The Milwaukee women's soccer team is the No. 1 seed and will host the 2024 Horizon League Tournament, beginning action in the event Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. when it welcomes No. 4 Robert Morris to Engelmann Stadium. Semifinal number two then gets underway at 4 p.m. that day as well, with No. 2 Northern Kentucky taking on No. 3 Detroit Mercy. The higher seeds each recorded victories in first-round action this past Sunday, so the top four seeds from the regular-season standings will all converge on Engelmann Stadium, with the winner earning the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Ticket prices for Thursday's semifinals are set at $7 for adult general admission and $5 for groups of 10 or more people. A link to buy is also on the MKE website.

NKU, as the No. 2 seed, also had a bye from Sunday action and will be the home team in Thursday's late affair against Detroit Mercy. RMU is the No. 4 seed and will play the Panthers in the first game, with MKE looking to build on its 11-game unbeaten (9-0-2) streak in the process. The winners advance to the Horizon League Tournament Championship Saturday at 1 p.m. All games will have a live video feed on ESPN+ and will also have live statistics available. Head to the Milwaukee website for all links. See page 10 of this release for full tournament bracket.

The Panthers hold all-time records of 8-0-0 against Robert Morris, 8-1-3 against Northern Kentucky, and 28-7-3 against the Titans, a combined tally of 44-8-6 (.810 winning percentage). In the postseason, MKE stands 1-0-0 against RMU and 1-1-1 against NKU; they are actually just 2-4-1 against UDM.

The Panthers are coming off yet another strong season, claiming a repeat of the Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles in head coach Kevin Boyd's second season at the helm. The regular-season title was the eighth in the past nine years for MKE, a span that has seen the team go 71-3-9 in league play. In addition, the team has now won the regular-season title 22 times since 2000 (all but 2020 and 2014) and 23 total times overall. The Panthers also made their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 16th with the Horizon League's automatic berth.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
ROBERT MORRIS: The Colonials posted a solid 12-5-3 overall record a season ago, finishing 5-4-1 in Horizon League play. RMU won its first postseason game, topping Wright State by a final score of 4-1 before getting eliminated by Milwaukee in a 5-0 decision. The team was selected sixth in the league preseason poll. Michelle Rick was named head coach of the program in February of 2024. Rick spent the previous two seasons at the University of Findlay, a Division II school in Ohio, going 22-11-7 overall with back-to-back berths in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.

The team continues its postseason run and is now 6-6-6 overall after a thrilling 1-0 victory over IU Indy in overtime Sunday, advancing on a goal from Jillian Marvin in the 92nd minute. The Colonials are the No. 4 seed after finishing 4-3-3 in league play. Paloma Swankler leads the team with 17 points, coming on the strength of six goals and five assists. Haleigh Finale is the only other player with double-figure scoring, posting 12 (4G/4A) points. The offense has contributed 21 total goals in 18 games, allowing 23. In net, Brenna Murray has played nearly all 1,622 minutes (1,608:25), posting a very good .793 save percentage, five clean sheets, and a 1.29 goals-against average.

TOURNAMENT PRIDE
The Panthers have a long history of success in the Horizon League Tournament and have posted an impressive 43-8-10 record all-time in the event, including 21-4-3 in semifinal action. In addition, a member of the Panther roster has been named league tournament MVP in 12 of the past 16 years, including Brooke Parnello last year. The team is in search of its 18th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having made it each of the last six seasons after a stretch without a visit since the 2013 campaign (which also marked the end of a streak of six in a row).

BRING THE HONORS
Lainey Higgins was named Horizon League Player of the Year, Kayla Rollins the Offensive Player of the Year, and Parker Donahugh was selected as the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year to highlight the 2024 postseason selections. The team saw eight total student-athletes get honored – six first-team selections and one second-team honoree. The six first-teamers mark a new highest-ever total (was five; four times) in program history.
 
