Grinding It Out

Hello Panther fans, blog fanatics, and everyone else in between...

I hope you are enjoying the cooler fall weather that started to settle in!

We are now 2-1 in conference, after games against Northern Kentucky and Valparaiso since I last blogged. Let’s start with last night’s game against Valpo.

We hit the road around 1 o’clock, hoping to avoid Chicago traffic and we did just that. We got to Valpo with about two and a half hours to spare, which is better than normal, we tend to run a little behind on our road trips. Once we were there, we fueled up with some Jimmy Johns, and headed to campus to prepare for the matchup with the Crusaders. Game time came, and Anna Smalley got us off to a quick start ... that must just be her thing. Jen took a strike from distance, the goalie got her hands on it but dropped it, and Anna was there to follow and put the ball in the back of the net.

We had control a majority of the first half but were unable to find another goal. Valpo got the equalizer in the first part of the second half, and we found ourselves in another overtime game. We fell short in this match, giving up a goal in the first overtime for our first conference loss on the year.

On a better note, we had a successful trip to Northern Kentucky over last weekend. Being their second season in the conference, it was our first trip there. After the way our bus ride there went, not many of us want to make that trip again. We came out ready to play on Saturday though, having a strong but scoreless first half, and getting a goal in the 75th minute to walk away with a 1-0 win. The goal came directly off of a corner, and many people question if it actually went in ... ask Anna, she saw first-hand and celebrated right away!

We now head to Detroit, to take on the Titans who sit at the top of the conference right now. Another long bus trip before we return home to Engelmann to play in front of the home crowd. I’m hoping Anny brings her bouncy ball and deck(s) of cards, so there is something to keep us busy again!

I hope you all follow along this weekend, should be a great game to watch!

On the Road Again

Hello Panther fans/blog fanatics! I don’t know about you, but we missed having a mid-week game this week and are ready for things this weekend! Before I get to what’s ahead, let’s recap last weekend with our conference opener!

We took on UIC at home Friday night, and got the conference season off to a strong start. Our offense kept rolling from our game against Chicago State just two days before. The scoring started early as I bent a corner into the back of the net just 3 minutes into the game. That goal wasn’t enough to initially put out the Flames though, as they found the back of the net about 3 minutes later. From there, it was all us.

Callie had herself quite the night, scoring twice and assisting on another. The early entry ball into Maddie created a beautiful one-touch finish and impressed quite a few folks in the stands.

McKaela came away with her first career goal after she chested/stomached?? the ball into the goal on a corner. Troy tells us to just let the ball hit us when we are that close and McKaela did just that.

Callie’s first goal came on a long service from Cassidy in the back line, and her second came on a long free kick that she one-timed past the keeper.

Next up, we hit the road to travel to Northern Kentucky. We have had the benefit of spending the week preparing for them, and getting ourselves set for another big conference match.

Unfortunately, we won’t be home for a little bit, but who doesn’t love a little road trip! We are hoping to keep the offense firing on all cylinders, and bring home a big win after this weekend! Follow along, I think you’ll enjoy the ride!

Ready to Go

With a few games to recap this time, I’ll jump right into that. Last Friday we took on crosstown rival Marquette. As always, it was a great atmosphere to play in, and a high-energy game. With a scoreless first half, it didn’t take long for Anna Smalley to find the back of the net in the second. We held the 1-0 lead until the final two minutes of regulation, but battled through both overtimes to walk away with the draw. Huge shout-out to our men’s team as they fought back from a 3-0 deficit last night to walk away with a tie against Marquette also!

Sunday we turned around and played a strong Iowa State team. Both teams were unable to break the other down during regulation so we headed into another overtime game. We like to keep things interesting for our fans! This time we came up on the losing side of things giving up a goal about halfway through the second overtime period. We had a few minor injuries coming off of Sunday, one being a pretty stellar black eye for Kelli Swenson ... you should see the other girl! She actually probably looks better than Kelli, no offense. Another shout-out this week goes to the women’s basketball team for coming out to support us, especially for embarrassing McKaela a little bit! For those of you that don’t know, McKaela is a dual-sport athlete here and is playing basketball also.

Bouncing back from Sunday’s game, we had our last non-conference game of the year against Chicago State last night. We were focused on playing with energy and finishing our chances, and we did! It took us a little bit to get the scoring going, but once we did, the flood gates were open!

