MILWAUKEE - A scoreless draw never looked so good for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team, claiming the 2015 Horizon League regular-season title with a 0-0 decision against Northern Kentucky University Saturday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
Needing just one point from their final two games to claim the title, the Panthers (10-3-3, 7-0-1 Horizon League) took care of business against the Norse (9-5-1, 5-2-1 Horizon League) on "Senior Night", helping give head coach Troy Fabiano the league crown in his first season on the Milwaukee sidelines.
 
"We are very excited to have clinched the top seed in the Horizon League Tournament," Fabiano said. "The opportunity to host is something we have been talking about and the team's effort and work rate has gotten us to this point. Going forward we want to continue to build on what we have worked on this season as we finish out the regular season and move on to the tournament."

Not bad for a team that was picked an uncharacteristic eighth in the preseason poll just two months ago, as Milwaukee makes it 15 of 16 years as the Horizon League regular-season champion. The fifth-straight shutout is the also best scoreless streak for Milwaukee since a run of five shutouts in a row in October of 2008.
 
Goalkeeper Paige Lincicum continues to play a vital role, recording her sixth shutout of the season and fifth in a row, making six saves to extend her scoreless streak to 525:10 on the year. That total now ranks as the fifth-best mark in program history and the highest since Jamie Forbes went 547:02 with a goal against her in 2009.
 
"I think it's huge and we knew going into tonight that we had control of what was going to happen," Kelsey Holbert, the only fifth-year senior on the roster, said. "I think we've done a good job putting ourselves in a good position the whole season. We've won on the road and we've won tough 1-0 games where we found a way to win. Tonight was no different. We know we are not done, we set ourselves up to finish out the way we know we can."
 
The Panthers came out aggressive early, with Holbert forcing a save and sophomore Anna Smalley sending one just wide in the opening 10 minutes.
 
The team controlled possession for the majority of the night, but the Norse defense held tight, earning its sixth shutout on the year as well.
 
The UWM defense played solidly, forcing Lincicum into just a pair of tough saves overall. She made a nice grab of a long ball right before intermission and also stopped a breakaway at the 80-minute mark. NKU had a pair of shots in the extra periods, but neither were on target.
 
Smalley nearly ended the action with a golden goal in the first minute of overtime, blazing down the left sideline and into the penalty area, only to see her attempt get blocked at the post.
 
For the game, shots went in favor of the Norse by a count of 13-to-11, including 6-to-2 in shots on goal. Milwaukee forced seven of the 12 corner kicks on the night and was whistled for eight of the 18 fouls. Holbert and Smalley were the only players to record more than one shot for the home side, each finishing with three on the evening.
 
Up next is the final game of the regular season before Milwaukee gets to host the Horizon League Tournament. That final matchup will see the team head to Chicago to take on UIC Friday, set for a 7 p.m. start.

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