Just 18 regular season games sit between Milwaukee women’s soccer and their 18th postseason appearance, a mark bested by only 25 other programs nationally. To continue their incredible run, the Panthers will need to receive similar production from new sources.
The team features 11 freshmen and four transfers, a significant change from a senior-heavy roster in 2023.
“The hardest thing is just getting them on the same page,” said senior Lainey Higgins, one of three seniors in 2024. “[Teaching them] the expectations of the team – it’s a big transition.”
With the preseason only a couple weeks long, the team could have some growing pains early.
“There’s just not enough time,” said Boyd. “There’s too much information that has to go in, so that’s always a concern.”
Higgins was one of Milwaukee’s six All-League honorees in 2023, scoring and assisting six goals, respectively, in her junior season. Fellow incoming senior Kayla Rollins garnered recognition for her league-high 12 goals by being named Horizon League Player of the Year, Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and a earned a spot on the All-League First Team.
Absent from this year’s team are the other four who were recognized – Goalkeeper of the Year Kendall Edwards, forwards Kat Van Booven and Brooke Parnello and defender Clara Broecker.
The expectations continue even in their absence, both internally and externally. Horizon League coaches unanimously selected Milwaukee to win the conference in the annual preseason poll.
“Losing those impact players – [you ask] who’s going to replace them,” said Boyd. “Lainey and Kayla were both impact players last year – that’s just two.”
Among the new faces who could be impact players are goalkeeper Bethany Moser and forwards Josie Kelderman and Zoey Pagels.
Moser finished second in the Mid-American Conference with an .864 save percentage in 2023 as Ball State’s starting goalkeeper.
Kelderman spent five years at Marquette, earning All-Big East Freshman Team honors in 2019 before battling injury.
Pagels spent two years at Green Bay, leading the Phoenix in scoring both seasons.
Aside from the 15 incoming players, the Panthers may already have existing impact players ready to step up. Redshirt junior Molly O’Regan returns after scoring seven goals last year, second most on the team.
“[O’Regan] has such a hard work ethic,” said Rollins. “She’s really finding the way she plays, playing with each other – she’s been doing a really good job.”
On the defensive side, Clara Broecker leaves a gaping hole in the defense, one that will certainly be challenging to fill. The Panthers will rely on junior Anna Champine to step up in her absence.
“[Champine] has really grown a lot in the last year in terms of her leadership and her communication,” said Boyd. “Her confidence seems to be sky-high – she’s playing exceptionally well.”
Sometimes lost in the midfield is Senya Meurer, whose contributions fly under the radar but are apparent to her teammates.
“She’s a solid rock that tends to go unnoticed,” said Rollins. “She’s always in those little areas that we just need extra help… That’s a great player who’s in the midfield who doesn’t get as much recognition as she deserves because she’s been doing a great job holding this all together.
Added Boyd: “She’s kind of that unsung hero player for us.”
Sights are set high, but the Panthers must first find their identity before the team can achieve their lofty expectations, set both internally and externally.
“We set some preseason goals,” said Boyd, who revealed they haven’t yet considered what they hope to achieve in the postseason. “Those were pretty simple – get better every day.”
Getting better every day is an admirable goal, but achieving that for one of the most successful programs in the country is a tall order. The Panthers have brought home the Horizon League title for six consecutive years – a run matched only by the Panthers of 2008-13 in the Horizon League.
The next step in that progression involves toppling high-level non-conference opponents.
Among those on the docket for 2024 – Ohio State, Minnesota, Harvard and No. 19 Wisconsin.
“We need more confidence and swagger when we play the top teams,” said Boyd. “We need to go into those games with the mindset that we’re there to win the game, but also a belief that we can… We carry a good confidence in-conference. We need to carry more of that into these top 25 programs when we play them in non-conference.”
Advancing beyond the first round of the NCAA Tournament could require knocking off a top-25 team on the road, a feat they accomplished in 2021 against No. 14 Xavier.
On their minds right now is their opening night matchup with Xavier – their first meeting since the postseason upset.
“We know nothing beyond Xavier,” said Boyd, emphasizing their one-game-at-a-time mentality.
“I’m looking forward to showing both them and ourselves what we can do,” said Rollins. “It’s a great way to compete and show ourselves how much we’ve grown and show the other teams that we’re not a school that should be overlooked.”
After 17 postseason appearances in 27 seasons, it’s about time Milwaukee gains national recognition for their nearly unparalleled success.
“It should be an exciting year with a lot of young players,” said Boyd. “Sometimes that’s more exciting than you want it to be… It’s up to them to state who they are, and we’re hoping they’re something special.”