A two-game road swing for the Milwaukee women's soccer team will go a long ways in setting the stage for a potential fourth straight Horizon League regular-season title this week. The Panthers hit the road to take on IUPUI and Northern Kentucky, two teams who have been battling it out for the top spot over the past few seasons with Milwaukee.

Wednesday's action gets underway at 3 p.m. CST against the Jaguars before seeing a 12 p.m. CST kickoff Saturday against the Norse. Both games will have live streams on ESPN3 and live statistics available. All links have been posted to the MKE website.

The Panthers and IUPUI had never met in a women's soccer game prior to last season. Game one during the regular season was a 6-0 blowout win for the Panthers. Game two was a heartbreaker, with the Jaguars getting 17 saves from Sophia Lipka to advance on PK's in the Horizon League Tournament championship following a 0-0 draw in regulation and overtime.

The brief all-time series against NKU is tied at 1-1-2 following a 1-1 draw at Engelmann Stadium a year ago. The Norse also upset the Panthers, 3-2, in the Horizon League Tournament Championship in 2016.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
IUPUI: The Jaguars went 14-6-3 overall last season and 6-2-1 in Horizon League play. They also upset the No. 1 seed in claiming the league tournament title and went on to appear in the NCAA Tournament (falling to Notre Dame, 5-0). Headlining a group of key returners is Sophia Lipka, the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017, and Valentine Pursey. Pursey recorded 29 points on season ago (13G/3A) to pace the offense.

This season, the squad was picked second in the league preseason poll but have not lived up to expectations. A 1-4-2 start to the season has been tough to overcome. The team did post three shutouts in a row in conference play at the end of September, but have dropped 1-0 decisions in their most recent outings against Northern Kentucky (Oct. 6) and Wright State (Oct. 13). Miranda Ricks leads the offense with 11 points (2G/7A). Lipka has been strong in net, posting an .811 save percentage and 1.11 goals-against average.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY: The Norse fell from the ranks of the Horizon League unbeaten last week, falling 2-1 to Cleveland State to start the week at 4-1-1 in league play and 8-4-1 overall. Three players have recorded 10-or-more points, led by Shawna Zaken (5G/4A/14 points). Emily Soltes and Samanta Duwel are both right behind with 13 points each (both 4G/5A). In net, Emily Lohmann has played all 1,200-plus minutes, posting a league-best six shutouts along with a .789 save percentage and 0.89 GAA.

Head coach Bob Sheehan is in his 22nd season, going 306-100-28 in his first 21 years at the helm. A year ago the Norse went 9-6-2, which included a 6-1-2 ledger in league play, eventually falling in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals.

COMING RIGHT DOWN TO IT
Milwaukee sits atop the Horizon League standings as we head down the stretch at a perfect 6-0, but a trio of teams are close behind. Cleveland State, a team picked fifth in the preseason poll, continues its unprecedented league campaign, and heads into the week at 5-0-1 after knocking off Northern Kentucky Oct. 13. The Norse currently sit third at 4-1-1, tied with Wright State.

HER TURN
Playing defense makes it tougher to score goals ... and missing a season-plus with injuries can easily compound that. So, it was thrilling to see Erin Corrigan score the first goal of her MKE career in the win over Eastern Illinois Aug. 24. She netted the eventual game-winner on a free kick, perfectly placing the approximately 30-yard attempt into the corner of the net. She added another directly off a corner kick against Iowa State Sept. 9 and a second off a corner against Oakland Oct. 13.

CLASS IS IN SESSION
Speaking of Erin Corrigan, the senior defender has taken over most corner-kick duties this season and been amazing - with the large majority of every point she has recorded coming as a result of the CK chances. In addition to the goal she scored at Iowa State, seven of her league-leading nine assists so far this season have come directly off corner opportunities - five on direct headers into the net. Corrigan starts the week seventh in the NCAA in total assists (leader has 11) and fifth in assists-per-game.

THE BEAT GOES ON
The Panthers may have had their overall unbeaten streak come to an end earlier this fall, but the following two streaks remain active for the Panthers.
**22 games unbeaten at home in regular-season play (20-0-2)
**21 games unbeaten overall in regular-season Horizon League play (19-0-2)

BEYOND THEIR YEARS
After accounting for just 18 total starts a season ago, the freshmen are making a statement in 2018. The trio of Haley Johnson, Jelena Sever and Elaina LaMacchia have been in the starting lineup all 13 games to date (39 total starts). In addition, Haley Steel and Rafferty Kugler have appeared in all 13 games, with Julia Barajas (11) and Taylor Hattori (12) also seeing action most every game.

Johnson not only continues to lead the Horizon League in scoring, but has gained some national attention as well. She currently sits at No. 48 in Top Drawer Soccer's "Top 100 Freshmen" across the country.

