MILWAUKEE - Aubrey Krahn netted the game-winner and McKaela Schmelzer provided the insurance as the Milwaukee women's soccer team claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Wright State University Saturday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (9-4-2, 5-1-0 Horizon League) waited until late to strike against the Raiders (6-7-2, 4-1-1 Horizon League), earning the important victory that sent them into first place in the Horizon League standings with just three games remaining on the regular season schedule.
 
"They all get a bit bigger now, but one of the things we talked about at halftime was being a little more dangerous and trying to control the ball," Milwaukee head coach Troy Fabiano said. "I felt towards the end of the first half, we got away from that and Wright State had the better possession. I give a lot of credit to the kids, we talked about getting that second goal and trying to put teams compared to holding on for our lives and we were able to find that second goal which relieves a lot of stress."
 
In a scoreless battle between the top two teams in the league, overtime was once again looming at Engelmann Stadium. Krahn netted her second goal of the season at the 78:37 mark, shielding her defender from Anna Smalley's sideline throw-in before turning and firing a perfect shot to the upper-90 of the far post.
 
"Aubrey has worked hard," Fabiano said. "She has shown it in practice. I give her a ton of credit. She kept plugging away. Maria has the ability to serve some balls and McKaela doesn't shy away from it. She's willing to go get it, she did and the ball was in the back of the net."
 
Milwaukee wasn't done there, with Schmelzer icing the game with a pretty goal. Following a WSU foul near midfield, Maria Stephans sent a perfect free kick into the front of the goal, where Schmelzer timed it perfectly with a one-touch finish at the 85:46 mark.
 
"McKaela is one of the targets on our free kicks and corners – she is really good and really strong in the air," Stephans said. "I knew if I put it in close she would try and get a body on it."
 
That capped a day where quality scoring chances were hard to come by and also marked yet another shutout for the Milwaukee defense. Mallory Geurts recorded three saves on the day to help her post her third clean sheet in a row and extend her personal scoreless streak to 270 minutes. The shutout was the fifth of the season for Geurts and the seventh of the year for the team.
 
"That's one of our strengths," Fabiano said. "We focus on defending as a group and it starts with the front all the way to the backline. If you don't give up a goal, you aren't going to lose a game."
 
A quiet first half for both teams started heating up after intermission. A 53^rd-minute corner kick nearly started the scoring, but Katie Ruff made one of her seven saves on the day – a brilliant reaction save on a far-post header by Schmelzer.
 
Stephans then took a couple of attempts to crack the scoreboard over the next 10 minutes, forcing tough saves on a blast from the wing in the 62^nd minute and a one-hopper from distance in the 67^th.
 
Milwaukee snapped Wright State's six-game unbeaten streak in the process, blanking a team that had netted 12 goals in its past half-dozen contests in that stretch.
 
For the game, UWM ended the afternoon with a shot advantage of 17-to-11, including 9-to-3 in shots on goal. Milwaukee also had seven of the 10 corner kicks on the day, while Wright State was whistled for nine of the 17 fouls.
 
Stephans paced the offense with four shot attempts, all of which were on goal. The assist was her eighth of the campaign, a total that continues to lead the Horizon League. Maddie Tetzke also had four shots on the day.
 
Up next, a midweek showdown with Green Bay awaits. The road game is set to be played Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. and will feature a live television broadcast on Time Warner SportsChannel.

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