The Milwaukee women's soccer team is the No. 1 seed and will host the 2025 Horizon League Tournament, beginning action in the event Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. when it welcomes No. 6 Oakland 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. 5 Green Bay. The lower seeds each recorded upset victories in first-round action this past Sunday, so the top two seeds from the regular-season standings join the final two seeds to 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 $10 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 Green Bay. The Golden Grizzlies are the No. 6 seed and will play the Panthers in the first game, with MKE looking to build on its current 12-game overall unbeaten (10-0-2) 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.

Milwaukee holds all-time records of 15-3-5 against Oakland, 10-1-3 against Northern Kentucky, and 35-7-2 against the Phoenix, a combined tally of 60-11-10 (.864 winning percentage). In the postseason, MKE stands 4-0-1 against Oakland, 2-1-1 against NKU, and a perfect 5-0-0 against Green Bay.

As stated, Milwaukee is now 15-3-5 all-time against OU, with an unbeaten mark of 13-0-5 since Oakland joined the Horizon League. Most recently, MKE picked up a 0-0 draw earlier this fall to extend its unbeaten streak in the series to 18 in a row (13-0-5). The teams have met a few times recently in the postseason as well, with Milwaukee handing OU its season-ending loss three times in the past seven seasons. The MKE defense has not allowed a goal in the series dating back to 2019 (over 630 minutes), a span that has seen the Panthers outscore Oakland 9-1 over the past eight meetings.

The Panthers are coming off yet another strong season, claiming their third consecutive sweep of Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles in head coach Kevin Boyd's third season at the helm. The regular-season title was the ninth in the past 10 years for MKE, a span that has seen the team go 80-3-10 in league play. In addition, the team has now won the regular-season title 23 times since 2000 (all but 2020 and 2014) and 24 total times overall. The Panthers also made their 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 17th with the Horizon League's automatic berth.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies are coming off a 2024 campaign that saw them go 3-14-2 overall and 2-8 in league play. Second-year head coach Devin Zvosec brought a new-look roster into 2025 featuring Power Five transfer standouts and several high-impact returners and was pegged for ninth in the preseason poll.

The Grizz are 4-7-8 overall and finished at improved to 2-2-6 in conference action to grab the last spot in the tournament at No. 6. They didn't stop there, pulling off the 6/3 upset with a 1-0 overtime victory on the road against Youngstown State when Mallory Anderson put in a rebound off the crossbar to send Oakland to the semifinals at the 98:24 mark. The offense has 19 goals in 19 games, led by 15 points (6 goals/3 assists) from Brae Cole. Anderson is second with eight points (4G). In goal, Maryn Weiger has seen the large majority of play (16 starts), posting a 1.49 GAA and 61 total saves, including five stops in the first-round shutout of the Penguins.

TOURNAMENT PRIDE
The Panthers have a long history of success in the Horizon League Tournament and have posted an impressive 45-8-10 record all-time in the event, including 22-4-3 in semifinal action. In addition, a member of the Panther roster has been named league tournament MVP in 13 of the past 17 years, including Kayla Rollins last year. The team is in search of its 19th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having made it each of the last seven 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
Mallory McGuire was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year, Bella Hollenbach was selected as the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, Ellie Rebmann was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, and Kevin Boyd was tabbed the Horizon League Coach of the Year to highlight the 2025 postseason selections. The team saw nine total student-athletes get honored – five first-team selections, two second-team honorees, and a pair of third-team selections. The five first-teamers marks a tie for the second-highest total in program history.
 
Joining McGuire, Hollenbach, and Rebmann on the All-Horizon League First Team are Anna Champine and Lola Wojcik. Jenni Andjelic and Emily Petring were the second-team choices, with Kristina Karlof and Natalie Zodrow rounding out the award winners with spots on the all-league third team.

MAGNIFICENT MALLORY
Mallory McGuire is the 10th Panther all-time to win league Player of the Year honors and the third consecutive, joining Lainey Higgins last year and Kayla Rollins in 2023. Her selection as the Offensive Player of the Year marks the sixth time in program history to claim those honors (Rollins won back-to-back in 2023/2024). She has made quite the splash in her first season with the Panthers, finishing the regular season as the top point scorer in the Horizon League with 24 points – tying for the league lead with nine goals while also sitting in a tie for third with her six assists.

THE FABULOUS FIVE
With a 3-2 victory over Green Bay Oct. 29, the Panthers clinched the No. 1 seed for the fifth consecutive Horizon Leage regular-season title. The Panthers have had a very long line of success when it comes to Horizon League play, now claiming the regular-season title in 10 of the past 11 seasons (2015-19/2021-24) as well as 24 of the past 26 titles overall (25 total). In fact, the team has posted a sparkling 80-3-11 ledger (.910 win %) over the past 10 campaigns in regular-season conference play.

