As the Horizon League schedule nears the midway point, the Milwaukee women's soccer team looks to stay at the top of the standings with a pair of matches this week. The Panthers start the day at 5-0, one of three teams in the conference currently unbeaten (Northern Kentucky is 5-0 and Oakland is 4-0-1). They also remain the highest-scoring team in the land - first in scoring offense at 4.0 goals per game and first with 146 total points - and will hit the road Thursday to battle IUPUI before returning to Engelmann Stadium Sunday to host UIC.

Both games this week will stream live on ESPN+ and have live statistics available. Thursday will get underway at 5 p.m. CST, while the team closes out the weekend with a 1 p.m. start Sunday. Matt Menzl will be on the call against the Flames and all links are available on the MKE website.

Milwaukee is now 4-1-1 all-time against IUPUI, with all games coming since the Jags joined the Horizon League. All four contests prior to a 1-0 loss this past spring (March 3) had been shutouts by the MKE defense, with the Panthers now holding a 13-1 goal differential in the all-time series. The most recent matchup came in the Horizon League Tournament last season - a dominant 3-0 win for the Panthers.

MKE holds an unblemished 7-0 mark in the all-time series with UIC, which includes a 3-0 mark at home. The past two victories have come via shutout, including a 2-0 decision the last time these two teams squared off (11/10/19). The goal differential in this series favors Milwaukee heavily with a 23-4 tally.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
IUPUI: The Jaguars are coming off a 5-2-2 mark in the spring 2020 slate, seeing their season end in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals at the hands of Milwaukee by a score of 3-0. This fall, IUPUI has gone 2-9-1 and are off to just a 1-4 mark in conference play, falling to Oakland (2-1 Oct. 2) in most recent action. The squad was picked to finish fifth in the league preseason poll and head coach Chris Johnson is now in his 19th season on the IUPUI sidelines and owns a 133-166-42 mark with the Jaguars.

Offensively, Elizabeth Bueckers has powered the attack, scoring six of the team's 12 goals to lead with 13 points. Maya Lacognato (2G/2A) is next with six. AP Woodall is the team's No. 1 option in goal, having made nine starts with a 2.13 goals against average.

UIC: The Flames had high hopes for 2021, coming off back-to-back postseason appearances in league action. The team was picked fourth in the preseason poll after a 5-3-1 mark in that 2020 campaign. But things have not gone as expected for the Flames, starting the week with a 0-8-3 record that includes a 0-3-2 mark in conference action. The squad has played well defensively - allowing 1.54 gpg - but has found the net just three times in 11 games. Megan Bowman leads the offense with four points (2G) and 13 shots. In net, veteran keeper Lena Kurz has posted a .763 save percentage and 1.59 GAA.

Head coach David Nikolic is in his first season and yes, that name should be familiar to Panther fans. Nikolic was instrumental in building Milwaukee into a powerhouse. From 1994-2011, the Panthers amassed 225 total wins (.850 win percentage in league play) and won 12-straight league championships.

JUST KEEP SHOOTING
It may have taken double-overtime for Rachel Phillpotts to finally find the golden goal against Purdue Fort Wayne Oct. 2, but it wasn't for a lack of trying by the offense. The Panthers tallied an impressive 36 total shots, led by a team-high nine from Lesley Kiesling and seven more from Mackenzie Schill. That marks the most shots for the Panthers since accumulating 37 against Chicago State in September of 2016.
Recent high-water totals include:
37 vs. Chicago State, 9/14/16 (11-0 win)
36 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 10/2/21 (2-1 win in double-overtime)
36 vs. Cleveland State, 10/28/16 (6-1 win)
35 vs. Wright State, 11/2/17 (2-1 win in double-overtime)

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Jelena Sever became a national highlight when she established a new NCAA record for quickest goal to start a match in women's soccer history against Youngstown State Sept. 26, sending the opening kickoff into the net in just three seconds. That broke the WSOC DI standard of :04, which had been done in both 2009 (by Purdue) and 2006 (North Carolina). It got her the No. 4 spot on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays of the Day" and also garnered the "Play of the Day" on Good Morning America. The accompanying ESPN Instagram post has gone a bit viral and been liked over 644,000 times. The ESPN tweet has been viewed over 374,000 times and liked over 8,150 times as of today, totaling over 1,000,000 engagements between the two.