PICK YOUR POISON
In addition to having three of the top five point-scorers in the Horizon League and four total players with 10-or-more points, Milwaukee has some impressive depth up and down the lineup. Overall, 13 different players have recorded points and 11 different players have scored goals.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
Milwaukee saw its league and school record unbeaten streak come to an end at 27 games (23-0-4) following a tough 1-0 loss on Sept. 17. That more than doubled-up the former overall school record of 13, a mark set on three different occasions. Most recently it was the end of the 2015 season (7-0-3 to end the campaign, including a season-ending 1-1 draw against Wright State in the league semifinals), stretching into 2016 (another 2-0-1 for a 9-0-4 overall mark in the span). Those three marks included:
1. 23-0-4 (2017 into 2018)
2. 9-0-4 (end of 2015/start of 2016)
3. 12-0-1 (2006)
4. 10-0-3 (2005)

The team also broke the conference record of 24, set in 1994 when Notre Dame was part of the league and went 23-1-1, losing only in the NCAA Championship that fall. The mark finds a place in the history books as well, going down as the 12th-longest unbeaten streak in NCAA history. No. 1 on that list? A whopping 103 in a row by North Carolina, which was followed up by a streak of 101 more by the Tarheels the very next week in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

An in-depth look at the streak - which lasted 681 days - showed the following:
**Went 31 games unbeaten in regular-season play (28-0-3)
**Went 15 games unbeaten on the road (14-0-1)

BIG-TIME SWENSON STUFF
Kelli Swenson was announced as a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award® in NCAA Division I soccer Sept. 19. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Swenson is one of just 30 final candidates on the women's side and the only member of the Horizon League on the list.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Milwaukee continues to pace the offensive and defensive leaderboards in nearly all categories across the Horizon League. The Panthers continue to lead the way in points with 98 (second has 76; Panthers are also currently 22nd in total points and sixth in points-per-game in the NCAA), goals with 31 (second is 27) and assists with 36 (second with 28). In addition, the individual scoring list remains littered with Panthers as well. Haley Johnson continues to lead the league with 17 (5G/7A) points. Erin Corrigan (3G/9A) is now second with 15 and McKaela Schmelzer (5G/3A) is currently tied for fifth place with 13. Defensively, the squad leads the way in goals-against average (0.69/second is 0.89).

THOSE YOUNG 'UNS
The youth movement for the Panthers has arrived and is quickly coming together. Freshman Jelena Sever was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 10 after netting three goals - including both game-winners - for the Panthers. That just adds to the list ... sophomore Mackenzie Schill and freshman Elaina LaMacchia were selected as Horizon League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 4. Prior to this fall, the last time a Milwaukee freshman claimed POW honors was in 2015. Sever marks the third one this year, joining LaMacchia and Haley Johnson.

NOT TOO SHABBY
When it comes to Horizon League openers, the record is quite impressive all-time. Milwaukee has now gone 22-2-1 in opening action (since joining the league in 1994), with a string of 14 wins in a row from 1998 through 2011. The squad has victories in each of the past six as well, following a 1-0 win at YSU.

The Panthers have had a very long line of success when it comes to Horizon League play, claiming the regular-season title in each of the past three seasons as well as 17 of the past 18 titles overall. In fact, under the watch of Troy Fabiano, the team went a sparkling 23-1-3 over the past three campaigns in regular-season conference play.

PUT 'EM ON THE BALLOT
With the seven-game unbeaten start to the campaign, the Panthers continued to move up the United Soccer Coaches North Region Poll. The Week 5 version came out Sept. 18 and saw Milwaukee again check in at No. 4, up two spots from the week prior. The team also picked up nine votes in the national Top 25 poll in Week 4 before seeing six national votes in Week 5.

ALL HAIL THE NEW KID
Milwaukee freshman Haley Johnson did not wait long to make a great first impression, earning Nike Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors following her first collegiate contest. In the 3-0 win over Northern Illinois, Johnson assisted the game-winner in the 11th minute before striking for a goal of her own in the 16th minute. The last freshmen to earn league player of the week honors were Lourdes Onwuemeka in September of 2015 and Paige Lincicum at the end of the 2013 campaign. Johnson is the first MKE frosh to score in an opener since Sara Zawacki did so in 2012 and just the sixth newcomer to find the back of the net in the season opener all-time.

HOLD THE PHONE
Not to be outdone, classmate Elaina LaMacchia also achieved some lofty status, becoming just the fifth Milwaukee freshmen to record a shutout in her first collegiate start when she recorded three saves for the clean sheet against NIU. It was the first shutout for a freshmen in an opener since Jamie Forbes set a school record with four in a row to open the 2009 campaign. It also marked the fourth season in a row that the Panthers held their opponents out of the net (2017: 0-0 vs. Akron/2016: 1-0 over Akron/2015: 1-0 over Western Illinois).