Anna started the scoring with a header goal off of a corner kick! She kept things going for us finishing with a hat trick on the night! Sydney Senn added two goals for us in her action last night. We had a spread for the final 6 goals from Ashley Burkhardt (1st of her career!), Aubrey Krahn, Kelly Manski, Marissa Stovring, Callie O’Donnell, and most notably, Abbey Hoerchner scored the first of her career after battling through 3 ACL injuries, capping off a fun night at Engelmann!

I should also make mention of the combined shutout performance on the night, Lauren Rice with her first career start, and Olivia Davies with a second half clean sheet to back her up!

We are excited to open up our conference season this Friday night as we take on the UIC Flames! It is a 7 p.m. game, with a Pizza Hut giveaway, so bring some friends and come cheer us on!

Good to be Back

As much as we all look forward to spending a weekend on the road, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being back home (despite the hassle of unpacking all of our dirty laundry from the weekend when we get back).

Our road trip began by heading to Macomb, IL. There isn’t much there, so we arrived late Thursday night at the hotel, rested up, and woke up ready to rock and roll for the game that day. We ate breakfast on our own in the hotel, and then got lunch at Steve’s favorite sandwich shop from when he was in college and would visit Western Illinois. Let’s just say Steve’s favorite, wasn’t our favorite. We stopped back at the hotel, packed our stuff, and headed to the field.

Despite a slow start, and an all-around slow game, we found the back of the net on four occasions. I started the scoring in the 15th minute on a slotted ball back post. Marissa Stovring scored her first goal as a Panther on a ball from Lolo in the 43rd minute; hopefully there are many more to come from her! The second half brought two more goals, and first of the season for Anna Smalley and Maddie Tetzke.

We left straight from Western Illinois’ field and headed to Des Moines, Iowa for a matchup with Drake that was to come Sunday. We stopped at Olive Garden, the endless breadsticks really hit the spot, although the gluten-free girls were a bit envious ... Abbey even smelled a breadstick to get as close to eating it as she could. Once at the hotel, it was straight to bed, although the party in the lobby was tempting. We trained on Drake’s practice field, grabbed some lunch, and had some free time to explore downtown.

The morning started with a good breakfast at the hotel, a quick meeting, packing our bags, and we were off to the field. We came out strong, getting ourselves out front to a 1-0 lead, but a late first half goal from Drake had us tied going into the break. We gave up a late goal, and unfortunately traveled home 1-1 on the weekend, but we came back ready to go this week at practice.

I would like to give a big shout-out to all of the Panther fans that made the long trips this weekend; there’s nothing like seeing the familiar faces in the crowd when we are miles from home!

Two big games lie ahead this weekend, and both will be here in Milwaukee. Friday night is our crosstown rivalry with Marquette at Valley Fields at 7 pm, and Sunday we play a strong Iowa State team at home. Come out and support as we play our last few nonconference games of the year!

Now We Go ...

Last weekend was filled with some highs and lows for the Panthers. Thursday night we traveled to UW-Madison for an always intense in-state rivalry. We jumped out to an EARLY lead with Callie finishing a beautiful pass from Anna Smalley in the second minute.

Like I said last week, once Callie gets going, she is very hard to stop. We then got locked in defensively and battled to the final minutes.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin was able to find the equalizer late in the second half and we headed to overtime. It didn’t feel great walking off the field with a 1-1 tie, but we thought it was a good result against a Top-20 team on the road.

For those of you that may not know, our parents spoil us. We may be adults, key words 'may be', but one of the things we look forward to most are the treat bags that our parents bring after all of our away games. We are still waiting on the halftime snacks ... but their smiling faces and tasty treats are the best way to start our treks home.

Sunday we turned around to play Southeast Missouri. We conceded a goal in the first few minutes of the game, and unfortunately were kept scoreless despite many, many chances to tie the game up. This led to our first loss of the year, as well as the end of a thirteen game unbeaten streak which had tied a previous school record. Looks like it’s time to start that streak over again! (Everyone please keep Erin in your thoughts and prayers as she unfortunately saw her season come to an end this past weekend with a torn ACL and meniscus. We are all hoping for a speedy and strong recovery!)

We have our first real road trip of the year this weekend as we travel to Western Illinois for a Friday afternoon game, and head straight to Drake for a Sunday afternoon match up. As all of the other students return and come to campus in the wake of the soon-approaching school year, we look to get away for a weekend and bring home a pair of big wins.

Speaking of school starting, the Panthers greeted students at Hartford Elementary school located in the middle of our campus, hoping to make their first day of school a positive one! It was a fun way to get involved in the community and be positive influences for the students we pass each day.

Stay tuned Panther fans, we have a big year ahead!