Following a crucial two-game road trip in which the Panthers claimed a pair of wins - including a nice comeback victory against Wright State - the schedule slows a bit this week, seeing the team play just one match. That will happen Saturday, when the Panthers welcome Northern Illinois to town.

The game is scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m. but will be the second game of a men's/women's doubleheader, so the start time is subject to change slightly based on the 1 p.m. contest between the men's team and Oakland. The matchup is set to be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with Matt Menzl on the call. It will also have live statistics available for fans to follow the action and all links can be found on the MKE website. In addition, the team will also be debuting uniforms with the new Tabak Law, LLC logo on them, part of the new jersey patch sponsorship that the department announced this week.

The Panthers and Huskies have played 12 total times since 1993, with MKE holding an 11-1-0 mark that includes 11 victories in a row. The teams recently played every season between 2015 and 2021, with a 6-0 Milwaukee win the result of the most recent matchup in August of that year. That 2015 contest marked the first between the schools in 17 years, while Saturday's meeting will be the first with NIU as a new member of the Horizon League. Milwaukee is a perfect 7-0 in the series while playing at home.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS:
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Northern Illinois went 4-10-3 overall last season and 2-7-2 in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies are in their first season as a member of the Horizon League and are led by fifth-year head coach Michael O'Neill, who has guided NIU to 27 victories during his first four seasons in DeKalb. Northern Illinois enters Saturday's matchup with Milwaukee at 3-5-3 overall and 2-2-1 in Horizon League play after earning a 3-2 comeback victory at Cleveland State Oct. 4. The Huskies also picked up a 1-0 win over Wright State Sept. 27 and played to a scoreless draw at Purdue Fort Wayne Oct. 1. A trio of Huskies sit in the team lead with six points, as Monica Correa, Juliana Hill, and Dahlia Rodriguez have all recorded two goals and two assists to lead the way. Goalkeeper Alexandra Devory has started all 11 matches and owns a 0.98 goals-against average, .773 save percentage and three shutouts. 

EXTENDING THE RUN
The Panthers are now unbeaten in 44 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. 44 (36-0-8), Milwaukee, current streak
2. 36 (33-0-3), Milwaukee, 2016 thru 2020
3. 31 (29-0-2), Milwaukee, 2003 thru 2008

Big picture, the streak is the longest current of its kind (unbeaten in regular-season conference play) at the NCAA Division I level in women's soccer.
1. Milwaukee (Horizon): 44 (36-0-8)
2. Utah Valley (Big West): 36 (30-0-6)
3. Memphis (American): 32 (26-0-6) 

THREE'S COMPANY
Emily Petring came through with a career-best performance against Northern Kentucky Oct. 1, scoring goals in the 11th, 62nd, and 87th minute to mark the 23rd time in program history that a Panther netted at least three goals in a match. She is also the 17th to record a trio (the school record is four) and the most recent to accomplish the feat since Kayla Rollins had a hat trick against Robert Morris on Nov. 7, 2024. Petring was honored as Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts.

LOCKING IT DOWN
The defense was on full display against Oakland and Detroit Mercy, posting back-to-back shutouts, which extended a streak of four clean sheets over the past five outings. In addition to Lauren Nidey recording shutouts five and six of the fall, the team defense came up big time and time again. The Panthers actually allowed zero shots on goal to the Golden Grizzlies Sept. 24 (five shots total) and just one on goal against the Titans (nine total). The effort against the Grizz marked the first time Milwaukee allowed zero shots on goal to an opponent in a game since the 2020 campaign. That year, the schedule was played in the spring due to COVID, with the Panthers holding Green Bay to zero shots on target in a 6-0 win played March 30, 2021. That spring was also the last time MKE was as adept in this category, allowing just one shot on goal in back-to-back games in the postseason - against Northern Kentucky April 17 in the Horizon League Tournament Championship and again in the 1-0 victory over Elon in the NCAA Tournament April 28. This time around, freshman defender Emily Urban was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week to highlight the efforts. In the process, Urban became the first MKE non-goalkeeper to claim the defensive league accolades since Cassidy Blanchard in October of 2017. She was also the first Panther freshman to pick up league honors of any kind since Elaina LaMacchia (GK) in 2018. 

HAD IT THE WHOLE WAY
When Maya Wilson scored in the 85th minute against IU Indy Sept. 19, it capped a nice comeback road victory for the Panthers, who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 on the day before coming out on top by a final score of 3-2. It's not a position that the MKE program is used to playing from in recent seasons, as it trailed the Jaguars for a grand total of 28:24 on the clock. When looking back, the Panthers trailed in just two games over the course of the entire 2025 Horizon League slate. The team fell behind Detroit Mercy, 1-0, for a span of 1:57 on the clock before tying the game on its way to a 2-1 victory. The Panthers also trailed Wright State for a total of 6:31 over the course of a 2-2 draw, making a cumulative total of 8:28 of playing from behind over the course of 10 total matches in an unbeaten 8-0-2 campaign.

