The Milwaukee women's soccer team continues the longest homestand since 2008 with a pair of non-conference contests this week, welcoming Western Illinois and Marquette to Engelmann Stadium as the five-game stop at home carries on. The Panthers are back up to No. 6 in this week's United Soccer Coaches North Regional poll after topping regionally-ranked Butler last week.

Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ (fees apply) with Matt Menzl on the call, while both will also have live statistics for fans to follow along with the action. All links are on the Milwaukee website. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Thursday against the Leathernecks and 7 p.m. Sunday in the matchup with the Golden Eagles under the lights. Thursday is also "Girl Scout Night" with the Panthers. For just $5, girl scouts can get a ticket, a hotdog and a patch.

The series against Marquette remains one of the most evenly-contested non-conference matchups in the record book. With a 1-0 victory last fall (which also snapped MKE's historic 23-0-4 unbeaten streak at 27 games), the Golden Eagles moved ahead slightly at 10-9-8. The past six matchups have produced a dead-even 2-2-2 record, with a 2-1 victory in 2017 the most recent decision to go in Milwaukee's favor.

The Panthers are a perfect 6-0-0 all-time against WIU and had yet to allow a goal in the series prior to 2018 (now 31-1 cumulative total since the series started in 1997). Also included in those results is a 16-0 decision back in 1997 that stands as the most goals scored in a game in school history. A year ago, Milwaukee claimed a 3-1 win on the road.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
WESTERN ILLINOIS: The Leathernecks are coming off a 3-14-1 campaign a season ago, picked to finish ninth in the Summit League this year. Lauryn Peters was named a Summit League Player to Watch, one of 14 returners to the field for WIU in 2019. In addition, the squad lost just two starters, using that experience to already post two wins (2-1 over Missouri State Aug. 23 and 2-1 against UIC Sept. 5) as part of a 2-2-1 opening to the season. Amy Andrews leads the offense with six points, three goals and 13 shots. In net, Ines Palmiero Herrera has played all 470 minutes, posting a save percentage of .800 and a 1.15 goals-against average.

MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles are coming off a 2018 campaign that saw them go 4-11-3 overall and 2-5-2 in Big East play. Katrina Wetherell was named to the 2019 Preseason All-Big East Conference Team, with the women picked to finish eighth in the league's annual preseason survey of head coaches. Markus Roeders enters season No. 24 with an all-time win-loss mark of 319-137-50 to his credit.

The squad will enter play Sunday at 2-4, with a 5-1 loss at Utah State in their most recent outing snapping what was a two-game winning streak. The team has three goals in six games, netted by Emily Hess, Kylie Sprecher and Josie Kelderman. Maddy Henry has a save percentage of .813 and a 1.45 GAA in six games spanning 559:36 on the clock.

OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
Back-line defender Gaby Schwartz is enjoying a breakout campaign on the offensive side of the ball, currently sitting in second place in the Horizon League with 10 points (3G/4A). It's already a career-high for Schwartz, topping the six points (all on assists) that she recorded over her first two years with the Panthers. She was named the Horizon League "Offensive" Player of the Week Sept. 9, following a stretch where she netted back-to-back game-winners against Eastern Illinois and Butler, as well as three assists on the other six MKE goals in the pair of outings. Not only is the award is the first of Schwartz's career, it is also the first time an MKE defender has claimed the offensive side of the award since Amy Kauffung in August of 2012.

EMBRACE THE BRACE
Last year, the Panthers had two games in which a season-high two goals were scored by the same player. Fast-forward to this season and, not only has it happened already (in game three, no less), but it was first  accomplished by one of the two players who pulled off the feat last fall. In 2018, both McKaela Schmelzer (UIC Sept. 22) and Jelena Sever (Western Illinois Sept. 7) found the back of the net twice in a game. Sever was up to the challenge again against Indiana State Aug. 30, lighting up the scoreboard in the 50th minute on a free kick and again in the 60th minute when she left her feet to stop a serve into the front of goal, popped back up and slotted the ball past the keeper all in one motion.

Add Haley Johnson to the list, recording her first multi-goal game of her collegiate career against Eastern Illinois Sept. 6, finding the back of the net in the fourth and 57th minutes.

