• The Panthers return eight starters from last year's championship squad, including league player of the year and tournament MVP Kelly Lewers. All-league first-teamers Krissy Dorre and Kelsey Holbert also return, along with second-teamer Amy Kauffung; as well as Paige Lincicum and Kelly Manski from the all-freshman team.

• Tennessee kicks off its 2014 season after an 8-7-4 record a season ago. The Volunteers started the year 5-2-1 before a tough conference slate saw them finish 10th in the SEC standings.

• Oregon is coming of a 4-12-3 season and plays Wisconsin in the four-team tournament Friday before taking on UWM on Sunday.

• Milwaukee is 12-15-3 all time in season openers.

What's New?
The Panthers won their school-record sixth-straight Horizon League Tournament crown last season to advance to the NCAA Tournament for a school-record sixth-straight time. UWM has won eight of its final 10 matches to close out the season with a 10-9-1 record overall.

Early Indicators
Milwaukee had two exhibition matches on its schedule this season and, if those results are any indication of how the season will go, it's going to be a good year for the Panthers.

In its opener with Drake, UWM claimed a 2-1, come-from-behind win. A total of 24 players saw the field and both goals were scored by freshmen, with three newcomers tallying points in their first-ever time wearing the Black and Gold.

Then, in its annual matchup with the alumni, the current Panther squad put on a show with a 9-0 victory. Five different players scored in the lop-sided affair, including a hat trick from senior Vienna Behnke.

About Tennessee
The Volunteers had a promising start to the season in 2013 before a tough conference schedule saw them finish 10th overall in the SEC standings.

UT graduated quite a bit of its offensive production with just 10 of its 25 goals returning this season. One big bright spot for Tennessee is that Hannah Wilkinson is back for her senior season. The forward netted 13 goals the past two seasons at UT and has also competed in the 2011 FIFA World Cup, 2012 U-20 World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics for her home nation of New Zealand.

About Oregon
Oregon struggled in 2013, failing to win back-to-back games during a 4-12-3 season - the first under the guidance of Kat Mertz as head coach. In fact, all four of the Duck's victories came at home, going 0-6-0 on the road.

The cupboard certainly isn't bare for Mertz though, as all seven goal-scorers from last season return for the Green and Gold this year. Bri Pugh was second on the team with six points (two goals, two assists) and was selected to train with the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team.

Series Notes
There is not a lot of history between Milwaukee and its two season-opening opponents. In fact, the Panthers and Ducks will square off for the first time in UWM's 31-year history, while this marks just the second time Milwaukee and Tennessee have faced each other. The first time came when UWM took down the Volunteers, 3-0, back in 2000 at Engelmann Stadium as part of the Milwaukee Cup.

Back In Black (& Gold)
The Panthers return eight of their starters from last year's roster and appear to be ready for another successful year on the field. Eight seniors headline the squad this season, including last year's Horizon League Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Tourament MVP Kelly Lewers. All-league first-teamers Krissy Dorre and Kelsey Holbert join Lewers on the attack, while second-teamer Amy Kauffung and all-freshman honorees Paige Lincicum and Kelly Manski also return for the Black and Gold this season.

Engelmann Elite
Milwaukee has always had a rich tradition of large home crowds and last season was certainly no different. Despite only having nine home games on their schedule last year, that didn't stopped the fans from coming out and packing Engelmann Stadium. 4,794 fans went through the turnstiles for Panther home games last year for an average of 533 per game, the second-highest average in program history. Last year also marked the fourth-highest fan turnout in a single season, with two of the highest attended games in program history, as well (Aug. 30 vs. Indiana, second-highest; Sept. 23 vs Marquette, fifth-highest).

Champions!
For the 14th-straight year, Milwaukee was crowned league regular season champions. That streak is now the longest active and the second-longest in NCAA Division I history, behind only Penn State's 15-straight Big Ten titles all-time, a streak that came to an end just last year.

Nice Numbers
Milwaukee was statistically dominate last year, putting up some impressive numbers along the way. The Panthers racked up a total of 20 goals in Horizon League-only matches, by far the most of any league team. Counting all games, Krissy Dorre topped the league goal-scoring chart with 10 and Kelly Lewers was right behind with nine. Dorre also led the league in points per game and also was the only player to record three assists in one game and is one of two league players to score a hat trick last year. Lewers was also the league leader in game-winning goals (4) and the Panthers as a team were tops in assists (36) and assists per game (1.8).

So Far, So Great
In just his third year at the helm of the program, head coach Greg Henschel has already twice guided the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament. He now is the only coach in the department's Division I history to guide its team to the NCAA Tournament in both of his first two seasons. Previously, he was one of three coaches to achieve that feat in just his first year, joining former women's soccer coach Michael Moynihan (1997) and current men's basketball coach Rob Jeter (2006) before Henschel again reached the NCAAs again last season.

What They're Saying
A look around the college soccer preseason polls shows there are plenty of expectations on this year's Panther squad. "College Sports Madness" announced its Preseason All-Horizon League teams with Milwaukee topping every group. Kelly Lewers, Krissy Dorre, Kelsey Holbert and Amy Kauffung were also first-team selections. Head coach Greg Henschel was tabbed as coach of the year, while newcomer Aubrey Krahn was selected as freshman of the year and Lewers was picked to repeat her offensive player of the year status.

All White Kit also selected UWM as its Horizon League favorite, saying it should be business as usual for the Panthers this season and adding "the Panthers should still walk away with more silverware in 2014."

Panthers Picked First In Preseason Poll
For the 14th time in the last 15 years, Milwaukee checked into the preseason coaches' poll at the top of the table. The Panthers received six of the nine first-place votes and collected 62 points overall. Oakland gathered two first-place votes and was picked second (51 points), while Wright State garnered one first-place nod and was picked third (50 points). Last year marked the first time in recent history that Milwaukee came in anywhere other than the top of the preseason poll, being picked third. That season, UWM went on to win its 14th-straight regular-season league title and sixth-straight league tournament crown.

The Mighty 300
Both the Milwaukee women's soccer team and its head coach Greg Henschel notched milestone wins over the course of last year's busy season. With a 2-1 win over Illinois State midway through last year, Henschel reached the 300th win in his coaching history. Then, the Panther team logged its 300th win in program history with a 2-0 blanking of Green Bay in late October to give UWM its second milestone moment just six games apart.

Fresh Faces
Nine true freshman join the collegiate ranks this year on the Milwaukee roster. Cassidy Blanchard, Erin Corrigan, Jen Eberhardy, Aubrey Krahn, Emily Senger, Sydney Senn, Anna Smalley, Maddie Tetzke and Olivia Wright all are set for their first season with UWM after dominating at the high school level. Plus, two more Panthers are set for action after sitting out last year. Anny West redshirted last year and had four years left on the Eastside, while Ashley Burkhardt will be a sophomore after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Catch All The Action And More
For the fourth-straight season, all the Panther home games will be webcast live and free on the Horizon League Network. In fact, beginning with the team's home opener against Boston College, every game from Engelmann Stadium will be featured on HLN.

In addition to live events, features, highlights and interviews are available at the Black & Gold Network - the department's official YouTube channel. Be sure to check in with BGN for the latest news and action surrounding Milwaukee women's soccer.

Up Next
Milwaukee continues its early-season road games with a trip to the East Coast. The Panthers will travel to Columbia, S.C. next weekend for a tournament hosted by South Carolina University. UWM will take on the College of Charleston Friday at 3 p.m. before a Sunday 1:30 matchup against the host Gamecocks.