MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's soccer team used an impressive comeback effort to pick up a well-deserved 2-2 draw against Northwestern Thursday night in front of a crowd of 1,140 at Engelmann Stadium, marking the sixth-largest crowd in program history.
 
"I am really happy with the team – I thought we played very well," head coach Kevin Boyd said. "It was our most complete game we played so far. We played with the intensity we have wanted to play with, and we played with a lot more confidence finally. We were connecting the ball … we started doing some things we have been asking them to do and just hadn't done in a game."
 
The Panthers (1-3-1) fell behind the Wildcats (2-1-2) in the second minute and trailed 2-0 at the 18-minute mark before rallying. Mallory McGuire scored just before halftime and Ellie Rebmann provided the equalizer in the 67^th minute to help the team finish with the tie.
 
Down 1-0 just 1:42 into the evening, Milwaukee reset and had a pair of decent looks at making it a new game quickly. Emily Petring had one in the ninth minute, and Maya Wilson had an open look on a rebound save but sent the attempt just high of the crossbar in the 17^th.
 
The visitors then struck again at the 18:00 mark to seemingly take control. MKE dug in and fought back, eventually finding a goal before intermission. Anna Champine started the scoring sequence, sending a long ball into goal. McGuire was there for the loose ball, taking two touches before sending one past the NU goalkeeper. The final defender got a piece of the attempt, but it was not enough to keep it from crossing the line and making it 2-1 at the 43:35 mark.
 
"I thought Mal emerged tonight, which was great to see her play the way that she did," Boyd added.
 
The Panther offense came out after halftime on the front foot and kept up the pressure. They finally broke through again in the 67^th minute, with McGuire again involved. Abby Stoeck took possession and found Kristina Karlof on the wing. Karlof played to McGuire from the ground, and she led Rebmann perfectly – tucking the ball just under the crossbar to make it a new game at 2-2 at the 66:44 mark.
 
Milwaukee had the better of the chances the rest of the way, unable to find a third goal. Bella Hollenbach played strong in goal to preserve the draw, making a career-best nine saves on the night including a big one in the 72^nd minute where she made a diving attempt to knock a would-be goal just over the crossbar.
 
The tied match was very even on the stats sheet as well: the Wildcats finished with the 17-16 edge in shots, with the 11-7 advantage in shots on goal. Milwaukee had five of the nine corner kicks and possession finished an even 50/50. Zoey Pagels paced the offense with four shot attempts, with McGuire adding three.
 
"The team as a whole, that is what we are trying to create," Boyd said of the offense. "The character was there; the soccer was significantly better. Even when we were down 2-0, we were playing well. I thought the second half was a pretty even half. When I look at the stat sheet, it looks like it should have ended in a tie. It looked like a very even game and I would think highly entertaining for the fans. I am just proud of the way that we played, especially following Sunday."
 
Up next, the team continues its challenging start to the campaign, heading to play reigning NCAA National Champion North Carolina Sunday. Game time against the Tar Heels is set for 11 a.m. CT.