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers improved to 13-14-3 all-time in season openers (8-11-2 in season openers on the road) following their 2-1 win over DePaul Aug. 22. That improves the squad to 4-2-2 in the past eight season openers, with Troy Fabiano improving to an unbeaten 4-0-1 in his five years at the helm. In addition, the Panthers moved to 17-11-2 in home openers following their 3-1 win over Northern Illinois Aug. 25. A season ago, MKE opened the campaign with a 3-0 victory over NIU at home.

STEPPING UP
Redshirt sophomore Allie Strottman made the most of her opportunity after getting the start in the season opener at DePaul Aug. 22. After appearing in just a pair of games as a freshman a year ago, she continued to make save after save against the Blue Demons, including three key stops in the final 10 minutes of regulation to preserve the one-goal victory. In all, she totaled 11 saves, the first Panther to record 10-or-more in a game in just under three years (last to do it was Mallory Geurts with 11 against Iowa State on Sept. 11, 2016). In fact, it's just the fifth time in the past 10 years and only the 15th such occurrence in program history - and the first time it was done in regulation since 2003. The school record is 16 by Abbey White back in 1994 (at Arizona).

List of most recent 10-or-more saves performances:
8/22/19: Allie Strottman at DePaul (11)
9/11/16: Mallory Geurts vs. Iowa State (11/OT)
11/2/12: Jamie Forbes vs. Loyola Chicago (11/2OT)
9/8/10: Leslie Deebach at Marquette (11/2OT)
9/12/03: Kerri St. Aubin at #3 UCLA (11)

SETTING THE TONE
Milwaukee continued its recent trend of picking up wins after getting on the board first. The Panthers went a perfect 16-0 when finding the back of the net first in 2018, which included a 9-0 mark when leading at halftime. That now improves the squad to 35-0 the past two-plus seasons after getting the first goal of a game. They are also 30-0-4 when outshooting their opponent in that same span, getting outshot just nine times over the two-plus year stretch.

THE BEAT GOES ON
The Panthers may have had their overall unbeaten streak (at a Horizon League and school-record total of 27 [23-0-4])come to an end in the early portion of the 2018 campaign, but the following two streaks remain active for the Panthers as the 2019 season rolls on.
**25 games unbeaten at home in regular-season play (23-0-2)
--Last regular-season loss at home against Iowa State (1-0 in OT) on 9/11/2016
**24 games unbeaten overall in regular-season Horizon League play (22-0-2)
--Last regular-season loss against Valparaiso (2-1 in OT) on 9/28/2016

FAST STARTER
For the second year in a row, Haley Johnson has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week following Week One of the new season. She burst on the scene a year ago, assisting the game-winner in the 11th minute and scoring just 15 minutes into her debut against Northern Illinois. This season, the sophomore scored a goal in each game, the opening week helping the Panthers to a 2-1 victory over DePaul and a 3-1 win over NIU to open the season at 2-0.
 
She tallied the first goal of the game in both contests, also assisting the game-winner against NIU Aug. 25 to finish the week with a league-best five points (2G/1A).

EXHIBITION SEASON REWIND
Milwaukee played a pair of exhibition contests this year, splitting a pair of games against Purdue (a 1-0 loss that was scoreless until the final minutes) and Loyola Chicago (a 3-1 win against a Rambler team that was again picked as the favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll). The 1.00 GAA goalkeeping as a team was split between Elaina LaMacchia (0.54 GAA in 166 minutes) and Olivia Davies-McDaniel (1 GA in 13:47). Haley Johnson (1G/1A) and Mackenzie Schill (1G/1A) led the offense in scoring, with Johnson and McKenna Stratton each compiling a team-best four shots.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!
Milwaukee went 5-1-4 at home in Troy Fabiano's first season back in 2015. Since then, the Panthers have posted an impressive 28-3-4 ledger at Engelmann Stadium (an .857 winning percentage), with an unbeaten 9-0-1 run through 10 home outings a season ago.

PRESEASON POLL
Horizon League champions for a fourth season in a row after claiming an 18th regular-season title in the past 19 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 eight first-place votes and 90 points in the coaches' poll to claim the No. 1 spot.