EXTENDING THE RUN
The Panthers are now unbeaten in 39 straight Horizon League regular-season games, dating back to the conference opener from the 2022 season (Sept. 15, 2022). They have now reset the Horizon League record, set by your very own Panthers from 2016 through 2020.
1. 39 (31-0-8), Milwaukee, current streak
2. 36 (33-0-3), Milwaukee, 2016 thru 2020
3. 31 (29-0-2), Milwaukee, 2003 thru 2008 

OLIMPICO MAGIC
Kristina Karlof put the Panthers ahead of Wright State Oct. 19 with a rarity - scoring her fifth goal of the season directly off her corner kick and into the far corner of the net. The "Olimpico" is the first for the program since Erin Corrigan accomplished the feat twice during the 2018 campaign. The highlight landed at No. 3 in the nation on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays of the Day".

SENIOR SALUTE
The program honored its senior class before the match against Wright State Oct. 19. Congratulations to the following on their careers in Black & Gold: #2 Payton Green, #4 Lola Wojcik, #10 Mallory McGuire, #11 Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett, #15 Anna Champine, #24 Kristina Karlof, #25 Abby Stoeck, #27 Zoey Pagels, #28 Savannah Sievert, #38 Jenni Andjelic, and #99 Bella Hollenbach.

BALANCE IS KEY
Losing the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and the Player of the Year from last season seemed daunting, with the combined 27 goals of Kayle Rollins (18) and Lainey Higgins (9) needed to be replaced. Fast-forward to this fall and it has been offense-by-committee for the Panthers, with incredible balance to this point. Through 18 games, Milwaukee has seen 12 different players score goals and 17 in total record points, topped by 10+ points by seven different players. Mallory McGuire leads the way and sits tops in the league at 24 points on nine goals and six assists and was named Horizon League Player of the Year. Emily Petring sits in second with 20 points (7G/6A), with Lola Wojcik (7G/5A) close behind at 19. Kristina Karlof is next at 17 (6G/5A), with Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett (4G/7A) at 15. Zoey Pagels (12 points on 4G/4A) is also in double-figures, with Ellie Rebmann (10 on 2G/6A) joining the ranks most recently. For comparison, the last time the Panthers had more in double-figures for a season in recent play was seven in 2021.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
The Panthers ran into unfamiliar territory October 9, finding themselves down 1-0 late in their game at Detroit Mercy. That marked the first time MKE was behind on the scoreboard in a conference game since September 29, 2024 – a span of over 10 games and 1,076 minutes. No worries, the team remained calm and came through with a near-immediate answer just two minutes later and pulled out the 2-1 win in the final minute.

THE LATE SHOW
Mallory McGuire struck late for the game-winner in the final minute against Detroit Mercy Oct. 9, scoring at the 89:36 mark for the 2-1 victory. 

At 89:36, it's one of the latest goals scored to win or tie for a Milwaukee player since at last 2000. It's hard to top the strike at 89:54 by Haley Johnson for the draw at Youngstown State in September of 2022. But, the next closest anyone has come in the last 20-plus years to that type of drama was back in 2018 (McKaela Schmelzer equalized at 88:42 in a 3-2 OT win over Iowa State) and then back in 2013 (Kelly Lewers struck for the win at 88:46 in a 4-3 decision over Miami OH). Johnson's goal was the latest of any Panther strike in regulation since Lewers again was responsible, netting one at 89:57 in a loss to Iowa State.

BANG-BANG
The Panthers piled up five goals in their recent victory over Cleveland State Oct. 4, but it was the timing of goals No. 2 and No. 3 that stand out. Mallory McGuire (23:39) and Emily Petring (24:13) made the scoreboard work overtime, scoring back-to-back goals in a span of just 34 seconds to mark the third-fastest back-to-back goals scored in the history of the program. Just the school record of 28 seconds (back in 1997) and runner-up of 33 seconds (back in 1993) have been faster, with the double-up this season the fastest since a 35-second run-up back in 2016.
1. Lindsay Munkwitz (65:24)/Katie Waltenberger (65:52) in 28 seconds vs. Western Illinois in 1997
2. Betsy Ribares (50:37)/Meredith Ammons (51:10) in 33 seconds against Valparaiso in 1993

LOCKED DOWN
The Milwaukee defense was certainly on point in the month of September - helping lead the team to a perfect 6-0 record while posting shutout wins over Minnesota, SIUE, Robert Morris, Youngstown State, and Purdue Fort Wayne. Leading the charge was Bella Hollenbach, who was named Horizon League Under Armour Defensive Player of the Week for her recent efforts Sept. 22. It's the second time she has claimed the honor this season, also selected Sept. 8.
 
