Updated: DeForest falls to Waunakee, gets revenge in win over Sauk Prairie

Wins rarely, if ever, come easy when the Waunakee Warriors and the DeForest Norskies girls’ soccer teams meet. Wednesday night was certainly no exception.

After a scoreless first half, Waunakee found its breakthrough in the 30 minutes, using a pair of timely second-half goals to lift the Warriors to a 2-0 shutout victory over the visiting Norskies on May 6.

At the 50:43 mark of the second half, the Warriors capitalized on a free kick opportunity when freshman defender Leea Wu struck a hard-hit shot beyond the outstretched hands of the Norskies’ goalkeeper to take a 1-0 lead.

Waunakee doubled its advantage at the 67:47 mark after sustained pressure from the Warriors’ attack forced a DeForest own goal.

While the goals speak for themselves, the Warriors’ defense was equally deserving of its flowers. That’s because the Warriors held the Norskies’ attack to zero shots and zero corner kicks.

“That’s a good day defensively,” Waunakee head coach Andy Moll said. “Positionally, organizationally, (we) were really good, smart with the ball, limited mistakes in the back, and just played with a lot of poise.”

But DeForest made a late push to make things interesting down the stretch.

With the game clock winding down, the Norskies had a chance at getting within one goal near the 78-minute mark.

DeForest earned an indirect free kick, and its head coach, Josh Howard, selected his senior captain, Marissa Titel, to take the set piece. In response, Waunakee collapsed its entire defense to pack the goal line, thus denying Titel a chance at cutting into the Norskies’ deficit.

While the ball ultimately didn’t find its way into the back of the net, Howard said he’d have his captain take that shot 10 out of 10 times — with zero hesitation.

“If I were to do it again, I’d put her on the ball again,” Howard said.

Titel is one of just three seniors on this year’s DeForest team. Her leadership and flexibility on the field have been instrumental in guiding the youthful Norskies throughout its 2026 spring campaign.

“I can put her anywhere and know that she’s gonna give everything, and she’s gonna be successful at it,” Howard said.

With the Waunakee victory, the Warriors moved into sole possession of second place in the Badger-Large Conference at 4-1.

For Waunakee, the Warriors have faced a grueling, seemingly never-forgiving schedule. 10 games into the season, they’ve already squared off against the likes of state-ranked foes in Divine Savior Holy Angels (DSHA), Oregon and Verona.

But Andy Moll knows this is all by design. It’s all a part of the process, with the goal of preparing the team to play its best brand of soccer deep into June.

“Along the way, we’re gonna have some bumps, and we’re gonna have some setbacks here and there, but I think the experience they gain playing at that level is going to pay off in the long run,” Coach Moll said.

As for DeForest, the Norskies fall to 3-1-1 in the Badger-Large Conference, moving into a two-way tie for third place. Wednesday evening marked the first time since April 18 — six games ago — that the Norskies’ defense allowed a goal.

Norskies’ Senior goalkeeper Alice Viklund had four saves, while freshman Kobi Burdick had eight, combining for 12 total saves on the evening.

DeForest gets its revenge

Despite the loss to Waunakee on Wednesday, DeForest didn’t have much time to hang its head, hosting Sauk Prairie on Friday, May 8.

It was a game DeForest had circled for many reasons.

Sauk Prairie — ranked No. 7 in the latest Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association (WSCA) Division 2 Poll — defeated DeForest 1-0 in overtime in the sectional finals of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) State Tournament last season. It put an end to the deepest postseason run in program history.

But this time around, DeForest got its revenge, defeating Sauk Prairie 1-0.

At the 61-minute mark, Norskies’ Marissa Titel scored a goal inside the left corner off a throw-in from freshman Allison Rusch.

It was the only goal DeForest needed to get its revenge and get back into the win column.

Sauk Prairie is a team that presents plenty of unique challenges. Namely, they boast a defense that likes to pack it in tight, Coach Howard said.

That meant one thing: DeForest had to adjust, and they had to do so many times.

“I thought our team did very well adjusting throughout the game,” Howard said. “Moving some players around, trying to find opportunities where we can get in and behind their defenders to put some pressure on their back line.”

With a goal in its back pocket, the Norskies lead on its defense to seal the deal Friday evening.

Coach Howard had one word to describe its defense: Fantastic.

“It was a great win,” he added. “Excited for the girls. The girls were ecstatic...I was very proud of them.”

Up next for DeForest Soccer

DeForest returned to action on the pitch on Tuesday, May 12, losing 4-0 to No. 7-ranked Oregon. DeForest will continue its road stretch with a visit to No. 5 McFarland on Friday, May 15, at 7 pm.