in the 10th and 33rd minutes. The first coal came on a corner, their third to that point, after the ball took a few deflections. Cameron Murtha was able to get a touch on it to push it into the right corner of the frame for her first goal of the year.
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Wisconsin made it a 2-0 game when Camryn Biegalski whipped a cross into a crowded six-yard box. Maia Cella elevated and finished with a header as the Badgers would take their two-goal cushion into the locker room at the half.
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The Pilots did have a few opportunities during the opening 45 minutes, including in the 27th minute when Natalie Muth hit a header that took a bounce before deflecting off the crossbar. Eight minutes later the Badgers committed a turnover inside their own 18-yard box, and Jasmine Garibay nearly capitalized. She hit one on-target from 10 yards out, but the UW keeper, Jordyn Bloomer, was there for the save.
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The Pilots looked like the better team for much of the second half, as they controlled possession for long stretches, created a handful of quality chances, and attempted the first two shots after the break. In the 61st minute, Kimberly Hazlett played a perfect through ball to Larkin Russell, who drove a shot towards the near post from 12 yards out. The attempt was saved by Bloomer as Wisconsin preserved their 2-0 edge.
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The Badgers finished with a slight 8-7 advantage in shots, and both Bloomer and Portland's Rachel Lusby collected three saves for the game. Lusby came through with a big-time stop in the 22nd minute when she denied Dani Rhodes from point-blank range in a 1-v-1 opportunity.
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Next week the Pilots return to Merlo Field to host the 2018 Nike Portland Invitational, which begins on Friday night with a 7 p.m. match against UC Irvine. Sunday brings a 1:30 p.m. game with Utah Valley, and both days feature a double header with the Washington Huskies playing first.