2019 PRESEASON POLL
1. Milwaukee – 90 (8)
2. Northern Kentucky – 79
3. Cleveland State – 73 (2)
4. IUPUI – 64
5. Wright State – 61
6. Oakland – 59
7. UIC – 44
8. Detroit Mercy – 30
9. Youngstown State – 29
10. Green Bay – 16

TOP BILLING BY TOP DRAWER SOCCER
The Top Drawer Soccer website released its 2019 Horizon League preview and had this to say about who they thought was the top choice: "The chase for the conference crown has the potential to be wide open, considering the caliber of players that graduated. It would be surprising to look outside Milwaukee as the favorite". They also listed Haley Johnson and McKaela Schmelzer as "Key Players to Watch".

WELL-REPRESENTED
The Panthers had seven different players earn postseason honors last fall. Highlighting the way was Kelli Swenson repeating as Defensive Player of the Year, Haley Johnson being selected the Freshman of the Year and Troy Fabiano being named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row.

Swenson and Johnson were also honored with spots on the First-Team All-Horizon League, marking back-to-back seasons for Swenson. Three players were named to the Second-Team All-League, with Erin Corrigan, Lourdes Onwuemeka and McKaela Schmelzer representing the Panthers on the squad. Johnson was also tabbed for the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. She was joined on that list by classmates Elaina LaMacchia and Jelena Sever.

NEVER-ENDING RAISING OF THE BAR
Not only has Troy Fabiano picked up his fourth Horizon League Coach of the Year honors in his four seasons at the helm (also becoming the first conference coach to win four in a row since 1991-94), but his 56 victories are easily the most wins over the first four years of any coach in program history. The total easily outdistances the 45 recorded by Michael Moynihan over the course of his first four (13 in 1997, 10 in 1998 and 11 in 1999, 11 in 2000).

IS THIS GOOD? ... ASKING FOR A FRIEND
Let's be honest, the Panthers have been very good since the start of the 2017 campaign. How good? Well, at 32-2-5 (.885), they actually have the second-best winning percentage in the nation over that span heading into 2019. The only one higher is 2017 NCAA National Champion Stanford, who has a 45-2-2 (.939) ledger over the same time frame. No. 3 on that list is Duke at 39-6-3 (.875), with Georgetown (35-4-7/.837), UCLA (36-6-5/.819) and North Carolina (38-7-4/.816) making up the rest of the top six.

2019 YOUTH MOVEMENT
A big youth movement for the Panthers arrived in 2018 and will look to continue to grow this fall. Then-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 added to the list ... classmate Elaina LaMacchia was selected as Horizon League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 4. Prior to last fall, the last time a Milwaukee freshman claimed POW honors was in 2015. Sever marked the third one this year, joining LaMacchia and Haley Johnson.

THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR
Milwaukee recorded 1-0 victories in three of its last five contests to claim the Horizon League crown in 2018. That 1-0 scoreline has a familiar ring to it, as the team has been simply amazing in games featuring that final score recently. Since Troy Fabiano stepped on campus, the Panthers have played 22 games that ended 1-0 (either way). Their record? An impressive 17-5 in those pressure-packed outings.

BEYOND THEIR YEARS
This year's sophomore roster consists of three players who are truly battle-tested after their freshmen campaigns. The trio of Haley Johnson, Jelena Sever and Elaina LaMacchia were actually in the starting lineup for every one of the 19 games last season.

How rare is that for the Panthers? It has happened just 15 times in program history, with the last time one freshman started every game for the entire year was back in 2016 - when McKaela Schmelzer had her name called 20 times. The only other time it was three players was 1994.

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 of last season. 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)

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 four seasons as well as 18 of the past 19 titles overall. In fact, under the watch of Troy Fabiano, the team went a sparkling 32-1-3 over the past four campaigns in regular-season conference play.

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
There will once again be plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression in 2019. A season ago, 17 of the 32 players on the roster were making their MKE debuts (12 true freshmen and a trio of redshirt freshmen in addition to two transfers). This year, 13 of the 32 student-athletes will be appearing in a Panther uniform for the first time (10 true freshmen and a pair of redshirt freshmen in addition to one transfer). Newcomers earned 57 total starts last campaign, with Haley Johnson going on to earn Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors. Jelena Sever and Elaina LaMacchia joined her on the league all-freshman team.

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 home games (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 team closes out the five-game homestand with the Horizon League opener, hosting Detroit Mercy Friday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Engelmann Stadium.