Hollenbach kept her work scoreless in net rolling through another match last week, leading the Panthers to a clean sheet against Cleveland State. She now carries a league-best 0.40 GAA through five conference games after having her scoreless streak come to an end at impressive 478:28 after finally allowing a goal in the month of September.

WOAH - CHECK OUT LOLA
Lola Wojcik was named Horizon League Player of the Week Sept. 29 after she played very well in two games, scoring three points in each game as she scored twice and added two assists in Milwaukee's 2-0 week that moved them to 4-0 in Horizon League play. Especially big was the game-winner against Northern Kentucky in the 70th minute.

POINT-FEST
The Panthers put together a brilliant offensive performance against SIUE Sept. 14, finishing off a 7-0 victory with season-highs in goals (7), shots (24), and assists (12). The seven-goal outburst matches the season-high from 2024 as well.

The team had a pair of players record braces - marking the first time that happened since Molly O'Regan and Kayla Rollins accomplished the feat Oct. 26 of last season in a 5-0 win against Cleveland State - with Kristina Karlof and Emily Petring both netting a pair.
The team also finished the day with 12 assists - good for third place all-time for a single game as a team in program history. It marked the first contest with 10+ assists since a 9-1 victory over Robert Morris back in September of 2022 (10 that match).
In all, eight players recorded helpers, with four setting up two goals apiece: Zoey Pagels, Natalie Zodrow, Ashlynn Skinner-Barrett, and Maya Wilson. Karlof (2G/1A) was honored as Horizon League Player of the Week for her efforts.
Program Record - Assists in a Game
T1. 16 vs. Chicago State Sept. 4, 2016
T1. 16 vs. Western Illinois Sept. 5, 1997
3. 12 vs. SIUE, Sept. 14, 2025

NON-CONFERENCE CHALLENGES
Through the first seven games of the 2025 season, the Panthers built one of the toughest schedules in the country - battling three teams ranked in the Top 25 when the game was played. The cumulative win-loss record of the seven teams the Panthers played (once the gauntlet was complete) sat at 30-13-5, a winning percentage of .677.

SWEEP IT UP
The combination of Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett and Bella Hollenbach pulled off the weekly sweep of the Horizon League Player of the Week honors Sept. 8, just the third time the Panthers had each winner over the past five seasons. Skinner-Barrett scored the lone goal of the game against Minnesota on a header off a corner kick opportunity. Her goal in the 82nd minute helped Milwaukee to the impressive road win, coming against the regionally-ranked Golden Gophers who were also selected to the preseason national Top 25 poll. Hollenbach was huge – coming up with eight of her career-best 10 saves in the second half with the game on the line. She came up with big stop after big stop as the game was headed down the stretch, keeping MKE in position for the big victory when the goal finally came. 

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers did open 2025 with a tough loss to No. 23 Wisconsin and are now 15-17-4 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level.  The team has now gone 6-5-4 in season openers the past 15 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.

ABOUT THAT SCHEDULE
The MKE program has never been afraid to play a tough non-conference slate, and this season will be no different. The Panthers will take on four different opponents who were ranked in the preseason United Soccer Coaches National Poll, topped by a matchup with defending NCAA National Champion and preseason No. 1 North Carolina. In addition to that game against the Tar Heels, Milwaukee was also set to square off with Wisconsin (preseason No. 23), Michigan State (preseason No. 12), and Minnesota (preseason No. 24).

RANKINGS ROUND-UP
The Panthers took on a ranked opponent for the 56th time in program history when they battled #22 North Carolina Aug. 31. Overall, Milwaukee is now 4-45-7 against ranked foes, most recently playing a contest against a ranked side already this season when they fell to No. 20 Michigan State. The team last recorded a victory in that situation against Xavier in 2021 (a 1-0 decision over a #14 Musketeer squad in the first round of the NCAA Tournament).

Looking back, the game against then No. 3 Notre Dame (which ended in a 2-2 draw) to open 2023 marked the 15th contest against a Top-5 ranked opponent in school history, with the most recent being the NCAA Tournament matchup with #2 Virginia in 2021. The highest-ranked team MKE has ever knocked off was No. 8 Nebraska back in 1998 when the Panthers won, 2-1, in 2OT. That 2023 matchup with Notre Dame was also the last time MKE opened the season against a ranked foe, something that has happened on six prior occasions in program history - with 2025 being the seventh (2023: #12 Notre Dame/2013: #19 Michigan/2012: #24 South Carolina/1998: #8 Nebraska/1995: #1 North Carolina/1993: #16 Wisconsin).

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 and then did it again in 2024. His three-year win-loss record stands at 36-14-10 (.683 winning percentage) heading into the new campaign while going an impressive 26-1-6 (.879) in regular-season Horizon League contests.
 
