What was looking like another comfortable conference win for the Panthers quickly turned into a tie game with everything to play for in the second half of the championship rematch against the Northern Kentucky Norse.
Lola Wojcik wasn’t letting the three points slip away and scored the winner in the 70th minute, her third goal of the season.
The Panthers continued their chokehold of the Horizon League with a 3-2 win over Northern Kentucky Sunday at Engelmann Stadium.
Milwaukee improved to (7-4-1) (W-L-D) while Northern Kentucky is now (6-2-4).
The Panthers have not lost a Horizon League game since 2022.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead into halftime after a prototypical conference performance, which has become the norm for the women’s soccer program.
Survival in the Second
For much of the second half, the Norse were the team asking more questions of the Panther defense.
Northern Kentucky scored both goals from long-throw ins. Milwaukee’s set-piece defense was nervy the entire second half.
The first came from Norse forward Erykah Cornett, who scored a backwards header just over two minutes out of halftime.
Megan Belrose knotted the game at two in the 55th minute with a shot that went off the left post and in.
The Panthers were able to find pockets of danger in the second half and broke through with 20 minutes left in the game, thanks to Wojcik.
“Finding a way to score was definitely a plus, but I don’t think we ever really got back into the game,” said Wojcik.
Lola Wojcik Breakout: Horizon League Player of the Week
Before this season, the redshirt senior had scored one goal in her Panther career back in 2023.
In 2024, she started 18 out of 20 appearances but was unable to record a goal. Despite her lack of end product, her talent was undeniable, finding herself in plenty of good positions.
The one thing lacking in her game was the final pass/shot that resulted in a goal contribution.
“She was carrying a whole lot of weight from last year of never scoring a goal after being in really good spots,” said head coach Kevin Boyd. “It was just like this snowball getting bigger as it rolled down the hill.”
Since scoring a goal in a 7-0 win against SIUE on Sept. 14, the page may have been turned.
“When she finally got that goal, it took that weight completely off her,” said Boyd. “There’s a big difference in the way she’s going at her finishing now.”
Wojcik had a career-high seven shots against Northern Kentucky and now sits at 3 goals and 3 assists on the season.
Her last two performances against Purdue Fort Wayne and Northern Kentucky were good enough for her first Horizon League Player of the Week honor.
Wojcik added a goal and an assist in both games.
Championship Rematch.
The last time these two teams met, a trophy and a bid to the NCAA Tournament were on the line.
The top-seeded Panthers prevailed to win their 7th straight Horizon League Tournament Championship 2-1 last November.
In that game, Kayla Rollins scored both Panther goals.
Balanced Attack Once Again
With Rollins and Lainey Higgins no longer on the team, the offense had to come from somewhere else.
“We don’t have the Kayla/Lainey show anymore,” said Boyd. “We’re getting a lot of production from multiple people.”
It has come from a committee of Panthers.
From attackers to defenders, there have been 12 different goal scorers this season.
The first goal for Milwaukee came from Zoey Pagels, assisted by Wojcik.
The second came after a beautiful turn, run and feed from Mallory McGurie reached Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett, who finished nicely past NKU keeper Megan Gessner.
Happy With Result, Less With Performance
“Obviously, it means a lot to get the three points, but as a team we’re just not satisfied with how we were playing,” said Wojcik. “Definitely in that second half, we let down.”
There was a stark difference between the Panthers in the first half and the Panthers in the second half.
“We let the game come to 2-2, and we find a way to get a third goal so that’s a good thing,” said Boyd. “But the coach in me is like we should never have been in that spot.”
Despite the level dropping, Milwaukee still found a way.
“That’s what’s pretty important and cool about our team, we always find a way to win no matter what is happening or how we’re playing,” said Wojcik.
Standings Update
Milwaukee sits atop the Horizon League with a (4-0-0) conference record.
Wright State is two points behind them with a (3-0-1) record.
And Northern Kentucky fell to third place after the loss to Milwaukee, bringing their conference record to (3-1-0).
Three Game Road Trip
After the victory against the runners-up a year ago, the Panthers head on the road for three games.
First, they visit Cleveland State on Saturday, Oct. 4, at noon. After that is the Detroit Mercy Titans on Oct. 9 at 6:00 p.m. The road trip finishes in Oakland on Oct. 12 at noon.
All three opponents have yet to find their first conference win.