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers opened the season at Engelmann Stadium with a 3-0 win over Northern Illinois to improve to an all-time record of 12-14-3 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level and a tally of 16-11-2 in home openers. The team has gone 3-2-2 in season openers the past seven years, with a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois in Troy Fabiano's debut in 2015 snapping a three-game stretch without a victory (Fabiano himself is now 3-0-1). A season ago, MKE opened the campaign with a 0-0 double-OT draw at Akron.

EXHIBITION SEASON REWIND
Milwaukee played a pair of exhibition contests this year, recording shutout victories against Loyola Chicago (3-0 August 7 against a team picked as the favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll) and Northern Iowa (1-0 August 11). The 0.00 GAA goalkeeping was split evenly between Olivia Davies and Allie Strottman, while the four goals were all scored by newcomers (freshman Haley Johnson, freshman Jelena Sever twice and junior Chandler McDaniel).

LOOKING BACK ON AN UNPRECEDENTED ACCOMPLISHMENT
After having gone 16-0-4 in 2017 and finishing the season as the lone unbeaten team in the nation, a look back at some of the accomplishments is quite impressive:
*No. 2 in the nation in goals-against average at 0.285 (Rutgers was No. 1 at 0.267)
*No. 2 in the nation in total assists with 61
*No. 2 in the nation in assists-per-game
*No. 3 in the nation with 19.8 shots-per-game
*No. 3 in the nation in save percentage at .908
*No. 3 in the nation in W-L-T percentage at .900
*No. 6 in the nation in total points with 151

Milwaukee became the first Horizon League team to ever finish a full season without a loss. The other close calls it topped were both by Notre Dame: the 1994 season (23-1-1) and the 1993 campaign (19-2-0).

INTERNET HYPE
The women's college soccer blog AllWhiteKit.com picked the Panthers to win the 2018 Horizon League title. The conference preview article labeled Lourdes Onwuemeka as "one of the league's breakout players last season" and "vital in keeping the Panthers scoring after netting six goals and nine assists last year". It goes on to target midfielder McKaela Schmelzer as a "vital figure this year after a solid sophomore season with six goals and six assists". Other observations included "a bigger role for last year's super sub du jour, Mackenzie Schill, as the sophomore started zero games but scored seven goals" and "a big wild card could be Fort Wayne transfer Jessica Schoenfeldt, who was something of a big fish in a tiny pond in 2017 but who could be a big part in ensuring the Panthers don't skip a beat in 2018".

NATIONAL PRESEASON PUB
When the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll came out in early August, Milwaukee saw itself receiving votes. That marked just the second time in program history for that accomplishment in the preseason, along with the initial poll of 2012. That poll followed a 2011 campaign where the squad finished 19-3-0 and No. 23 in the country. Milwaukee spent the bulk of the 2011 season ranked, cracking the Top-10 in the NSCAA poll for the first time ever, peaking at No. 9 in the Soccer America rankings.

TOP BILLING BY TOP DRAWER SOCCER
The Top Drawer Soccer website released its 2018 Horizon League preview and had this to say about who they thought was the top choice: "Last year's regular season crown marked the third straight year Milwaukee ruled the campaign, and it's certain that they enter the new season as the team to beat". They also listed Lourdes Onwuemeka and Kelli Swenson as "Key Players to Watch". In addition, Swenson was ranked No. 75 on the website's "Women's DI Top 100 Players to Watch".

PRESEASON POLL
Horizon League champions for a third season in a row after claiming a 17th regular-season title in the past 18 years last fall, the Milwaukee women's soccer team was picked by league coaches to again take first in the Horizon League regular season. The Panthers tallied five first-place votes and 87 points in the coaches' poll to claim the No. 1 spot.

2018 PRESEASON POLL
1. Milwaukee – 87 (5 first-place votes)
2. IUPUI – 80 (3)
3. Wright State – 72 (1)
4. Northern Kentucky – 69 (1)
5. Cleveland State – 66
6. UIC – 57
7. Oakland – 40
8. Detroit Mercy – 37
9. Youngstown State – 24
10. Green Bay – 18

SETTING THE TONE
Milwaukee was in control in nearly every game last season, scoring first (and early) on a regular basis. In fact, the Panthers went 14-0-0 when scoring first last year, 17-0-1 once they netted a second goal and 13-0-3 when outshooting the opponent.

