The Last Meeting

Valparaiso	0
Milwaukee	2

October 5, 2011
Engelmann Stadium

#12 Panthers Defeat Valparaiso, 2-0 Keara Thompson scored a goal and assisted on another as the No. 12 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team defeated Valparaiso 2-0 Wednesday evening at Engelmann Stadium. Playing without All-American Sarah Hagen, the Panthers (12-1, 4-0 Horizon) got second half goals from Kelsey Holbert and Thompson to push their winning streak to six games. The Crusaders (6-5-2, 2-1 Horizon) lost in league play for the first time this season.

Recap | Box Score

• Greg Henschel Show Podcast

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Oct. 2, 2012) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team heads to Valparaiso Wednesday for a mid-week Horizon League showdown with the Crusaders. UWM and Valpo kick off at 4 p.m. at Eastgate Field. The Panthers are coming off a roadtrip last week where they split results at Detroit and Youngstown State. They'll be looking to even their league mark after dropping two of their first three this season.

What's New?
The Panthers snapped a school-record six-game losing streak on the road last week as they split a pair of league road games. Milwaukee upended Detroit 2-0 before falling at Youngstown State 2-1. UWM is now 2-7-1 on the season and 1-2 in league play.

About Valparaiso
The Crusaders got their league campaign off on a winning note with a 2-1 win at Cleveland State last Friday. Valpo, which was picked third in the league coaches' preseason poll, is 7-3-1 on the year. Luisa Desario leads the team in scoring with four goals, while a pair of teammates have added two goals apiece. The team's success is built on defense, as the Crusaders have conceded just seven goals in 11 games this season. Kristen Manski has anchored the defense in goal, playing every minute with a 0.62 goals against average and six shutouts this season.

Series Notes
UWM has won all 13 meetings with Valparaiso ... that record includes a 5-0 mark on the road in the series ... the teams last met in Indiana almost exactly three years ago--Oct. 4, 2009 ... the Panthers have outscored the Crusaders 60-4 all-time and have not allowed multiple goals in a game.

Welcome to League Play
Milwaukee's tough non-league slate has built to the start of Horizon league games. The Panthers have excelled in league play, winning 12-straight league regular season titles, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Penn State (Big Ten. They have also posted a 78-6-3 (.914) record in league games over that time. The results get even better at home, where UWM is 40-2-1 (.942) in that time.

Tough Road Ahead
Milwaukee's 2012 schedule has shaped up to be another tough slate as the team is set to play four nationally-ranked teams. After a scoreless draw against preseason No. 24 South Carolina Aug. 17, UWM played No. 13 Marquette and hosted No. 13 Wisconsin. The Panthers close out their non-league slate Oct. 21 against No. 22 Oklahoma State. Milwaukee has two wins and six draws in 36 games all-time against ranked opponents.

Streaking
The Milwaukee defense and Jamie Forbes posted back-to-back shutouts to start the season. This marked the fourth time it has happened. As a freshman in 2009, Forbes had four-straight shutouts to start the season, while the 2006 and 1997 teams also had two clean sheets to start their campaigns.

Welcome Back
Sammy Vovos scored her first goal of the season against St. Bonaventure. It was a triumphant return to the field for the fifth-year senior. Vovos last scored a goal Oct. 26, 2009, at Green Bay. She then missed the next two seasons with two separate injuries. She played in her first game since 2009 in the season opener vs. South Carolina. Vovos added her second goal of the season vs. Wisconsin, matching her career-high.

Quick Study
Sara Zawacki played just the final 13 minutes against St. Bonaventure, making her collegiate debut and quickly getting on the scoreboard. By scoring in her first game as a Panther, she is the fifth player in school history to score a goal in her UWM debut and the first since Sarah Hagen in 2008. She is just the second to score off the bench, joining Katie Waltenberger in 1998, who also debuted in the second game of the season.

Players of the Week
Amy Kauffung (Offensive) and Jamie Forbes (Defensive) were named the Horizon League Players of the Week for Aug. 20. It was Kauffung's first weekly honor, which she received after scoring a goal and an assist vs. St. Bonaventure. Meanwhile, the award is Forbes' third. She stopped all 12 shots faced in a pair of shutouts, including vs. No. 24 South Carolina.

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 is 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 entered the season with 290 wins and now is just nine shy of 300. Meanwhile, the Panthers came into 2012 with 286 all-time wins and are now 13 off the mark.

Home, Sweet Home
Milwaukee is always excited to see games at Engelmann on its schedule, as the team has an undeniable home field edge. The Panthers have a 55-8-6 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 52-6-1 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 Stadium."

Up Next
Milwaukee has a week off before returning to action on its home field Oct. 10 when Loyola visits.