HOO-RAY HORIZON
When it comes to Horizon League openers, the record is quite impressive all-time. Milwaukee has gone 27-3-1 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 3-2 decision over IU Indy on the road to get things rolling. Head coach Kevin Boyd is 4-1-0 in his five league openers as the MKE sideline boss.

THANK YOU FANS
Not only did the matchup between Milwaukee and Wisconsin back on Sept. 3 feature a must-see state rivalry, but helped by the "Panther Welcome Tailgate" pregame, the attendance for the contest was one of the all-time best in program history. A crowd of 1.421 packed into Engelmann Stadium to watch the Panthers battle their third nationally-ranked opponent of the fall, marking the second-largest crowd to watch the Black & Gold all-time. It was the largest of any kind since 1,160 were at the MKE/UW battle back in September of 2023, with only the 2,212 to witness the double-overtime affair between Milwaukee and Marquette in September of 2011 being a bigger total all-time.
Home Attendance Records
1. 2,212 vs. Marquette, 9/7/11
2. 1,421 vs. Wisconsin,9/3/26
2. 1,321 vs. Indiana, 8/30/13

STAYING PERFECT WITH AN OLD FRIEND
The Panthers improved to a perfect 3-0 in the all-time series with Northern Iowa courtesy of its 4-0 victory Aug. 16. The scoring got started by a familiar face to UNI, as Abby O'Brien used a nice individual effort to net what stood up as the game-winning goal in the 28th minute and open the scoring. It was a special one for O'Brien, who spent the 2025 campaign at Northern Iowa (appearing in all 16 games) before transferring into the program.

FOR OPENERS
The Panthers did open 2026 with a loss at Iowa and are now 15-18-4 in season openers at the NCAA Division I level.  The team has now gone 6-6-4 in season openers the past 16 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.

RANKINGS ROUND-UP
The Panthers took on a ranked opponent for the 60th time in program history (and third time this season) when they battled Wisconsin Sept. 3. In fact, the games against #16 Tennessee Aug. 20 and #25 Georgia Aug. 23 marked just the second time in program history that it happened in consecutive outings during the regular season, dating back to a run of three straight to open the 1995 campaign. That year, Milwaukee started the season against #1 North Carolina (9/2/95) before playing #23 Washington State (9/4/95), followed by #14 Virginia (9/9/25). The team also went through a stretch in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, beating No. 14 Xavier in the first round before falling to No. 2 Virginia, 2-0, in the second round. Overall, Milwaukee is now 4-49-7 against ranked foes (0-4 in 2025). The team last recorded a victory in that situation against Xavier in 2021 (that 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 in 2024 and again in 2025. His four-year win-loss record stands at 49-19-13 (.685 winning percentage) heading into the new campaign while going an impressive 31-1-8 (.875) in regular-season Horizon League contests.
 
In 2025, he led the squad to a 13-5-3 overall ledger, running through the Horizon League slate at 8-0-2 for the program's fifth straight crown. In addition to topping the conference in nearly every statistical category, the Panthers finished in the Top 10 in the NCAA in numerous categories: fourth in assists per game (3.10), fifth in points per game (8.24), sixth in total assists (65), eighth in total points (173), ninth in scoring offense (2.57), and ninth in total goals (54). The team had four 20-plus point scorers for the first time in program history and had the Horizon League Player of the Year (and Offensive Player of the Year) in Mallory McGuire, the Goalkeeper of the Year in Bella Hollenbach, and the Defensive Player of the Year in Ellie Rebmann. In addition to five first-team All-Horizon League selections, two second-team honorees, and a pair of third-team selections, Boyd finally broke through for his first Horizon League Coach of the Year accolades.

ABOUT THAT SCHEDULE
The MKE program has never been afraid to play a tough non-conference slate, and this season was once again no different. The Panthers took on three different opponents who were ranked in the preseason United Soccer Coaches National Poll and another receiving votes who closed the 2025 season No. 21 in the poll. The matchups were with Iowa (RV), Georgia (preseason No. 19), Wisconsin (preseason No. 22), and Tennessee (preseason No. 24). Last fall, the slate was 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 squared off with Michigan State (preseason No. 12), Wisconsin (preseason No. 23), and Minnesota (preseason No. 24).