The Panthers trailed for less than 15 total minutes (13:12) the entire regular season. After a comeback was needed in the semifinals of the postseason against Wright State, that number ended up at just 56:40. Based on 1,893:32 of total minutes on the overall campaign, that means that MKE trailed for just 2.9 percent of the total time (They were tied at 0-0 for a cumulative total of 757:07). WSU also became the first team to be ahead of Milwaukee on the scoreboard and it finally came in game No. 13. That 1-0 deficit lasted all of 50 seconds that day before it was tied again.

SETTING THE BAR HIGH
Not only has Troy Fabiano picked up his third Horizon League Coach of the Year honors in his three seasons at the helm, but his 40 victories are easily the most wins over the first three years of any coach in program history. The win total easily outdistances the 34 recorded by Michael Moynihan over the course of his first three seasons (13 in 1997, 10 in 1998 and 11 in 1999).

GOOD UP AND DOWN
One look at the team statistics following the conclusion of the 2017 campaign sees Milwaukee at the top of nearly every category across the Horizon League, whether you are looking at offensive or defensive statistics - most by overwhelming margins.

The potent MKE offense led the conference in points with 151 (second was 99), goals with 45 (second was 33), assists with 61 (second was 35) and shots with 19.8 per contest (15.0 was runner-up). Defensively, it was Milwaukee again leading the way in goals-against average at 0.29 (second was 1.08), fewest goals allowed at 6 (20) and shutouts at 14 (11).

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
There will once again be plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression in 2018. A season ago, 11 of the 30 players on the roster were making their MKE debuts. This year, 17 of the 32 student-athletes will be appearing in a Panther uniform for the first time (12 true freshmen and a trio of redshirt freshmen in addition to two transfers). Newcomers earned 18 total starts last campaign, with Taylor Tabbert accounting for all of them on her way to earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors. Mackenzie Schill joined her on the all-freshman team after appearing in all 20 games off the bench.

WELL-REPRESENTED
The Panthers had eight different players earn postseason honors. Highlighting the way was a program-best five first-team honorees, Kelli Swenson earning Defensive Player of the Year and Troy Fabiano being named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the third year in a row. The First-Team All-League members included a pair of second-time honorees in Anna Smalley and Cassidy Blanchard as well as Aubrey Krahn, Lourdes Onwuemeka and Swenson as first-time honorees. Mallory Geurts joined her teammates with second-team accolades and both Taylor Tabbert and Mackenzie Schill round out the list with an appearance on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

RANKINGS RISE IN 2017
With each passing week, the Panthers continued to make noise in the regional - and national - polls a year ago. The team started the 2017 season ranked No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Great Lakes Regional Poll. They moved to No. 12, No. 9, again at No. 9 (Week 4), then up to No. 6 (Week 5), then again holding steady there in Week 6. National votes for the Top 25 started to appear Week 4 (2), bumping up again in Week 5 (5) and again in Week 6 (11). Week 7 saw the Panthers at No. 9 in the region and with five votes in the national poll, while Week 8 sees a regional rise to No. 8 in addition to four national poll votes. Week 9 saw another rise, landing at No. 7 in the region to go along with 10 national votes. Again the bar was raised in Week 10, moving to sixth in the region and to 13 national votes, essentially sitting at No. 28 in the country.

RANKING RUNDOWN
Milwaukee topped Marquette, 2-1, September 17 last year to claim a win over a nationally-ranked opponent. The Golden Eagles came in at No. 19 and with an eight-game unbeaten streak of their own before MKE claimed the big victory. That marked the first defeat of a ranked opponent since knocking off then-No. 16 Missouri, 1-0, back on September 17, 2006 – 11 years to the date (Milwaukee had been 0-15-3 since and is now 3-33-6 all-time).

THIS GUY IS FAB-ULOUS
Troy Fabiano was named the eighth head coach in program history in early 2015 and brought with him a very impressive resume. In his 17 years at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Fabiano went 222-74-29, a winning percentage of over 75 percent. Fabiano guided Parkside to 16 consecutive winning seasons, eight NCAA Tournament appearances and five Great Lakes Valley Conference championships. He earned three GLVC Coach of the Year awards, and was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2008, 2010 and 2014. In his last season of 2014, the squad went 18-1-3 and earned a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16 before falling to the eventual national champion in overtime.

CATCH THEM ANYWHERE
Milwaukee women's soccer will be readily available for the viewing pleasure of MKE fans this season, as all but one home game (and nearly all conference road games) will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.

ESPN+, which will host the Horizon League women's soccer, men's soccer and volleyball championships this fall, offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time. Launched in April of 2018, ESPN+ is an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App.

ON TAP
The last week of the regular season will be upon us and the schedule has the potential for a winner-take-all clash for the Horizon League title if results go that way during the upcoming week. Milwaukee will host Cleveland State Oct. 26 in a game set to start at 7 p.m. That contest will also be "Senior Night".