EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Milwaukee women's soccer team fought the No. 9 team in the country to the end, falling by a final score of 4-1 to Michigan State Friday night at DeMartin Stadium in first round action in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
 
"I am really proud of my team and what they accomplished this season," head coach Kevin Boyd said at the postgame press conference. "We made it really hard for them and then it got away from us early in the second half. Michigan State: this program is really good. They are highly talented and there's a reason they are a No. 2 seed, and we are cheering for them now … I hope they go far."
 
The Panthers (13-5-3) played the Spartans (13-3-6) nearly even for the first 50-plus minutes, with a pair of goals in a span of just over three minutes in the second half allowing MSU to finally take control despite a team-best 10^th goal of the season down the stretch for MKE's Lola Wojcik.
 
"We have typically played really challenging non-conference games to try and prepare us for these moments," Boyd said. "We were here earlier in the year and, obviously, it wasn't one of our better moments [a lopsided shutout loss in late August]. We had a pretty rough go of that one, so I am sure glad we didn't repeat that performance. They wanted to make up for that performance from last time, because we knew that it wasn't us. It was also early in the season when some of our usual starters were out or injured and not able to play for very long in their positions. And we just weren't that good yet. One of the great things about our program is we get better all season long. By the time we hit conference, we hit it at full throttle and stay on top of it all the way through."
 
Goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach led the charge on defense, making nine saves – including several spectacular stops – to limit the damage to just a 1-0 deficit at the break.
 
Despite heavy offensive pressure by the home side during the opening portion of the night, the MKE defense stayed tough and Hollenbach was brilliant. She made a substantial stop in the 10^th minute and then followed that up with a highlight-reel one in the 15^th – leaping high to knock a shot from distance just over the bar.
 
The Spartans found a goal next off a Panther miscue in the 19^th minute, but Hollenbach kept it at 1-0 with another terrific save in the 27th minute.
 
 Milwaukee nearly leveled it 10 minutes later when Ellie Rebmann played an impressive cross to the front of goal, just missing connecting with Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett. The defense then closed out the period strong to get it to 1-0 at the break.
 
The Spartans did all the damage they needed about 10 minutes into the second period, striking for tallies in the 54^th and 57^th minutes to make it 3-0.
 
Milwaukee kept fighting and came up big in the 77^th minute, seeing Wojcik score her league-leading 10^th goal of the campaign following a set-up pass from Zoey Pagels on the assist. The scoring sequence was started by Kristina Karlof off a long throw-in, finding Pagels who rushed down the middle of the defense.
 
"I like that … I like that late in the game we didn't quit," Boyd said. "That we kept going. We had two other dangerous chances in the back, so I thought we could get one on. That's kind of a hallmark of who we are – we will never give up, so that kind of showcased us."
 
The Spartans ended the night with commanding leads on the scoresheet but had to work hard to knock the Panthers out of the NCAA Tournament. Rebmann led the way with two shot attempts, with the remainder recording just one apiece.
 
The senior class this season leaves with four regular-season championships, four Horizon League Tournament championships, and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances to their names, with Boyd improving to 31-1-8 in regular-season matches against conference opponents and a perfect 8-0 in the postseason.
 
"They have eight trophies in four years, so that is pretty remarkable," Boyd said of the Class of 2026. "That's incredible and they also broke the unbeaten streak in conference (now at 39 games at 31-0-8). What an amazing experience and set of accomplishments by that class in particular."