Joining Higgins, Rollins, and Donahugh on the All-Horizon League First Team are Anna Champine, Senya Meurer, and Elizabeth Reece, with Ellie Rebmann picking up second team accolades. Natalie Zodrow rounded out the award winners with a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

NOT STAYING IN HER "LAIN"
Lainey Higgins is the ninth Panther all-time to win league Player of the Year honors in program history and has now been named First Team All-Horizon League for a third consecutive season. She's the first player to earn three consecutive selections to the top spot since Sarah Hagen (2008-09-10-11; Haley Johnson was also a three-time selection but hers were not consecutive 2018-19-22). Higgins continues her slow and steady rise up the career charts, with her 59 career points now 11th, 23 assists now tied for eighth all-time, and her 18 career goals just outside the Top 10 in program history.

FOUR MORE YEARS!
With a 5-0 blowout of Cleveland State Oct. 26, the Panthers clinched the No. 1 seed and at least a share of their fourth consecutive Horizon Leage regular-season title. A 5-1 win over the Phoenix in the regular-season finale gave them the title by themselves. The Panthers have had a very long line of success when it comes to Horizon League play, now claiming the regular-season title in nine of the past 10 seasons (2015-19/2021-24) as well as 23 of the past 25 titles overall (24 total). In fact, the team has posted a sparkling 72-3-9 ledger (.911 win %) over the past nine-plus campaigns (coming into 2024) in regular-season conference play.

SENIOR SALUTE!
The Panthers honored the following student-athletes in "Senior Day" festivities prior to the game against Cleveland State Oct. 26. (Note: not all players are listed as seniors on the roster; some do have eligibility remaining).
Congratulations to: #1 Parker Donahugh, #3 Stephanie Recinos, #6 Cate Cullison, #7 Elizabeth Reece, #13 Lainey Higgins, #14 Josie Kelderman, #17 Molly O'Regan, #18 Kayla Rollins, and #26 Senya Meurer.

UP THE CHARTS
Kayla Rollins has gotten very hot down the stretch for the Panthers, leading the team to the regular-season title with a five-point outing (2G/1A) against Cleveland State Oct. 26 and another goal & assist in the matchup at Green Bay. That marks goals in five straight games as well as eight of the past nine, a stretch in which she has recorded 22 points (10G/2A). She was honored as Horizon League Player of the Week as a result and now leads the conference with 29 points. A look at the career charts sees her rising: Rollins now has 78 career points on 35 goals and eight assists. Her 81 points is currently fifth, with Mackenzie Schill (No. 4 at 82) up next. Her 36 goals are now fourth, with No. 3 on the list the 39 that Cammy Polson (1994-97) netted.

ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT'S NEXT
With that daunting non-conference schedule in the rear-view mirror, the Panthers opened Horizon League play up in style, posting back-to-back clean sheets over Northern Kentucky (W, 2-0 Sept. 19) and Wright State (W, 3-0 Sept. 22) to extend a long streak for MKE in regular-season league play. Since dropping the season opener in 2022, Milwaukee has now run up an unbeaten streak that now sits at 29 games (23-0-6) after going 7-0-2 the rest of 2022, 7-0-3 last fall, and now 8-0-1 in 2024. It's still a ways to go for the school/league record, which was set at 36 (33-0-3) when it was snapped back in the 2020 campaign.

O'RMU'-GAN
Molly O'Regan has made a statement in her career against Robert Morris and, following a goal and an assist in the 3-0 victory Oct. 17 against the Colonials, now has recorded a stunning 14 points on six goals and four assists in just four all-time matches against RMU. She posted a brace in the league tournament semifinals last season and also had a 2G/1A outing back in September of 2022.