A look around all levels of NCAA soccer shows just where Sever's epic strike ranks, tying the all-time mark with the three seconds with men's NCAA DIII (set in 2016) and women's NCAA DII (also 2016). It is quicker than MSOC DI (:06 set in 2008), WSOC DIII (:06 in 2004), and MSOC DII (:04 in 1998).

It's the second time this season that Sever made the MKE all-time list, making her first entry 47 seconds into the victory over Eastern Kentucky Aug. 27 when she one-timed a cross from Natalie Auble into the back of the net early that afternoon. Sever also picked up Horizon League Player of the Week honors Sept. 7, following back-to-back games in which she netted the game-winning goal. It marked the fifth time she has won the honor in her career.

1.    0:03    9/26/21      Youngstown St.     Jelena Sever
2.    0:26    10/27/98      Loyola      Katie Waltenberger
3.    0:40    8/21/11      DePaul      Kelly Lewers
4.    0:41    9/30/94      Butler      Lisa Krzykowski
5.    0:44    9/28/16      Valparaiso      Anna Smalley
6.    0:47    8/27/21      Eastern Ky.      Jelena Sever

TALENTED TRIO
The Panthers start the week as the top offense in all of NCAA DI soccer (4.0 gpg) and have a trio of players that lead the way. Milwaukee has the top three goal scorers in the Horizon League in Lesley Kiesling (1st/8 goals), Mackenzie Schill (T-2nd/7 goals), and Jelena Sever (T-2nd/7 goals). The team also has five of the top six point scorers in the conference (Kiesling and Schill/1st/17, Gaby Schwartz and Kat Van Booven/T-4th/15, Sever/6th/14) and six of the Top 10, as Haley Johnson is 10th with eight.

PUTTING THE "O" IN OFFENSE
The Panthers have been quite impressive of late, and the back-to-back 7-0 victories over Cleveland State and Youngstown State to close September are actually unprecedented. Never before in program history had the team posted back-to-back games of seven-plus goals. In fact, a look back will show that the team had never even posted six-plus before and haven't gone for five goals in back-to-back games since the 1995 campaign (they did it twice that fall). Five-plus has been done just three times overall. The most recent occurrence was six against Wright State and five against Loyola Chicago at the end of September, 1995.

SHARING IS CARING
Not only does Gaby Schwartz lead the NATION in both total assists (15) and assists-per-game (1.36), but she now holds the MKE career record in that category after her pair of helpers against Youngstown State Sept. 26. In addition, she is looking to become the first Panther to lead the team in the category in three consecutive campaigns (Maria Stephans, Kate Megna, Amanda Winn, and Mara Thompson have done it twice) and is already the first to lead the league in back-to-back seasons. That career spot belonged to Kate Megna, who recorded 36 assists in her time with the Panthers from 2006 thru 2009.

Schwartz now stands No. 1 on the list.
1. Schwartz 38 (2016-2021)
2. Megna 36 (2006-09)
3. Three players tied at 26

The season record is also within reach:
1. Megna: 16 in 2009
2. Schwartz: 15
3. Five players with 12, most recently Erin Corrigan in 2018

She was also recently selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, a list that includes just 30 of the top candidates who excel both on and off the field across the NCAA Division I level. 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.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
Jelena Sever added another entry in the MKE record book already this fall, when she netted the game-winning goal in three consecutive matches against Eastern Kentucky, DePaul, and Illinois State. That gave her the second-longest streak in program history, trailing only the school mark of five straight established by Sarah Hagen in 2011. Her five GWG's on the season already stands tied for fifth on the single-season chart and leads the NCAA, but still trails Hagen's standard of 11 (also set in 2011) by a wide margin.

TOPS IN THE LAND (OR CLOSE!)
Five weeks after sitting in first place in 11 different NCAA categories, the Panthers continue to add to their run during the 2021 season. MKE again leads the nation in five different categories: scoring offense, total assists, total points, assists per game, and points per game, while also sitting in the Top 15 in six more.

