YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A second-half goal from Kristina Karlof helped the Milwaukee women's soccer team dig out of a deficit and claim a 1-1 draw against Youngstown State Thursday at National Bank Field.
 
The Panthers (9-2-3, 6-0-1 Horizon League) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with the gritty result against the Penguins (6-6-3, 2-4-2 Horizon League) despite playing down a pair of regular starters due to injury.
 
"What I told the team is that winning is hard," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "And winning on the road is even harder and they have heard that from me a lot – today is not the first time they have heard that and this match proved that. We didn't bring our game in its fullest and our opponent did. I thought they (YSU) were good – they had a lot of energy on the field and on their sideline. They played some good soccer, scored a good goal, were dangerous on corner kicks the whole day."
 
Milwaukee certainly had the better of the first half but found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard after YSU netted a header off a corner kick at the 47:43 mark.
 
The Panthers responded fairly quickly, earning a penalty kick following a handball in the box. The play started out of the backfield from Lola Wojcik, finding Kat Van Booven ahead of the pack. Van Booven charged ahead and sent a pass to Karlof, with a handball called on the next touch.
 
"The great thing about us going down 1-0 is that it motivated us and right after that we looked like ourselves," Boyd said. "We started being dangerous and attacking and the normal relentless attitude that we have going at people and it resulted in a couple of chances as well as the handball in the box that led to the PK."
 
Karlof proceeded to step up and bury the spot kick, leveling the match at 1-1 at the 55:24 mark.
 
The Panther offense had the better of the chances the rest of the way, but couldn't find the go-ahead tally.
 
"I thought we had the better of the remaining part of the game but we just didn't put it away," Boyd said. "We are disappointed with the result, mostly with ourselves that we didn't bring it, but it is hard to win. I am not making excuses, but 9-hour bus rides can take something out of you. Great teams find a way to shed that and still get it done."
 
Karlof saw her header corralled with a diving stop in the 64^th minute and then nearly had the brace in the 68^th. It came off a free kick from Lainey Higgins, only to see her header clank off the right post and back into play.
 
Higgins flighted one just over the bar in the 87^th minute and Brooke Parnello and Van Booven just missed connecting on what would have been a tremendous goal in the closing 30 seconds of regulation.
 
Shots were 8-2 MKE at the half and it owned all of the dangerous opportunities. Higgins had a one-timer saved nicely just 2:43 into the match and Karlof was unable to convert a volley into a goal in the 15th minute. Elizabeth Reece also had a good look from the wing in the 21^st minute, only to skip just over the crossbar as the game went to the break at 0-0.
 
In goal, Kendall Edwards had her scoreless streak end at 253:21, but did record three saves for the draw, easily handling the latest threat of the match when she made a simple save of a 76^th-minute free kick.
 
For the game, the Panthers did conclude the evening with advantages of 14-10 in total shots, 6-4 in shots on goal and corner kicks, as well as 53 percent of possession. Higgins (4 shots) and Karlof (3) paced the offense.
 
"We are still trying to develop who we are and some of our main parts of our game just weren't as strong today," Boyd said. "That's for us to work on and be ready for Sunday, which is also 'Senior Day', which I know will have plenty of motivation attached to it."
 
Up next, the Panthers return home Sunday to host IUPUI at Engelmann Stadium. Game time against the Jaguars, with a "Senior Day" pregame ceremony also planned, is set for 1 p.m.