In 2024, the Panthers went 12-7-2, going a near-perfect 9-0-1 in Horizon League play after a daunting non-conference schedule. In conference action, he led MKE to a staggering statistical lead in every category, pacing the 10-game slate in shots with 221 (second was 144), shots per game at 10.2 (7.3), shots on goal with 102 (73), total points with 88 (72), total goals with 28, and assists with 32. Also, on the defensive side, the team posted eight shutouts in the 10 matches, with its 0.20 goals-against average first by a wide margin (second was 0.70). Among national NCAA leaders, his team finished 11th in each of the following categories: scoring offense (2.38 gpg), points per-game (7.24), assists per-game (2.48). In addition, the Panthers were 15th in total points (152), 12th in total assists (52), and 17th in total goals (50). He guided Lainey Higgins to Horizon League Player of the Year honors, Parker Donahugh to Goalkeeper of the Year, and Kayla Rollins to a repeat selection as Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, the six first-team all-league selections marked the most in program history.

SOME BIG SHOES TO FILL
Seniors played a key role in 2024, as five full-time starters graduated, including the Horizon League Player of the Year (Lainey Higgins), the Offensive Player of the Year (Kayla Rollins), and the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year (Parker Donahugh).

The team returns just one of its Top 5 point scorers, with Rollins (39 points), Higgins (22 points), and Molly O'Regan (16 points) moving on, leaving Kristina Karlof (15 points) as the leading returning scorer to the field this season. MKE will still have an experienced roster that sees six players that made at least 17 starts (out of the 21 total games) a year ago including Karlof (18), as well as Jenni Andjelic (starts in all 21 games), Anna Champine (21), Ellie Rebmann (19), Lola Wojcik (18), and Savannah Sievert (17). In net, Donahugh will also leave a big opportunity, as she played all but 183:03 in net last fall.
Points: returners account for 55 of the 152 points (36.2 percent)
Goals: 14 of 50 goals (28.0 percent)
Assists: 27 of 52 assists (51.9 percent)
Starts: returning players accounted for 125 starts last season. 

PRESEASON POLL: TOPS AGAIN
Milwaukee was picked by league coaches to finish first in the 2025 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 105-point total of Northern Kentucky coming in second. This marks the seventh time in the past eight seasons that the team has been picked for the top spot, a place they have earned in the conference poll 22 times since 2000, as well as an amazing run of 13 straight from 2000-2012. Detroit Mercy (98 points/one first-place vote/third) and Robert Morris (80/fourth) wrapped up the next tier, with IU Indy and Wright State tying for fifth with 64 points.
2025 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Milwaukee (10) – 120
2. Northern Kentucky – 105
3. Detroit Mercy (1) – 98
4. Robert Morris – 80
T5. IU Indianapolis – 64
T5. Wright State – 64
7. Purdue Fort Wayne – 57
8. Green Bay – 47
T9. Oakland – 32
T9. Youngstown State – 32
11. Cleveland State – 27 

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 113-22-17 (.799), they actually have one of the best overall winning percentages in the nation over that span in NCAA play heading into 2025. The only ones higher are 2022 National Champion UCLA at 138-21-17 (.832), 2019 & 2017 NCAA National Champion Stanford at 141-23-14 (.831), 2023 NCAA Champion Florida State at 140-24-16 (.822), and 2024 National Champion North Carolina at 147-26-17 (.818). Then, it's Milwaukee in fifth place on that impressive list. No. 6 on that list is now Georgetown (115-19-34/.786), followed by Duke (115-34-22/.737).

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!
Milwaukee went 5-1-4 at home back in 2015. Since then, the Panthers have posted an impressive 78-9-8 ledger at Engelmann Stadium (an .863 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 29-5-5 at home under head coach Kevin Boyd (.808), 43-6-5 since the start of the 2021 campaign in home games (.843) and 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).

LET THE NUMBERS SPEAK
Milwaukee put together a very impressive resume among NCAA national leaders in 2024, ranking just outside the Top 10 in three categories as well as eight total entries in the Top 25.
11. Assists per game at 2.48 (national leaders Arkansas/Florida State at 3.67)
11. Points per game at 7.24 (national leader Arkansas at 10.43)
11. Scoring Offense at 2.38 goals per game (national leader Arkansas at 3.38)
12. Total Assists at 52 (national leader Duke at 79)
15. Total Points at 152 (national leader Arkansas at 219)
17. Total Goals at 50 (national leader Arkansas at 71)
22. Shots on goal per game at 8.10 (national leader Arkansas at 11.52)
25. Shots per game at 17.19 (national leader Pittsburgh at 21.22)

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.

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 now played 42 games that ended 1-0 (either way). Their record? An impressive 34-8 in those pressure-packed outings, including against regionally-ranked Minnesota Sept. 5 of this season.

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 $11.99 a month (or $119.99 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 19th time in program history. First-round action would take place November 14-16.