THE BEAT GOES ON
Parker Donahugh was named Horizon League Under Armour Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this fall after posting a 5-0 clean sheet over Cleveland State Oct. 26. Donahugh was nearly untouchable in league play this season, allowing just two goals in her 10 outings. Those two goals allowed in 900 minutes translated to a miniscule 0.20 goals-against average. The next closest HL goalkeeper carried a 0.59 GAA and the next closest to her eight clean sheets checked in with just three. She also picked up an assist in the victory over the Jaguars Oct. 20. Her goal kick quickly turned into Kayla Rollins' 10th goal of the season to mark just the third MKE goalkeeper assist in the past 15 years. Only Kendall Edwards (2023) and Elaina LaMacchia (2020) have done so since 2008. She saw her scoreless streak come to a close at 558:55 following a late Phoenix goal, which came following a run of five consecutive shutouts. The last player to post five solo clean sheets in a row was Elaina LaMacchia in October of 2019 when she went six games in a row without allowing a score.

POWERING UP THE OFFENSE
The MKE offense may have not found as many goals as it liked over the first four games of the Horizon League slate, but it wasn't for a lack of opportunities. The team recorded 20-or-more shot attempts in each game, piling up 24 shots at Northern Kentucky Sept. 19, 22 at Wright State Sept. 22, and then 20 apiece in home games against Oakland Sept. 26 and Detroit Mercy Sept. 29. That marked the first time the team accomplished that feat since a run of four in a row in late September of 2021. The team then made it five consecutive when they recorded 29 against YSU Oct. 10. The last time the team had hit five straight was way back in 2008. That fall, the team ran off five consecutive of 20+ chances in late October (YSU: 22/Butler: 21/Detroit Mercy: 24/Valparaiso: 24/Green Bay: 27).

ROLLING WITH ROLLINS
Coming off a season in which she was named Horizon League Player of the Year as well as the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year, Kayla Rollins was named to the United Soccer Coaches "2024 NCAA Division I Players to Watch" list this preseason before then being named to the 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the NCAA National Player of the Year. Rollins put together a phenomenal campaign in 2023, one in which she was selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team and to the Horizon League First Team after she went off for a career-high and team-leading 26 points, coming on 12 goals and a pair of assists. Rollins recorded 50 total shots, 32 of which were on goal (.640 SOG%), finishing among the Horizon League leaders in numerous categories: first in total points (26), first in goals (12), first in shots on goal (32), and fourth in total shots (50). She also finished among NCAA leaders with her .640 shots-on-goal percentage (12th), 12 total goals (24th), 0.63 goals-per game (26th), and 26 points (56th).

ABOUT THAT SCHEDULE
The Panthers knew the start of the 2024 season was going to be challenging in the non-conference slate. A look at the United Soccer Coaches National Poll at the end of September proved that fact, as two of MKE's opponents were ranked, with Xavier at 8-1-1 at the time and #21 and Ohio State 7-1-2 and ranked #11 thru the end of the month. Throw in a Minnesota squad that was 8-1-1 (and ranked #7 in the region at the time), Wisconsin was at 5-2-2 (and #7 in the region), unbeaten Harvard at 4-0-4 (and #4 in the East region), and a 4-6 Valparaiso squad coming off an MVC Tournament title, and the combined record of Milwaukee's six opponents it lost to (thru the end of September) checked in at an impressive 36-11-10, a .707 winning percentage, which jumped to 32-5-10 (.787) taking just Valpo out of the equation.

HOO-RAY HORIZON
When it comes to Horizon League openers, the record is quite impressive all-time. Milwaukee has gone 26-3-1 in opening action (since joining the league in 1994), with a string of 14 wins in a row from 1998 through 2011. The squad had been victorious in nine straight as well, before getting knocked off by WSU in 2022. This fall, the team earned a 2-0 decision over Northern Kentucky on the road to get things rolling.

DANDY DEBUT
Lilly Hanke made her collegiate debut when she played the second half of the season opener at Xavier, but it was her first college start that turned some heads. Hanke responded with a six-save shutout in the 3-0 victory over UIC Sept. 1, becoming the first MKE keeper since 2009 to record a clean sheet in her first college start, as well as just the sixth all-time in the history of the program. The most recent to accomplish the feat was Jamie Forbes, who posted four consecutive shutouts to open her MKE career in 2009.

