It wasn't a heartbreaker because the score was extremely close or the match was decided in the last minutes.  It was a heartbreaker because the UW-Milwaukee Women wanted to win the match so much.

The Lady Panthers played with pride and determination...and an intensity I have never before witnessed from this young squad.

The breakdowns were relentless in the first 15 minutes of the match.  UNI was fast to the ball and aggressive on defense.  The Lady Panther forwards countered with steady fringe defense and managed to move the ball into UNI territory.  The Panthers scored first with a try by Mollie Martin at 18:01. But the Panthers didn't manage to hold the lead for long.

UNI kicked to the Lady Panthers and created turnover ball in short order.  UNI's relentless offense moved the Panthers deep into their own territory.  UNI's speed proved too much for the Lady Panthers as they charged down a clearing kick and covered it in-goal to even the score. at 24:24.  The conversion was good at 25:42 and UNI took the lead 7-5.

On the ensuing kickoff, UNI again marched the ball deep into Panther territory and applied the same relentless pressure.  UNI fielded a shanked clearing kick which sailed to the Lady Panthers' under-defended blind side and touched down again at 29:08 to go ahead 12-5.

The Lady Panthers dug deep and regained possession of the Kickoff in UNI territory and steadily moved toward the goalline.  The UNI defense held tough and kept the Lady Panthers at bay.  UNI and the Lady Panthers traded possession, but a Lady Panther score seemed eminient.  However, UNI was able to gain a good clearing kick and move the ball quickly and deep into panther territory in the final minutes of the half.  The Lady Panthers regained possession, but as luck would have it, the attempt to clear-kick was again charged down in-goal by UNI at 37:02 and incresed the lead to 17-5.

The Lady Panthers made a valiant effort to drive deep into UNI territory, but the clock expired on the half before the Lady Panthers could capitalize on their efforts.

With a few lineup changes, the Lady Panthers took the challenge and raised their level of intensity as they marched on to the field for the second half.  In spite of the Lady Panther's best efforts, UNI kept up the pace and the marched toward the Lady Panthers' goalline eventually going in for a try at 46:38.  The conversion attempt by UNI at 47:20 was good, and the UNI lead incerased to 24-5.

The Lady Panther defense - although fast and intense - was marched deep into their own territory on a string of penalty calls and UNI again managed to dot down at 48:23 for another try.  UNI lead 29-5.

The Lady Panthers found their resolve and began to run harder and stronger than they have ever done in the history of the club.  They were relentless in the breakdowns, securing posession and creating turnovers defensively.  The Lady Panther backline defense created enormous pressure and created several turnover opportunities with strong tackling and great position.

The Lady Panthers were determined to prove their worth and pressured upfield with great combination play between the forwards and the backline.  At 56:52, Julia Thorne took the ball through the defense to touch down, finally making a dent in UNI's lead.  The conversion was missed, but the Panthers were showing up with the score now cut to 29-10.

UNI didn't take kindly to the Lady Panther's try.  The Lady Panthers were marched back into their own territory on penalties and the defense finally faltered at 60:27 when UNI touched down for their final try of the day with their lead at 34-10.

The Lady Panthers weren't ready to be counted out just yet.  They quickly marched upfield on the kickoff and regained posession.  The Forwards were performing brilliantly and the backline was moving the ball quite well.  As the Lady Panthers continued to pressure the UNI defense, Brittany Houston eventaully found a gap in the coverage and touched down at 67:40.  The lead was now cut to 34-15.

The Panthers continued to apply pressure and drive deep into UNI territory but were never quite able to capitalize on their opportunities as time ran down.

The match may have been best summarized by Lady Panther Flanker Megan Schultz, "I've never played in a better game in my career.  I was amazed at how we were able to pick up the intensity and keep going even when we were behind in the score.  I wish every game was as intense as this."

Although the Lady Panthers faltered today, don't expect that they will be down for long.