Two days, two wins. For a playoff team, it does not matter how you accomplished a victory, all that matters is that you lived to fight another day.

The top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s soccer team squeaked by No. 5 Butler 1-0 in double overtime, a day after breezing through No. 8 Cleveland State, 8-0.

Senior Nicole Motl scored off an assist from sophomore Claire Pignot in the 105th minute Friday night to put an end to a frustrating offensive output by the Panthers. UWM out-shot Butler 24-3, but after regulation play had nothing to show for it.

“Heading into overtime we were starting to get a little frantic,” head coach Michael Moynihan said. “We were controlling the play, but we were forcing and not creating. In overtime we started connecting passes better. They played more focused and intelligent in the final third.”

Freshman goalkeeper Erin Kane tied a league record with her 11th shutout of the season, although the Panther defense played a large role in the last two. In the two games combined, opponents did not have a single shot on goal. On Thursday, an opponent failed to get off a single shot for just the third time in team history.

In that win over Cleveland State, six different Panthers scored and the team accumulated 29 shots. Freshman Jodi Klagos and sophomore Amanda Winn had two goals each to lead the onslaught.

The Panthers kept up their attack-minded arsenal Friday, attaining six corner kicks in the match and holding a 12-0 shot advantage in the first half alone.

“We’d all been around soccer to know that it can be a crazy game, you can dominate in a game and still not come away with the win,” Moynihan said. “At halftime, after regulation and the first overtime, we told the team to keep pressing and our chances will come.”

The Panthers were excited to play in the Horizon League Championship Sunday versus No. 2 seed Detroit and they came up with the victory in penalty kicks.

UWM and Detroit played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer before the match headed into penalty kicks, which UWM won 4-3.

Both teams made their first three shots in the penalty kick round before freshman Bailey Briggs added the next goal and Kane saved Detroit’s next attempt for the win.

“We've been working on penalty kicks in practice, trying to establish a routine and being consistent,” Moynihan said. “(Our players) know where they want to hit it and how, they don't questions themselves. Erin is exceptional at reading where the shooter wants to go.”

With the Horizon League crown, UWM will get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The team will play Purdue at 5 p.m. Friday at Marquette’s Valley Field.

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