MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's soccer team overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with a strong second-half performance – including a pair of goals by Haley Johnson – in claiming a 3-1 victory over IUPUI in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals Thursday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (11-3-3) overcame an own goal that put the Jaguars (9-5-6) on the scoreboard first, powering their way to an appearance in the Horizon League Tournament Championship for the seventh season in a row.
 
"It wasn't about the own goal so much, we were just playing tight," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "They got one out of the own goal – that happens in games. There's not a high-level defender out there that that hasn't happened to … so that's life. You have to respond to that. I don't think we played great soccer in the first half. We played too tight and that was the whole discussion at halftime. I thought we did a much better job in the second half getting to goal in better ways. We tried to play a bit more, which was important. We clearly settled down and got more organized in the back. Credit to IUPUI, the first 20 minutes they played on pure emotion. I felt like that was what we were trying to compete against was emotion in the first 20. We went down 1-0 in that period of time and that will happen."
 
Halftime adjustments were key, with MKE offense going on the front foot for most of the final 45 minutes, outshooting the Jags 11-3 in the second period alone, not allowing a single shot attempt by the visitors until the 80^th minute of the period.
 
"I knew we were on them but I still wanted us to play a little more in the attacking third," Boyd said. "I felt like we were still looking for home-run balls too much. I think there were moments when we settled. We are still working on that and we will be better Saturday."
 
Johnson made it a new game in the 54^th minute, tying the match 1-1 on a good build-up from midfield. Brooke Parnello served the ball in, Kayla Rollins flicked a header to the far post and Johnson did the rest, lacing the pass into the net for her sixth goal of the campaign.
 
Senya Meurer stepped up next, blasting a free kick from just outside of the box into the upper corner of the goal for a 2-1 lead at the 58:03 mark for the eventual game-winner.
 
Johnson just missed another goal in the 61^st minute, seeing her low blast off endline service from Elizabeth Reece get stopped nicely by IUPUI's Ashton Kudlo, who finished the afternoon with eight saves.
 
Johnson then closed out the scoring in the 86^th minute, sending in a patented header off a corner kick to make it 3-1 and lock it up with her seventh of the campaign.
 
"Haley Johnson should be player of the year … I have been saying that the whole time," Boyd said. "She had two goals in the semifinals and that is more proof."
 
Kendall Edwards had a good day between the pipes for the Panthers, finishing the contest with four saves, the toughest coming in the 81^st minute on a low ball sent with some authority when the score was still 2-1.
 
For the game, Milwaukee posted advantages of 19-7 in shots, 11-4 in shots on goals, and 11-1 in corner kicks while maintaining 58 percent of overall possession.
 
Johnson led the offense with seven shots, finishing with her first multi-goal outing of the season.
 
The Panthers will take on fifth-seeded Youngstown State – who knocked off No. 2 Purdue Fort Wayne by a score of 1-0 in the late semifinal – in the Horizon League Championship Saturday, set for a 1 p.m. kickoff. With a victory, the squad would head to the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time in program history.