The outcome may not have been the win that the UW women's soccer team was looking for to kick off its Big Ten schedule, but Coach Paula Wilkins was nonetheless enthused by her young team's performance in a 2-1 loss Friday night against No. 17 Illinois.

Wilkins focused on the team's second-half performance as the reason for her excitement.

Trailing 2-0 at the half, Wilkins preached confidence to her team in the halftime message, telling them that they "gotta believe it's gonna happen." Acknowledging that her youthful squad may have been jittery at the start, she told them to "focus on the things they do well."

The words of encouragement must have eased the nerves of her players, because Wilkins' Badgers came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. Pressuring the Illini into an early turnover, Stephanie Krombach capitalized on a laser from 25 yards out to pull the Badgers within one just 32 seconds into the half.

With newfound confidence, the Badgers continued to push the issue. The Badger defense, which at times seemed challenged by Illinois' speed in the first half, stepped it up and for the most part held the Illini attack at bay. The Badger offense challenged Illini defenders and maintained ball control for much of the half, but didn't have an answer for Illinois goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka.

Chances by Badgers freshman Laurie Nosbusch and leading goal scorer Taylor Walsh were all for naught as Kapicka and the veteran Illinois defense made the plays necessary to keep Wisconsin out of the net.

Acknowledging the opportunities to tie the game, Wilkins again emphasized her team's effort and focused on the positive.

"The good thing is we were creating chances," Wilkins said. "Laurie had those chances, and while we may not have capitalized, it's a good thing."