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers did open 2023 by earning a 2-2 draw on the road at No. 3 Notre Dame and are now 15-16-4 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level following the 2024 decision at Xavier.  The team has now gone 6-4-4 in season openers the past 14 years, with a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois in 2015 snapping a three-game stretch without a victory. Speaking of season debuts, the six goals against NIU in 2021 (a 6-0 victory) 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.

KEEPING THE BAR HIGH
Following a first year on the sidelines that included the Horizon League regular-season and league tournament crowns, Kevin Boyd repeated the titles and took the Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament for a 17th time in program history in 2023. His two-year win-loss record stands at 24-7-8 (.718 winning percentage) heading into the new campaign while going an impressive 14-1-5 (.825) in regular-season Horizon League contests.
 
In 2023, he led the Panthers to a 12-3-5 ledger and an unbeaten 7-0-3 in conference action, leading the Horizon League in points (139), goals (47), assists (45), shots (315), and shots-per game (15.8), while finishing second with their 0.95 goals-against average. Those numbers finished among the best in the nation as well, seeing Milwaukee finish in the Top 25 in numerous categories in the NCAA: 17th in points-per game (6.95 ppg), 18th in total assists (45), 19th in scoring offense (2.35 gpg), 20th in assists per game (2.25 apg) and total points (139), 21st in total goals (47) and goal differential (+28), and 23rd in shots-on-goal per game (8.05).

PRESEASON POLL: TOPS AGAIN
Milwaukee was picked by league coaches to finish first in the 2024 Horizon League regular season. The Panthers tallied 10 first-place votes and the maximum 120 points in the coaches' poll to hold down the top spot, with the 103-point total of IU Indianapolis coming in second. This marks the sixth time in the past seven seasons that the team has been picked for the top spot, a place they have earned in the conference poll 21 times since 2000, as well as an amazing run of 13 straight from 2000-2012. Northern Kentucky (100 points/third), Wright State (71/fourth), and Youngstown State (65 points/fifth) wrapped up the next tier, with the Penguins earning the other first-place vote.
2024 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Milwaukee (10) – 120
2. IU Indianapolis – 103
3. Northern Kentucky – 100
4. Wright State – 71
5. Youngstown State (1) – 65
6. Robert Morris – 60
7. Oakland – 59
8. Detroit Mercy – 54
9. Purdue Fort Wayne – 44
10. Cleveland State – 32
11. Green Bay – 18

AN IMPRESSIVE LIST TO BE AT THE TOP
Let's break it down, the Panthers have been very good since the start of the 2017 campaign. How good? Well, at 101-15-15 (.828), they actually have one of the best winning percentages in the nation over that span in NCAA play heading into 2024. The only ones higher are 2019 & 2017 NCAA National Champion Stanford at 125-18-12 (.845 after going 20-1-4 and falling in the 2023 NCAA title game) and 2022 National Champion UCLA at 121-17-14 (.842). Then, it's Milwaukee.
No. 4 on that list is now 2023 NCAA Champion Florida State at (125-22-12/.824), followed by North Carolina (125-21-17/.819), Georgetown (102-15-30/.796), and Duke (97-31-21/.721).

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!
Milwaukee went 5-1-4 at home back in 2015. Since then, the Panthers have posted an impressive 72-9-7 ledger at Engelmann Stadium (an .858 winning percentage), including perfect 8-0 (in 2022) and 11-0 runs (2019) through home outings and a 13-1 mark at Engelmann in 2021. The team is also 21-4-3 at home under head coach Kevin Boyd (.804), 35-5-3 since the start of the 2021 campaign in home games (.849) and recently posted a 19-game (18-0-1) unbeaten streak that was snapped in in a 1-0 loss to Marquette in September of 2023 (the last prior loss a 2-1 double-OT decision to Wisconsin in September of 2021).

