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MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Aug. 14, 2012) - A new-look University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team will open the 2012 season this weekend, hosting No. 24 South Carolina Friday and St. Bonaventure Sunday at Engelmann Stadium. The Panthers, who are receiving votes in the NSCAA Preseason Poll, take on the Gamecocks in the first regular season game under head coach Greg Henschel. The first-year man kicks off a new era, which also sees the loss of the most accomplished senior class in school history.

What's New?
The Panthers open their 29th regular season this weekend. The team is coming off its most successful campaign in 2011. UWM won a school-record 19 games, including its first NCAA Tournament win, and extended streaks of 12-straight league titles and four-straight NCAA Tournaments.

Last Week: Michigan State 1, Milwaukee 0 (EX)
UWM fell to Michigan State, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium in its lone intercollegiate exhibition match of the 2012 preseason. Three freshmen got the start for Milwaukee, including keeper Paige Lincicum, who made two saves.

About #24 South Carolina
The Gamecocks are coming off a season in which they went 16-7, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked 25th. This season, South Carolina returns six starters and was ranked 24th in the NSCAA Preseason Poll. Four players that saw extensive time on defense return, as well as goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo. She had a 0.80 goals against average and four shutouts as a freshman. Danielle Au is the top returning scorer, finishing with seven goals and three assists for 17 points a year ago. Like Milwaukee, the Gamecocks lost some high-scorers, as three 10-point scorers graduated, including Kayla Grimsley and her 30 points (10g, 10a).

About St. Bonaventure
The Bonnies are coming off a 9-7-4 campaign last season and are picked to finish seventh in the 16-team Atlantic 10. St. Bonaventure is another team whose offense was hit by graduation, as just 39% of its goal scoring is back. Molly Curry is the top-returning goal-scorer, having picked up four last season. SBU does return its keeper in junior goalie Megan Junker. She racked up a 1.05 GAA last season and five shutouts, one shy of the school's single-season record.

Series Histories
Milwaukee is playing both South Carolina and St. Bonaventure for the first time. UWM is 4-6-2 all-time against teams from the SEC and has two wins and five ties in 33 games all-time against ranked opponents. The Panthers are 30-20-3 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10, having defeated A-10 teams Saint Louis and Butler (twice) last season.

Preseason Awards
A handful of Panthers were recognized before the season started by various publications that cover women's soccer. Senior keeper Jamie Forbes was named to the watch list for All White Kit's Golden Gloves Award, which is given to the top goalkeeper in the nation. She was also picked to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year and on the all-league first team by College Sports Madness. CSM also picked Sky Perna as Newcomer of the Year; Emily Scott, Helen Steinhauser and Amy Kauffung as preseason first-team selections; and Krissy Dorre, Kelsey Holbert and Stephanie Condon as second-teamers.

New Man On Campus
Head coach Greg Henschel is in his first season leading the Panthers. He came to Milwaukee from UW-Whitewater, where he racked up 290 wins and 11 NCAA Tournaments in 13 seasons leading both the men's and women's programs. In 2011, both the men and women claimed league titles and NCAA Tournament berths.

Panthers Picked First in Preseason Poll
For the 13th-straight year, Milwaukee topped the Horizon League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Panthers, who received five first-place votes and 44 points in the poll, shared the top spot with Detroit, which garnered the remaining three first-place nods. UWM has won 12-straight league regular season titles, while Detroit finished second in the league a year ago. Valparaiso was picked third and Wright State, which fell to the Panthers in the league title game, fourth.

The Mighty 300
Both head coach Greg Henschel and the Milwaukee women's soccer program are closing in on monunental win milestones. Henschel enters the weekend with 290 career wins, just 10 shy of 300. Meanwhile, the Panthers have 286 all-time wins, putting them 14 off the mark. UWM has won more than 14 games in a season four times, including twice in four years, while having reached 10 wins in 16 of the least 18 seasons.

Home, Sweet Home
Milwaukee will be excited to get back to Engelmann Stadium for a full home slate, as the team has an undeniable home field advantage. The Panthers have a 55-5-6 record at Engelmann since 2005, including a 24-game unbeaten streak (21-0-3) that came to an end in 2009. That streak is tied for the 14th-longest in NCAA Division I history. UWM also had a regular season league home winning streak reach almost 12 years and 37 games (36-0-1) before ending in 2010. All-time, the Panthers are 52-5-1 at home in league play.

Back in Black (& Gold)
The Panthers return six starters in 2012, led by seniors Jamie Forbes and Helen Steinhauser. Forbes was voted the top keeper in the region last season, while ranking up a 0.67 GAA and 11 shutouts. Steinhauser is the top-returning scorer with four goals and five assists (13 points) last season. She returns in a midfield that boasts sophomore starters Kelsey Holbert and Amy Kauffung.

New in 2012
Twelve freshmen dot the Panther roster for 2012, including five all-state performers last season. Sky Perna was also rated as the No. 13 prospect in the midwest by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Emma Fatla was a three-time all-state honoree in Wisconsin, while Alleina Szydlowski also earned three awards in Michigan. Callie O'Donnell earned all-state honors twice in Illinois, while Chelsea Howe and Maria Stephens were also all-state selections.

More New Faces
In addition to a new head coach and 12 freshmen, Milwaukee also has a new look coaching staff with the addition of Kristen Weiss and Jon Gulrajani. Weiss is on staff as second assistant, while Gulrajani is with the team as a volunteer assistant. Dave Madsen is the lone returning coach, having been promoted to top assistant in the off-season.

Thanks For The Memories
UWM's 2011 senior class certainly made a name for itself in four seasons in a Panther uniform. The class is the first in school history to play in four NCAA Tournaments and won a school-record 61 games. Individually, the five players account for three of the top 10 goal scorers in school history and two more four-year starters. Most notably, Sarah Hagen wrapped up her career with 93 career goals and 212 points--both school and league records and ranking among the best in NCAA Division I history. After UWM, Hagen signed a professional contract with Bayern Munich of the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany and has returned to the club for her second season. Also of note, Keara Thompson (64 career points, fourth in school history) won a WPSL Elite title with the Western New York Flash over the summer and Makenzie Gillaspie (four-year starter) is a graduate assistant with the Nebraska Omaha women's soccer team.

Catch All The Action And More
For the second-straight season, a majority of the Panther home games will be webcast live and free on the Horizon League Network. In fact, beginning with the team's exhibition match against Michigan State, all but one game (Sept. 22 vs. Wright State) will be featured on HLN. In addition to live events, features, highlights and interviews are available at the Black & Gold Network, the department's official YouTube channel. Be sure to check in with BGN for the latest news and action surrounding Milwaukee Women's Soccer.

A Field By Any Other Name...
The Panthers' home field hasn't changed, but the name has. Milwaukee now calls its home Laura Moynihan Field at Engelmann Stadium. A new synthetic surface was put in place in 2010 and it was renamed Laura Moynihan Field last season, honoring the former women's soccer coach. The facility retained the Engelmann name in the form of "Engelmann Stadium." All references to Milwaukee's home stadium should be "on Laura Moynihan Field" or "at Engelmann Stadum."

Up Next - Staying In Town
The Panthers return to action next weekend with a road match across town at Marquette Friday and home game with Miami (OH) Sunday.