The UWGB women’s soccer team reached the Horizon League Tournament for the first time since the 2021 season this year. On Nov. 2, No. 5 seed Green Bay defeated No. 4 Wright State in the Horizon League quarterfinal, winning 3-1. Nell Smith scored her first career goal as a Phoenix in the win, and Bella Brozek and Senah Hanes recorded the other two goals.
They went on to defeat No. 2 seed Northern Kentucky 2-1 on Nov. 6, only their second win all-time against the Norse. Green Bay’s Laney Stark had two goals to defeat NKU.
On Nov. 8, Green Bay eventually fell to No. 1 seed Milwaukee, losing 4-0. Milwaukee clinched its eighth consecutive Horizon League Tournament Championship with the win.
Sophomore Senah Hanes, senior Hanna Arvay, and redshirt junior Rebecca Stoeckmann were all named All-Horizon League Third Team.
First-year Head Coach Matt Kegan led Green Bay to an 8-9-4 overall record and a 4-3-3 mark in Horizon League play. It was the most wins the Phoenix have had since the 2021 season, when they won 11 games.
Abby Lom, a sophomore midfielder from Kimberly, Wisconsin, mentioned that a 1-0 loss to Northern Kentucky was her favorite game of the season. “Although we lost 1-0, it sparked so much hope and confidence in our team,” said Lom. She was one of four Phoenix players to start in at least 20 games this season. Lom also recorded two assists and five shots taken this season. “After a game where we felt we were the better team and only lost due to a lucky goal, we realized that we actually had a chance against one of the best teams in the conference.” Green Bay finished the regular season 6-2-2 after a loss to NKU back on Sept. 25.
Grace Downey, a junior defender from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, said that her favorite win was defeating Northern Kentucky in the semifinal of the Horizon League Tournament. Similar to Lom’s comments about losing to NKU after a 1-0 loss earlier in the season, she said “once we fully committed to playing the style our coach was implementing, we started to see some real changes and results. With next season being my last here at Green Bay, I am very excited for my team and what we can do in this conference. We really focus on holding to ourselves and the style we want to play.”
Forward Laney Stark, goalkeeper Anna Scott, and Stoeckmann were each named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team.
Hanes, a forward, is tied for the team lead in goals with six this season in just 14 games. She is also tied for second in assists with four other players, including Lom, with two.
Arvay, a defender, started in all 21 games this season for Green Bay, helping anchor five shutouts.
Stoeckmann, a midfielder, finished with three goals and two assists on 32 shots taken, which was second-most on the roster.
Lom mentioned that Head Coach Matt Kagan would always tell the team, “Winning is a habit.” She said “the habit of winning was the biggest challenge we overcame as a team to make the Horizon League Tournament Championship for the first time in program history.” She also mentioned that many members of the team learned new positions this season, overcame injuries, and the new coaching staff shifted positions because it was what was best for the team. “This is a sign of a great team that not only has great players on it, but also great people.”