HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Milwaukee women's soccer team built a 2-0 lead and Kayla Rollins put the game away with her league-leading eighth goal late in the second half to hand Northern Kentucky a 3-1 defeat Saturday afternoon at NKU Soccer Stadium.
 
The Panthers (7-2-2, 4-0 Horizon League) scored just before intermission to take momentum into the locker room. After the Norse (3-3-6, 0-2-3 Horizon League) cut the lead in half, Rollins iced the decision with a goal in the 71^st minute to help hand NKU its first multi-goal loss of the campaign.
 
"That was a good win on the road," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "I told the team it's hard to win, and it's really hard to win on the road, especially in this conference. So getting another road win is huge for us. We felt like we were the more dominant team, but with that said, Northern Kentucky is dangerous. They have a flip-throw that puts the ball in the box and we had to contend with that all day. We did a really good job handling that and our defense held firm."
 
Back-and-forth from the start in what looked to be a defensive battle, Milwaukee found a way to break through just before the first half ended when Lainey Higgins netted her third goal of the season, set up by an endline pass from Payton Green just 73 seconds (43:47) before the horn.
 
The team stayed aggressive and found another in the 57^th minute, with Higgins again playing a role. This time it was the pass, assisting Kat Van Booven for her fourth goal of the season.
 
"Kat just smoked that one from a good 30 yards and there was nothing the goalie could do," Boyd commented. "It was an unbelievable goal … she put it on a rope."
 
NKU pulled one back in the 65^th minute, setting the stage for Rollins, who followed up Molly O'Regan's partially-saved shot with a rebound goal at the 70:03 mark that sealed the deal. That is a goal in seven of her last eight games as Rollins continues to roll.
 
"All-in-all, it was a tough match," Boyd said. "So a 3-1 win was a very good one for us and we are happy to be coming home with three points."
 
Milwaukee slowly accumulated advantages in every offensive category, starting with 56 percent of possession. The Panthers also held the upper hand in total shots (10-4), shots on goal (8-3), and corner kicks (7-4). Van Booven paced the offense with three shots, while Higgins finished with a team-high three points (1G/1A). In net, Kendall Edwards had her shutout streak snapped at 292:23 but made two saves to record the victory.
 
Milwaukee remains on the road next, taking on Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday in a match set to start at 4 p.m. CST.