First in the NCAA in:
Scoring Offense (4.0 gpg)
Total Assists (58)
Total Points (146)
Assists Per Game (5.3 apg)
Points Per Game (13.3 ppg)

Other high ranks include:
Total Goals (44/2nd)
Shots on Goal Per Game (12.1 SOGPG/2nd)
Shutout Percentage (.727/3rd)
Shots Per Game (22.4/4th)
Goals-Against Average (0.35/4th)
Win-Loss % (.909/5th)

In addition, Jelena Sever is still tied for the top spot in the NCAA with her five game-winning goals and Gaby Schwartz leads the nation in assists per-game (1.36 apg) and is first in total assists (15) as well, while Elaina LaMacchia is ninth with her 0.43 GAA and 28th with her .857 save percentage.

LOOK OUT FOR LESLEY
Lesley Kiesling was named Horizon League Player of the Week Sept. 27, coming after she scored twice in back-to-back wins over Cleveland State and Youngstown State. In doing so, she became the first MKE player to record back-to-back multi-goal outings since McKaela Schmelzer had two against both Oakland and IUPUI in October of 2017. That gives her three multi-goal outings this fall, the most since Sarah Hagen put together eight such games (1 of 3G/7 of 2G) in 2011.

Kiesling also put together one of the more impressive performances off the bench in recent time against Western Illinois Aug. 22, finishing the day with a pair of goals on six shots - with all six attempts on goal - in just 38 minutes of action. She netted her first goal a mere 96 seconds after subbing in and scored again just 5:05 later. She is the first Panther to score twice off the bench since Jelena Sever recorded a brace against Indiana State in a 2-0 win back in September of 2019.

AND KAT TOO!
Kat Van Booven was just as impressive, netting a pair of goals and adding an assist as the Panthers routed Eastern Kentucky Aug. 27. She recorded five shots, four of which were on goal, and did it all in just 40 minutes of playing time, scoring in the 77th and 86th minutes against the Colonels.

She added her second brace of the fall against Youngstown State Sept. 26, hitting the back of the net once in each half.

SPREAD THE WEALTH
One of the more impressive stats on the 2021 Panthers is the depth and balance of the team. The 42 goals have now been scored by 12 different players, while 18 total players have recorded points and five have 13-or-more. For comparison, 16 players recorded points all of last season and the last time MKE had more than 18 players record points was 2016 - when 22 players recorded goals or assists over the course of a 20-game schedule.

FULL SPEED AHEAD
Natalie Auble put together a spectacular debut against Northern Illinois in the opener, accounting for five points. She scored the second and third goals and then assisted the fourth, with her 2G/1A effort marking the best opening line since Sarah Hagen had same output against Michigan State back in a 3-2 win to open 2011.

She was rewarded with Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors for her efforts, the first time receiving the honor in her career. She was joined by Elaina LaMacchia, who picked up HL Defensive Player of the Week honors for the sixth time in her career. LaMacchia posted a pair of combined shutouts (both with Allie Strottman) against Northern Illinois and Western Illinois, accumulating 133:12 of shutout action with six total saves between the two matches.

BACK FOR MORE
Half of last year's senior class has taken advantage of the COVID-year of eligibility and is returning for an encore. The group of Rachel Phillpotts, Gaby Schwartz, and Mackenzie Schill has gone an impressive 58-6-7 overall (.866 winning percentage), including a stellar 31-1-3 (.929) in conference play (heading into 2021). They have claimed three Horizon League regular-season titles and gone to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. For perspective, half of their six overall losses in their span on campus have come in season-ending defeats in the NCAA Tournament.

SETTING THE TONE
Milwaukee continued its recent trend of picking up victories after getting on the board first. The Panthers went a perfect 9-0 when finding the back of the net first in 2020, which included a 7-0 mark when leading at halftime. That now improves the squad to 65-0 the past four-plus seasons (includes 2021 action) after getting the first goal of a game after a 17-0 ledger in 2019, 16-0 in 2018, and 14-0 in 2017. The last time the Panthers lost (or even tied) a match in which they scored first was the 2016 Horizon League Tournament title game against Northern Kentucky (Nov. 5, 2016), a contest they led 2-0 early before falling, 3-2. They are also 57-1-6 when outshooting their opponent in that same span, getting outshot just 14 times over the four-year stretch.

HOME SWEET HOME
After playing just three home games during the COVID-shortened season this past spring, the Panthers did something that was never done before: playing seven consecutive contests at Engelmann Stadium for the first time in program history. In fact, MKE did not play a road game until traveling to Pennsylvania to take on Robert Morris Sept. 19 - one full month after the season opener. Prior to this fall, the longest stretch of home games to OPEN a season was four, set in 2018. Also prior to this homestand, the longest of ANY kind during a campaign was five, occurring in 2019.

