Badgers' and Buckeyes' Upsets, Spartans' Ranked Showdown, and Women’s Soccer Weekend Previews

This weekend, 14 Big Ten teams take the field for more action, whether a featured matchup or an early-season tune-up. 

Badgers’ Big Statement  

The Wisconsin women's soccer team pulled off an impressive upset Wednesday night, knocking off No. 9 BYU 1-0 at McClimon Soccer Complex. The Badgers weathered a competitive first half before turning up the pressure in the second. The decisive moment came in the 80th minute — a penalty kick rebounded to Hailey Baumann, who buried it in the bottom-right corner. Goalkeeper Drew Stover sealed the shutout with four saves, as Wisconsin's defense held firm down the stretch to earn the program's first win of the 2026 season.  Read more from Wisconsin . 

Buckeyes’ Ranked Win 

No. 19 Ohio State recorded its second shutout in as many games this season with a 1-0 victory over No. 12 Kansas. Captain Amanda Schlueter, who led the Buckeyes with a career-high 11 goals last season, scored her first of the 2026 season to provide the difference. In the 40^th minute, Schlueter forced a turnover deep in Jayhawk territory and buried a right-footed shot into the back of the net. Peighton Northrup made six saves to notch the clean sheet.  More from Ohio State .  

Weekend Matches to Watch (Aug 22–23): 

Headlining the slate is a blockbuster non-conference showdown in Chapel Hill, as No. 5 Michigan State — the Big Ten’s highest-ranked team — travels to a face national powerhouse in No. 7 North Carolina at Dorrance Field (Aug. 23, 1:00 p.m. ET). Coming off back-to-back strong seasons, Jeff Hosler’s Spartans get an elite-level litmus test on the road against the 23-time national champions. 

Michigan State will lean on key offensive playmakers like senior forward Kennedy Bell and senior midfielder Emerson Sargeant to spark the attack, along with Kayla Briggs, who has scored in each game so far. They’ll be tested by a reloaded Tar Heels squad featuring dynamic U.S. Youth National Team talent in defender Aven Alvarez, defender Hope Munson, and forward Sealey Strawn. Facing UNC in Chapel Hill means the Spartans will have to be disciplined along the back line as they look to pull off a major early-season statement. 

From high-stakes top-25 tests to vital regional road trips, here are some of the other key matchups across the Big Ten this weekend. 

• Following back-to-back road draws to start the campaign, Dave DiIanni seeks his first victory as Michigan head coach in the Wolverines’ home opener against Xavier, who comes in at 1-1 after a 3-0 shutout win over Miami (OH). 
• After earning a tough  1-1 draw against No. 8 Notre Dame , Nebraska welcomes in the No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide for a marquee non-conference matchup on Sunday for the second of two ranked matchups in Lincoln.  
• USC heads East to Provo to face No. 9 BYU on Saturday night. The Trojans will look to hand the Cougars — coming off their loss to Wisconsin — their second loss of the season. 
• Lying just outside of the top 25, Iowa travels to North Carolina to face off against UNC Greensboro. The Hawkeyes started the season at a blistering pace with 7-0 and 5-0 wins over Milwaukee and Loyola Chicago, before falling 2-0 to Wake Forest. 
• Maryland opened the season with two wins in College Park, and this weekend, the Terrapins go to Blacksburg to face ACC opponent Virginia Tech. 

Check out the full schedule  for all the upcoming action. 

Photo via  uwbadgers.com .