MILWAUKEE – Zoey Pagels scored early and Tournament MVP Kristina Karlof netted a goal directly off a corner kick to jumpstart the Milwaukee women's soccer team to a 4-0 victory over Green Bay in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game Saturday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"First of all, credit to Green Bay, and their coaching staff, and their team for getting to the final and for having the year that they did," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "Late in the year they were 'lightning in a bottle' and got it rolling. They showed character, they were hard to play against, and they showed us we can't take our foot off the gas. So, credit to them."
 
The Panthers (13-4-3) tacked on a pair of second-half goals from Lola Wojcik to top the Phoenix (8-9-4), sending the team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive season and the 19^th time in program history.
 
"Today I felt like we were on our front foot the entire time," Boyd said. "You get a fortuitous goal out of a blocked clearance [Pagel's first goal], so that's us pressuring and getting all over someone in the box. We get a goal out of that and got a second one shortly after that. We went into the half saying we have to absolutely win the second half. I thought we dominated and won the half When we got the third goal it kind of sealed it there, and then got a fourth goal late. It was probably already decided, but that just put a stamp on it."
 
After a midfield battle for the opening minutes, Milwaukee caught a break when Pagels hit a close-range shot on frame that was blocked and the clearance attempt went back off Pagels and off the crossbar and down, past the goal line for the fortunate 1-0 lead just 9:51 into the match.
 
Karlof pulled off her second Olimpico of the season just over four minutes later, sending her eighth goal of the fall into the back of the net directly off the corner kick to stun the crowd and hand MKE the 2-0 advantage at the 14:03 mark.
 
"It's such a difficult ball that she served in," Boyd said of Karlof's goal. "She hit a ball that has pace and bend to it. Her service on the corners is outstanding, but she is playing with confidence and the best she has ever looked, there's no question about that. She deserves everything she got."
 
Up 2-0 at the break, Wojcik continued her hot end to the season, sending in a banger of a goal from beyond the top of the 18 for her eighth of the campaign in the 62^nd minute.
 
She would add another late, gaining quick possession of a loose ball in the box before slotting in her ninth of the year at the 82:17 mark.
 
Not to be lost in all of the offense was another great day for goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach and the MKE defense. Hollenback came up big all day, making a few highlight-reel stops among her eight recorded saves on the afternoon to mark her second-most in a game this fall. She went unscored upon in the league tournament and posted her eighth clean sheet of 2025 today.
 
The postseason win extends an unbelievable stretch for the program. The team has now won eight consecutive league tournaments and has extended its unbeaten streak in league postseason play to 19 in a row (16-0-3), dating back to a match in 2016. Over the four years since Boyd took over, the Panthers are 31-1-8 in regular-season play and have claimed each of the past four regular-season and tournament titles and will find out their opponent Monday for what will be an eighth straight NCAA Tournament bid.
 
"The culture here is unbelievable," Boyd said. "This team and this program are driven to success. That's who they are, that's what they are about, they believe that's who they should be and strive for that daily. I don't think people realize how difficult this is. We get results because we don't read our own press clippings, we don't spend time patting ourselves in the back, we don't look backwards. We are looking at one game only and that's that next game. We don't take our eyes off that and that's really who we are, and it's allowed this kind of success."
 
Milwaukee posted a 15-14 edge in total shots on the day, with both teams putting eight on frame to go along with four corner kicks apiece. Wojcik led the way with four points (2G), with Karlof adding three (1G/1A), giving her seven (2G/3A) on the weekend as she earned Horizon League Tournament MVP honors. She played a role in five of the seven MKE goals in the event and led the way today with four shots.
 
Up next, the team will find out its NCAA Tournament destination Monday, where fans can celebrate with the Panthers as they learn their opponent. On Monday, November 10, join the team at the Gasthaus inside UWM's Student Union for the NCAA Women's Soccer Selection Show Watch Party. The event gets underway around 2:30 p.m. with the selection show starting at 3 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase and admission is free. First-round NCAA Tournament action is set for November 14-16.
 
2025 Horizon League All-Tournament Team
Kristina Karlof (MVP), Milwaukee
Anna Champine, Milwaukee
Bella Hollenbach, Milwaukee
Lola Wojcik, Milwaukee
Anna Scott, Green Bay
Becca Stoeckmann, Green Bay
Laney Stark, Green Bay
Meghan Belrose, Northern Kentucky
Erykah Cornett, Northern Kentucky
Mallory Anderson, Oakland
Brae Cole, Oakland