MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's soccer team has been picked by league coaches to finish first in the upcoming Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the Under Armour preseason poll announced today by the league office.
 
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.
 
In 2025 head coach Kevin Boyd led his 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.

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.
 
Northern Illinois (72) was seventh, IU Indy (61) eighth, and Cleveland State (57) was ninth to make up the middle of the poll.
 
Robert Morris (47), Detroit Mercy (26), and Purdue Fort Wayne (24) rounded out the poll.
 
2026 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll
Pl.        Team – Pts.
1. Milwaukee – 142
2. Northern Kentucky – 119
3. Youngstown State – 103
4. Green Bay – 102
5. Oakland – 93
6. Wright State – 90
7. NIU – 72
8. IU Indianapolis – 61
9. Cleveland State – 57
10. RMU – 47
11. Detroit Mercy – 26
12. Purdue Fort Wayne – 24