Wisconsin Badgers
Milwaukee
Quick Kicks: No.16 Wisconsin readies for first road game of the season
September 02, 2026 | Women's Soccer
The Badgers continue non-conference play at Milwaukee
MADISON, Wis. - No. 16Â women's soccer team will travel to face the Milwaukee Panthers for their first road game of the season. The teams will meet Thursday, Sep. 3 at 6 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+Â
Here are five things to know before the Badgers face the Panthers:
1. A History with Milwaukee
Wisconsin and Milwaukee will meet for the 24th time, with the Badgers holding a 15-5-3 advantage in the series since 1991. Wisconsin has won each of the last six meetings and owns a 6-3-1 record when playing the Panthers in Milwaukee. The two teams last met during the 2025 season, when Wisconsin earned a 3-1 victory at McClimon Soccer Complex. The Badgers also earned a 2-1 road victory at Milwaukee in 2024.
2. Know the PanthersÂ
Milwaukee enters Thursday's match up with a 1-3-1 record through its first five matches of the 2026 season. The Panthers opened the year with a loss at Iowa before earning a 4-0 victory over Northern Iowa. Milwaukee then faced a pair of SEC opponents, falling to Tennessee and Georgia, before battling Marquette to a scoreless draw in its most recent match. Thursday's contest will serve as Milwaukee's home opener.Â
The Panthers are coming off a 13-5-3 campaign in 2025 in which they went 8-0-2 in Horizon League play to claim their fifth consecutive regular-season conference title. Milwaukee finished among the top 10 nationally in several offensive categories, including scoring offense, total goals, assists per game and total points. Head coach Kevin Boyd was named Horizon League Coach of the Year.
Wisconsin returns plenty of veteran presence this season, with Drew Stover, Erin Connolly, Kiara Gilmore and Hailey Baumann leading the charge. All four have been named to the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Stover returns in goal after earning Third Team All-Big Ten honors a season ago. She started and played all 22 games, totaling a team-high 1,980 minutes while recording 10 shutouts, including four consecutive shutouts from Oct. 4 through Oct. 16. Stover also faced a career-high 18 shots at Penn State, allowing just one goal to help the Badgers secure a 2-1 victory on Sept. 21. She finished the season with 65 saves and a .765 save percentage.Â
The Badgers also return a strong backline led by Kiara Gilmore and Hailey Baumann. Gilmore earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team, United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Team and TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI Second Team honors after starting 21 games and totaling 1,801 minutes. She recorded four assists and six shots, including four on goal. Baumann returns after earning First Team All-Big Ten, United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-North Region and CSC Academic All-District honors. She was also ranked No. 74 in TopDrawerSoccer's Women's National Top 100 Postseason Rankings. Baumann scored against Marquette on Aug. 24 and added three assists while totaling 1,947 minutes after starting all 22 games.Â
Connolly returns as the Badgers' leading goal scorer after earning First Team All-Big Ten and United Soccer Coaches All-North Region honors. She started all 22 matches and played 1,855 minutes, leading Wisconsin with nine goals while recording 36 shots.
4. Last Time OutÂThe Badgers got on the board early, with Jane Rogers scoring her first career goal in the fifth minute off assists from Anya Gulbrandsen and Izy Truab. After UIC tied the match in the 41st minute, Abby Ballek responded just under two minutes later, scoring her first career goal off an assist from Erin Connolly to give Wisconsin a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
Wisconsin took control in the second half, scoring three goals in the opening 15 minutes. Jenna Baumann recorded a brace, scoring in the 48th and 54th minutes, before Margaret Sisk added her first goal of the season, and her career, in the 60th minute to make it 5-1.
The Badgers finished with a 14-9 advantage in shots, a 7-3 edge in shots on goal and a 10-4 advantage in corner kicks.
5. Follow the Badgers
Stay connected with Wisconsin women's soccer throughout the 2026 season by following the Badgers on Instagram and X at @BadgerWSoccer and on Facebook at Wisconsin Women's Soccer. Fans can also visit UWBadgers.com for the latest news, schedules, results, statistics and more.
