Ranked most likely to take the No. 1 position by Horizon League coaches in a preseason poll, the Milwaukee women’s soccer team is one to watch this fall. The team has already proven themselves a force to reckon with, having won the regular season title for the past two years. Last season the team scored and average of 2.40 goals per game, and went 8-1-0 in the league.
After the past two years with the team, this season will be coach Troy Fabiano’s third. In the past two years, he has seen a tremendous 24 wins with the team. Although he has not been with a team for long, he has made a positive influence. Senior center forward, Aubrey Krahn from Waukesha called his taking over the team a “blessing in disguise.”
The women kicked off the season last Friday, Aug. 18, with a tied game at Akron, whose team was voted No. 5 in the Mid-American East Division preseason poll. The Panthers provided a blank score sheet defensively, demonstrating the concentration hat senior center midfielder Jen Eberhardy mentioned in an interview.
“We have always been a good team defensively, and we plan to increase our scoring opportunities and be more threatening on the ball,” said Eberhardy in regard to the team’s overall goals for this season.
According to both Eberhardy and Krahn, the UWM team has an “arsenal of strengths.”
“We foster a winning mentality here at Milwaukee and that is one of the largest strengths that the team has in itself,” said Krahn.
With 11 freshmen, four sophomores, six juniors and nine seniors, the team has a good mix of both new and returning players. This balance will helps foster support amongst the players.
The team will be back at it again Sunday, Aug. 20 against Robert Morris at Moon Township, Penn. The Robert Morris team lost by two against Ohio on Friday.
To watch the season unfold, Panthers can attend games at Engelmann Stadium for free with a valid student ID. The first home game will take place Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. The complete season schedule can be found here.