MILWAUKEE – Kayla Rollins scored a first-half goal to help the Milwaukee women's soccer team get back to even in earning a 1-1 draw against Marquette at Valley Fields Sunday evening.
 
Despite substantial advantages in shots and possession, the Panthers (1-6-1) were unable to break through for a second goal and had to settle for the tie in their city matchup with the Golden Eagles (2-5-2).
 
"It seemed like the day ebbed and flowed a lot," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "We are still trying to get better on our end and some of these teams that we have been playing against have been awfully difficult for us to keep possession against. Now we played a team that we had moments of really nice possession, we just need to build on that."
 
Milwaukee came out a bit sluggish, getting just a single shot attempt in the match before falling behind at the 17:49 mark.
 
"We were watching on the sidelines and it just didn't feel right," Boyd said about the start of the match. "We, as coaches, came to the conclusion that we might have to give one up to wake up. And that's what happened – we gave up a goal and then we owned it after that."
 
The deficit appeared to be just that, as Lainey Higgins quickly had a solid chance that was saved and the team responded with the next five shots of the day – the last of which found the back of the net to make it a new game about 10 minutes later.
 
The scoring play started with Zoey Pagels making an impressive backheel pass that sprung Elizabeth Reece down the left side of the box. Her shot then banged off the crossbar, with Kayla Rollins waiting to pounce. Rollins slotted back in the rebound for her third goal of the campaign, making it 1-1 at the 27:31 mark.
 
Rollins nearly had another in the 43^rd, but a nice save prevented her header from doubling the advantage. The play started off a Higgins free kick sent to the far post. Jenni Andjelic was able to center it to Rollins, only to see Chloe Olson come up with the stop for the home side.
 
Milwaukee held the 9-3 advantage in shots at the break and kept it up from there, but never could take advantage of its decent chances.
 
One quality build-up came in the 54^th minute. Andjelic gained possession and played a square ball to Senya Meurer, who then threaded a perfect through ball to Pagels. It was a footrace between Pagels and the MU keeper, with Pagels winning only to see her touch get knocked off-target and keep the game at 1-1.
 
The Panthers had the lion's share of possession down the stretch, but were unable to put any truly threatening chances together before the clock ran out.
 
"This squad has had a really rough non-conference schedule," Boyd said. "We got challenged tremendously and there's nothing wrong with that. That can be a good thing if you use it right, but we have to learn how to win now."
 
The MKE offense finished with advantages of 15-8 in shots, 5-3 in shots on target, 5-3 in corner kicks, and 55 percent of possession on the day. Rollins led the way with a game-high six shot attempts; Higgins chipped in with three. In net, Parker Donahugh was credited with a pair of saves.
 
Up next, the team will open Horizon League play, traveling to Northern Kentucky Thursday. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.