MILWAUKEE – Behind three goals and an assist from Horizon League Player of the Year Emily Petring, the Milwaukee women’s soccer team claimed its ninth consecutive Horizon League Tournament Championship with a 5-2 victory over IU Indy Saturday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium.
“This team has been absolutely outstanding,” head coach Kevin Boyd said. “They only had two returning starters from last year. The amount that they had to learn and grow throughout the season is one of the biggest growth years I’ve ever seen. I’ve said it, the first year I was here (2022) and this year are the two that the amount of growth has been tremendous. And that is just a tribute to the players and the culture that they are in. And how focused they are about getting better and competing and trying to win championships.”
The Panthers (15-4-2) led 3-1 before the Jaguars (10-10-2) made it a one-goal game on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute. No worries for the champs, who responded with goals from Petring in the 70th minute to complete her hat trick and then from Natalie Zodrow just 100 seconds of game time later to put it way and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year and the 20th time in program history.
“It’s incredible,” Boyd said about finishing 13-0 against league teams in regular-season and postseason combined. “It’s not because we were significantly better than anybody. It’s because we just found a way and we were grinding. We played IU Indy to open conference play (Sept. 19) and we had to grind out a win in that game. Here we are playing them in the championship game. After that game (the opening 3-2 comeback victory against IU Indy) we talked about embracing the grind. That’s going to be us all season. This team did that exceptionally well.”
Petring, coming off a career-best 11 shot attempts in the semifinal victory Wednesday, wasted little time in giving her team the lead. In the eighth minute, she volleyed home Ashlyn Derosier’s corner kick to make it 1-0 at the 7:33 mark.
“I think just having my team just be there for me and just put the goals away that needed to be put away, it helped a lot,” Petring said of how Wednesday felt different from today. “And then coming into this game, we knew that the energy needed to be high. So, you know, I just got my chances and I put them away.”
Despite getting outshot 6-1 in the opening minutes, IU Indy made it a new game quickly, leveling the match when Keilah Muldrow netted her 10th of the fall at the 9:34 mark.
That didn’t stop the MKE offense, responding with goals in the 15th and 18th minute to immediately regain momentum. Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett made it 2-1, beating the Jags keeper to Maya Wilson’s shot that banged off the crossbar in front for her seventh of the campaign at the 14:29 mark.
It was Petring for the brace next, one-timing a combination of crossing passes from Denise Camarena and Natalie Zodrow just inside the near post at the 17:52 mark to put the home side ahead, 3-1.
“That’s what conference players of the year do,” Boyd said of Petring. “Big-time players show up in big-time moments. She did that and got her hat trick, which is pretty incredible in itself to get a hat trick in a championship game. She was unbelievable the whole game long.”
The match stayed that way until into the second half. Following a VAR review, IU Indy was awarded a penalty kick opportunity at the 61:17 mark that it converted to again make it a one-goal game.
Petring wasn’t done, however, netting her second hat trick of the campaign at the 69:06 mark when she slotted in a centering pass from Skinner-Barrett at the 69:06 mark. Zodrow also picked up an assist on the play in finding Skinner-Barrett down the wing. The goal was the 12th of the campaign for Petring and made it 4-2.
“We knew after the PK, we just said, let’s get another,” Petring said. “We didn’t put our heads down. We were full of momentum going forward. And we knew if we got another goal, then their heads would be down … and we did that.”
Just 1:40 of scoreboard time later, the Panthers put the game away. A free kick from the Panthers was sent in, with Petring getting a head on it. Her shot at a fourth goal was cleared off the line by a Jags defender, but Zodrow was waiting to pounce, blasting in the rebound for her sixth of the year at the 70:46 mark.
“We responded after that PK immediately,” Boyd said. “I mean as soon as that happened, it went 3-2 and the next thing you know we are driving at them. Which has kind of been us. I don’t like the little lull we had beforehand, but I absolutely love the response this team has when they are pushed.”
From there, the defense did the rest, with the entire bench running onto the field to celebrate when the clock hit zeroes, sending the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight time under Boyd, the ninth consecutive time since 2018, and the 20th time in program history.
Petring was named MVP of the tournament after her 10-shot (7 on goal), 3-goal, 1-assist performance. She was joined on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team by Skinner-Barrett (2G/2A in postseason), Zodrow (2G/2A in postseason), and Derosier.
For the game, the champs piled up advantages of 28-14 in total shots, 13-7 in shots on goal, and 10-6 in corner kicks, as well as holding 59 percent of total possession on the day. Petring’s 10 shots and seven points (3G/1A) led the way, with Skinner-Barrett and Maya Wilson both finishing the match with five shots apiece. Zodrow also had five shots and recorded four points (1G/2A).
In net, Lauren Nidey was credited with five saves, making a big one of a blast headed to the upper corner of the goal off a long free kick in the 61st minute when the game was still in the balance.
Up next, the team will find out its NCAA Tournament destination Monday, where fans can celebrate with the Panthers as they learn their opponent. On Monday, November 16, join the team at the Gasthaus inside UWM’s Student Union for the NCAA Women’s Soccer Selection Show Watch Party. The event gets underway around 2:30 p.m. with the selection show starting at 3 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase and admission is free. First-round NCAA Tournament action is set for November 20-22.
“All of us coaches are the same,” Boyd said. “We’re in the moments. We’re about the next game. I’ve been that way; the team has been that way. We’ve just been focusing on what is our next game. We love that we’ve just earned ourselves another game in the season. We get to be together training and playing for another week.”
2026 Horizon League All-Tournament Team
Emily Petring, Milwaukee (Championship MVP)
Ashlyn Derosier, Milwaukee
Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett, Milwaukee
Natalie Zodrow, Milwaukee
Bethany Hartigan, IU Indianapolis
Caroline Kelley, IU Indianapolis
Keilah Muldrow, IU Indianapolis
Kendall Jackson, Green Bay
Laney Stark, Green Bay
Addy Canter, Wright State
Leigha Lauer, Wright State
