MILWAUKEE – Non-conference contests NCAA National Champion North Carolina and three other teams that finished the campaign nationally-ranked and went to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, as well as in-state matchups against both Wisconsin and Marquette highlight the schedule this upcoming fall for the Milwaukee women's soccer team.

-LINK TO 2025 WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE-

Third-year head coach Kevin Boyd announced the full schedule today.
 
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 11^th 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 15^th in total points (152), 12^th in total assists (52), and 17^th 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.
 
The 2025 campaign gets underway with a pair of exhibition matches, starting with a home matchup against Loyola Chicago August 3. The team then travels to UIC August 9 to wrap up the preseason.
 
The new slate will be full of challenges and it starts immediately, as the Panthers head to Madison to take on Wisconsin in the season opener Aug. 14. The Badgers went 10-6-5 last fall, finishing No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The home opener follows, with Milwaukee welcoming Northern Iowa to Engelmann Stadium Aug. 17. The UNI Panthers went 9-6-4 overall in 2024.
 
The team stays at home for the city rivalry with Marquette next, set for Aug. 21. Then, it's back on the road to meet up with Michigan State Aug. 24. The Spartans finished ranked No. 14 following a 2024 campaign in which they went 14-3-5 overall, as well as an impressive 7-1-3 in the Big Ten, playing into the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling.
 
The Big Ten slate of opponents remains the theme, heading back home to host Northwestern (6-10-3 last year) on Aug. 28.
 
The following contest will be noteworthy, seeing the Panthers travel to 2024 NCAA National Champion North Carolina Aug. 31. The Tar Heels finished as the No. 1 team in the country following a 22-5-0 season in which they lifted the National Championship trophy. If the No. 1 rank holds to that point, it will mark just the fifth time that Milwaukee will play the No. 1 team in the NCAA, with the most recent one coming against eventual NCAA champ Florida State in the NCAA Tournament following the 2020 COVID season.
 
The competition remains high for the next contest, seeing the Panthers travel to play Minnesota Sept. 5. The Gophers were also NCAA Tournament participants last year that advanced to the Sweet 16 en route to finishing 14-5-3 overall and ranked No. 17 in the final national poll.
 
The final contest prior to Horizon League play opening sees Milwaukee back home, welcoming SIUE to Engelmann Stadium Sept. 14.
 
Conference action starts on the road, with the Panthers opening against Robert Morris (6-7-7 overall last year) Sept. 18 and Youngstown State (5-11-2) Sept. 21.
 
The HL home ledger gets started against Purdue Fort Wayne (9-10-1) Sept. 25 and Northern Kentucky (12-7-1) Sept. 28. The Norse were regular-season runner-ups after posting an 8-1-1 mark and were also runner-ups in the tournament championship to the Panthers.
 
Back on the road is next, for an extended run of three consecutive to open October: Cleveland State (2-14-1) Oct. 4, Detroit Mercy (10-8-2 overall/7-1-2 HL for third place) Oct. 9, and Oakland (3-14-2) Oct. 12.
 
The Panthers then get the opportunity to close out the regular season with the final three matches at home, starting with IU Indianapolis (5-11-3) Oct. 16 followed by Wright State (5-10-2) Oct. 19.
 
The last game before the postseason sees Milwaukee host Green Bay (4-9-5) Oct. 29. The Horizon League Tournament gets underway the following week.