Erin Jacobsen scored with 55 seconds left Monday to give the University of Wisconsin women's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Northwestern and clinch third place in the Big Ten Conference.

Jacobsen turned and fired from 30 yards out as the Badgers (9-5-5, 5-1-4 Big Ten) closed the regular season on a seven-match unbeaten streak and secured third place in the conference, the program's best finish since 2000.

UW bolstered its candidacy for an NCAA tournament bid, which would be the first for the program since 2005. The bracket will be announced Nov. 9 live on ESPN News, starting at 7 p.m.

Northwestern (6-10-2, 3-5-1) offered a stiff challenge in a match that featured 21 fouls. The teams went 66 scoreless minutes before Jacobsen's goal, her second game-winning tally of the season

"I thought Northwestern did a great job," Wisconsin coach Paula Wilkins said. "The game could have gone either way; Northwestern played us hard all over the field. Our players keep finding ways to win games. This young group keeps figuring it out and I continue to be impressed with what they can do."

Paige Adams tallied her third goal of the season -- all in the last four games -- to put the Badgers on the board first. In the 14th minute, Laurie Nosbusch played the ball into the right side of the box and Adams beat Northwestern keeper Carolyn Edwards to the lower left to give the Badgers the 1-0 lead.

Northwestern responded with a goal by Alicia Herczeg in the 23rd minute of play. Caroline Dagley fed the ball to Herczeg, who put it past a diving Michele Dalton in the UW goal.

The first half played out evenly. Northwestern had five shots to Wisconsin's four, with each keeper picking up one save. After going the first half without a corner kick, the Badgers had five corners in the second half.

Dalton finished the outing with three saves and Edwards finished with two.

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