RECAPPING THE 2020 SPRING NCAA TRIP
The Panthers made their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 13th with the Horizon League's automatic berth this past spring. Milwaukee made previous tournament trips in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008-13, 2018, and 2019. The team has previously been sent to Minnesota (1997), Madison (2009/2019), Ann Arbor (2013), Santa Clara (2018), Notre Dame three times (2006, 2008, 2012) and across town to Marquette four times (2001-02, 2005, 2010). They also hosted their 2011 first-round match.

With the win over Elon, the team has now posted an all-time mark in the event of 2-14-2, also claiming a 3-0 victory over Illinois State at home in 2011 in addition to advancing to the second round following PK shootouts in both 2006 (T, 0-0 vs. Michigan/advance 5-3) and 2005 (T, 0-0 vs. Purdue/advance 6-5).

HOW THEY GOT THERE
The Panthers earned the Horizon League's automatic bid following a thrilling penalty-kick shootout after they played top-seeded Northern Kentucky to a 0-0 draw through regulation and two overtime periods. Horizon League Tournament MVP Elaina LaMacchia came up big in the PK round, making saves in rounds four and five to send Milwaukee to the title by a final score of 4-3. Although the game officially goes into the books as a tie, the Panthers advanced with the decision to claim the Horizon League Tournament championship, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and the 14th time in program history.

POSTSEASON SIX-PACK OF PANTHERS
Milwaukee landed six different players with postseason honors in 2020, highlighted by Rachel Phillpotts and Jelena Sever earning First-Team All-Horizon League honors. Earning second-team status was Mackenzie Schill, Taylor Hattori, and Elaina LaMacchia, with newcomer Clara Broecker picking up a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. In addition, three members of the team were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Team. Phillpotts was selected as a member of the First Team, with Sever and Natalie Auble earning a spot on the Second Team. The honors were career-firsts for each player and mark the first time since 2013 that the Panthers had three players earn all-region accolades.

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 58-6-7 (.866), they actually have the second-best winning percentage in the nation over that span heading into 2021. The only one higher is 2019 & 2017 NCAA National Champion Stanford, who has a 75-9-4 (.875) ledger over the same time frame. No. 3 on that list is North Carolina (80-11-5/.859), with Georgetown (60-9-12/.815), UCLA (67-12-9/.813), and Duke (60-15-14/.753) to follow.

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 46-6-4 ledger at Engelmann Stadium (an .857 winning percentage), including a perfect 11-0 run through home outings in the fall of 2019.

THE BEAT WENT ON FOR A LONG TIME
The Panthers ran into something they hadn't seen in a long time March 3, 2020, when they faced IUPUI ... a regular-season Horizon League loss. In fact, to put it in perspective, it had been 1,617 days since that last occurred, a 2-1 defeat in overtime to Valparaiso on Sept. 28, 2016. More impressively, just one player - redshirt senior Gaby Schwartz - was even on the roster at that point in time. Every other MKE player on the field was still unbeaten in their league careers up until that game against the Jaguars. That brings that epic streak to an end at 36 games, with the unbeaten streak in regular-season league play easily the best in Horizon League history (33-0-3). It also snapped Milwaukee's winning streak in home games during regular-season play at 31 (29-0-2), dating back to a 1-0 loss to Iowa State in overtime on Sept. 11, 2016. Both streaks were the second-longest of their kind in the nation and it only adds to the recent resume, joining the list with its overall unbeaten streak (at a Horizon League and school-record total of 27 [23-0-4]) that came to an end in the early portion of the 2018 campaign.

GETTING IN ON THE FUN
Not only did Elaina LaMacchia record her 19th career shutout against Wright State Feb. 24 last season, but she did something no MKE goalkeeper had done in nearly 15 years. She recorded the first assist for a Milwaukee keeper since Erin Kane in 2006 late in the match, when her goal kick was flicked downfield by a header from Haley Steel. The pass created a one-on-one opportunity for Natalie Auble, who netted her second goal of the season to cap the scoring at the 79:30 mark.