2025 CAMPAIGN REWIND
The Panthers are coming off yet another strong season in 2025, claiming their fourth consecutive sweep of Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles in head coach Kevin Boyd's fourth season at the helm. In fact, adding in the 2021 campaign, it makes Milwaukee the only women's soccer program at the NCAA Division I level to win both its regular-season and league tournament titles every season (and appear in the NCAA Tournament) over the past five years. The 2025 regular-season title was the 10th in the past 11 years for MKE. In addition, the team has now won the regular-season title 24 times since 2000 (all but 2020 and 2014) and 25 total times overall. The Panthers also made their 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 18th with the Horizon League's automatic berth.

SOME BIG SHOES TO FILL
Seniors played a key role in 2025, as nine full-time starters graduated or have moved on, including the Horizon League Player of the Year (Mallory McGuire), the Offensive Player of the Year (Mallory McGuire), and the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year (Bella Hollenbach).

The team returns just two of its top six point scorers, with Lola Wojcik (team and league-leading 25 points), McGuire (24 points), and Kristina Karlof (24 points) all graduated after finishing 1-2-3 last season. That leaves Emily Petring (22 points on 8G/6A) and Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett (15 points on 4G/7A) as the leading returning scorers to the field this season. MKE will still have a very inexperienced squad taking the field in regards to players who made starts last year. Outside of Natalie Zodrow (started all 21 games) and Kiersten White (20 starts), the next leading returner for the Panthers was Petring and Skinner-Barrett with just three starts apiece. In all, the MKE roster lost 182 of the 231 total starts in the 21 games (78.8%) the team played. The roster has turned over seven different players that started 20 or 21 matches in 2025. In net, Hollenbach will also leave a big opportunity, as she played all but 178:35 in net last fall.
Points: returners account for 59 of the 173 points (34.1 percent)
Goals: 16 of 54 goals (29.6 percent)
Assists: 27 of 65 assists (41.5 percent)

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 126-27-20 (.786), they actually have one of the best overall winning percentages in the nation over that span in NCAA play heading into 2026. The only ones higher are 2019 & 2017 NCAA National Champion Stanford at 162-25-16 (.837), 2025 & 2023 NCAA Champion Florida State at 156-26-20 (.822), 2022 National Champion UCLA at 150-26-21 (.815), and 2024 National Champion North Carolina at 160-32-19 (.803). Then, it's Milwaukee in fifth place on that impressive list. No. 6 on that list is now Georgetown (131-23-37/.783), followed by Duke (132-39-23/.740).

ONE MORE LIST
Speaking of program excellence, the Panthers are also near the top of another prestigious list at the NCAA Division I level for women's soccer: total combined regular-season and league tournament championships. Only North Carolina (47) is ahead of the Panthers (43) on that impressive list.
1. North Carolina: 47
2. Milwaukee: 43
3. Penn State: 29

PRESEASON POLL: TOPS AGAIN
Milwaukee was picked by league coaches to finish first in the 2026 Horizon League regular season. The Panthers tallied 142 points in the coaches' poll to hold down the top spot, with the 119-point total of Northern Kentucky coming in second. This marks the eighth time in the past nine seasons that the team has been picked for the top spot, a place they have earned in the conference poll 23 times since 2000, as well as an amazing run of 13 straight from 2000-2012. Youngstown State (103 points/third) and Green Bay (102/fourth) wrapped up the next tier, with Oakland (93/fifth) and Wright State (90/sixth) close behind them. 
2026 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Milwaukee – 142
2. Northern Kentucky – 119
3. Youngstown State – 103
4. Green Bay – 102
5. Oakland – 93
6. Wright State – 90
7. Northern Illinois – 72
8. IU Indianapolis – 61
9. Cleveland State – 57
10. Robert Morris – 47
11. Detroit Mercy – 26
12. Purdue Fort Wayne – 24

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!
Milwaukee went 5-1-4 at home back in 2015. Since then, the Panthers have posted an impressive 83-10-9 ledger at Engelmann Stadium (an .858 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 33-5-5 at home under head coach Kevin Boyd (.826), 47-6-5 since the start of the 2021 campaign in home games (.853) and enjoyed a 19-game (18-0-1) unbeaten streak that was snapped 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).

THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR
Milwaukee recorded a 1-0 victory over Oakland September 24. That 1-0 scoreline in MKE's favor 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 43 games that ended 1-0 (either way). Their record? An impressive 35-8 in those pressure-packed outings, including against a regionally-ranked Minnesota squad Sept. 5 of last season.

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 made quite the splash in her only 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 tied for third with her six assists.

THE FABULOUS FIVE
With a 3-2 victory over Green Bay Oct. 29 last fall, 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.

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 $12.99 a month (or $129.99 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
The Panthers remain at home for the next two games as well, hosting Youngstown State Oct. 15 and Robert Morris Oct. 18. Game time against the Penguins Thursday is set for 6 p.m. from Engelmann Stadium.