SETTING THE TONE
Milwaukee saw its long streak of picking up victories after getting on the board first come to a heartbreaking end following the NCAA Tournament contest against Michigan State that closed out the 2022 campaign (MKE was on the board first in the sixth minute). That ended an unbelievable stretch, falling in a game that they scored first in to snap what was an eye-opening 85-0 stretch when being the first team to find the back of the net in a game. That includes the 9-1 mark in 2022, 17-0 in 2021, 9-0 in 2020, 17-0 in 2019, 16-0 in 2018, and 14-0 in 2017. The last time the Panthers had 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 also went 74-2-9 when outshooting their opponent in that same span, getting outshot just 17 times over the six-plus year stretch. The Panthers went 9-0-2 when scoring first in 2023.

BRING THE HONORS
Kayla Rollins was named Horizon League Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year and Kendall Edwards was selected as the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year to highlight the postseason selections last fall. Following a 7-0-3 record to claim the Horizon League regular-season title for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, Milwaukee saw six total student-athletes get honored – five first-team selections and one second-team honoree. The five first-teamers are the most since five in 2019 and ties for highest-ever total. Joining Rollins and Edwards on the All-Horizon League First Team were Lainey Higgins, Kat Van Booven, and Clara Broecker, with Brooke Parnello picking up second team accolades.

SOME SHOES TO FILL
Seniors played a key role in 2023, as four full-time starters graduated, including the starting goalkeeper and two of the four members of the back line of the defense. Of the four, each was a Horizon League all-league selection.

The team does return three of its Top 5 point scorers, including team leader Kayla Rollins, who not only led the team with her 26 points and 12 goals but also topped the Horizon League in both categories for the second straight season. In addition to Rollins, the Panthers return Lainey Higgins, who finished with 18 points, scoring six goals while adding six assists while being named United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team and First Team All-Horizon League. MKE will still have an experienced roster that sees seven players that made at least 11 starts (out of the 20 total games) a year ago including Higgins (all 20), Senya Meuer (20), Jenni Andjelic (20), Elizabeth Reece (20), Anna Champine (18), Rollins (18), and Kristina Karlof (11). In addition, the Panthers have super-sub Molly O'Regan back after she scored 16 points and netted seven goals in just eight starts, while appearing in all 20 games as well.

Points: returners accounted for 92 of the 140 points (65.7 percent)
Goals: 31 of 47 goals (65.9 percent)
Assists: 30 of 46 assists (65.2 percent)
Starts: returning players accounted for 121 starts last season.

THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR
Milwaukee recorded a 1-0 victory over Northern Kentucky in the 2023 Horizon League Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. 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 2015, the Panthers have played 40 games that ended 1-0 (either way). Their record? An impressive 33-7 in those pressure-packed outings, including against Oakland Sept. 26 of this season.

REWIND TO LAST YEAR
Milwaukee entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament at 12-2-5 and was on a 12-game unbeaten streak (9-0-3) before the tough loss to Wisconsin, including wins in three consecutive contests that wrapped up with a 5-0 blowout over Robert Morris in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals and a 1-0 shutout over Northern Kentucky in the title game, led by the only goal of the contest scored by Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player Brooke Parnello. In net, Kendall Edwards was on an impressive run down the stretch and had posted a 0.85 goals-against average and .808 save percentage on the season. She had eight shutouts, including the 1-0 victory in the league title game, earning her a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with Parnello, Lainey Higgins, and Clara Broecker.

CATCH THEM IN ACTION
Milwaukee women's soccer will be available for the viewing pleasure of fans this season, as six of the nine 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 fall 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 $10.99 a month (or $109.99 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
If the team claims the Horizon League Tournament title, it will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history. First-round action would take place November 15-17.