PRESEASON POLL
Milwaukee was picked by league coaches to again take first in the upcoming Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the preseason poll announced today by the league office. The Panthers tallied nine first-place votes and 130 points in the coaches' poll to claim the No. 1 spot. Northern Kentucky came in second, earning 120 points (one first-place vote). The Panthers have now landed in the top spot in the preseason poll each of the last five seasons; part of a total of 19 times overall since 2000 (as well as an amazing run of 13 straight from 2000-2012).

2021 PRESEASON POLL
1. Milwaukee – 130 (9)
2. Northern Kentucky – 120 (1)
3. Oakland – 112 (1)
4. UIC – 111
5. IUPUI – 104
6. Cleveland State – 91
7. Wright State – 73
8. Youngstown State – 46 (1)
9. Green Bay – 44
10. Purdue Fort Wayne – 42
11. Detroit Mercy – 41
12. RMU – 22

SETTING THE BAR
Troy Fabiano became the first-ever Horizon League field boss to be named Coach of the Year five times in a row (Notre Dame's Chris Petricelli was the only other to reach four straight from 1991 to 1994). Fabiano helped his team to its fifth straight Horizon League regular-season crown in 2019 and has now gone 47-2-4 in his six seasons in conference – as well as a near-unbeaten 31-1-3 the past three campaigns. Not only that, but his 82 victories are easily the most wins over the first six years of any coach in program history.

OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
Back-line defender Gaby Schwartz enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign on the offensive side of the ball, finishing in fifth place in the Horizon League with 21 points (6G/9A), while her assists total led the conference and finished in the top 30 in the nation. It was easily 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 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. She produced in the same fashion in 2020, with her eight assists once again leading the Horizon League.

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 29 games that ended 1-0 (either way). Their record? An impressive 23-6 in those pressure-packed outings throughout his entire tenure.

JUST WIN BABY
The Panthers closed the 2019 campaign on an impressive streak, posting 15 consecutive games without a loss prior to the NCAA Tournament (the 14-0-1 marked the second-best unbeaten stretch in program history) - with eight of the final nine decisions in that span via the shutout. The team also recorded 11 straight wins for just the second time in program history against IUPUI Oct. 23. The school record of 11 consecutive victories was accomplished in 2006 when the team finished 16-4-2. In addition to 2019, Milwaukee also won 10 in a row in the 2009 and 2017 campaigns.

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers opened 2021 against Northern Illinois with a 6-0 victory, moving to 15-14-3 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level. The team has now gone 6-2-2 in season openers the past 10 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 an unbeaten 6-0-1). A season ago, MKE opened the campaign with a 5-1 victory over Robert Morris on the road. In addition, the Panthers are now 18-2 in home openers.

Speaking of debuts, the six goals marked the most in program history for a lid-lifter, topping the five scored against Robert Morris to open the 2020 campaign. Four had not been scored in over 30 years (4-2 over St. Norbert in 1988 and 4-0 over St. Mary's (IN) in 1987), while three has also been recorded on four different occasions.

NOT TOO SHABBY
When it comes to Horizon League openers, the record is quite impressive all-time. Milwaukee has now gone 25-2-1 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 nine as well, following the win over WSU in 2021.

The Panthers have had a very long line of success when it comes to Horizon League play, claiming the regular-season title in five of the past six seasons (2015-19) as well as 19 of the past 21 titles overall. In fact, under the watch of Troy Fabiano, the team posted a sparkling 47-2-4 ledger over the past six campaigns (coming into 2021) in regular-season conference play.

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 IN ACTION
Milwaukee women's soccer will be available for the viewing pleasure of MKE fans this season, as seven of the 12 home games are scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+ (subject to change due to weather and location). 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 season, 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 $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) and cancel at any time. Launched in April of 2018, ESPN+ is an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App. MKE games that are not scheduled to appear on ESPN+ will have an audio stream available (for free) on the team's schedule page.

SPECTATOR POLICY
The Milwaukee Panther Athletic Department announced that fans will be allowed at all home Panther fall athletic events this year. In a decision that was made by Athletics and University leadership, no capacity limits will be in place, but adherence to the current Milwaukee Public Health and CDC recommendations will be followed. UWM policy directs that all individuals are required to wear a face covering indoors, regardless of vaccination status, when at a home Milwaukee Panther Athletics event this fall. Outdoors, masks are encouraged but not required when around other people.

ON TAP
Horizon League play continues with two matches, starting with a Thursday visit to Detroit Mercy. Game time against the Titans is 12 p.m.