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Panther men lose final game of season
Look to rebound in Horizon League Soccer Tournament
By Tim Prahl
A single goal ruined the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s soccer team’s hopes of taking home all three trophies they play for, as they lost Tuesday night at Northern Illinois University, 1-0.
With the LeWang Cup, taken home by NIU last season, up for grabs, neither team found their niche in the first half, as both teams went to the locker room without having found the back of the net.
It looked as though NIU was going to finally get on the board in the 70th minute after a foul was called on a Panther defender inside the box. However, Luis De La Cerda missed on his penalty kick, and the scored remained knotted.
Shortly after the missed PK, De La Cerda again found himself with a free kick opportunity. A free kick from 25-yards out deflected off freshman defender Raphael Martinez, and past goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum.
Panther Head Coach Jon Coleman said it was a foolish mistake that cost UWM the game’s only point.
“Northern Illinois is a set piece team. We gave up a silly foul, and they capitalized on it,” said Coleman.
The Panthers had a few chances late in the game, including a close range shot from junior Forward Colin Baker, but were unable to get the ball across the line.
Milwaukee did not play with their full squad. Recently named All-Horizon League First Team player Zeke Dombrowski played all of three minutes, so as to prevent any injuries or ejections.
“We played well in the first half,” said Coleman. “We came out a little flat after the break and let [NIU] back into the game, and weren’t able to take control of the momentum in the final minutes.”
The loss means NIU retains the LeWang Cup, which is named after a former NIU coach who was killed in a car accident before the 1981 season.
This is the third of the trophies the Panthers soccer team plays for each year, already having brought home the Chancellor’s Cup with a victory against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and the Milwaukee Cup with a draw of cross-town rival Marquette.
The team now has nine days to prepare for its first opponent in the Horizon League conference tournament, after earning a first round bye. Their opening match will be Nov. 16 in Chicago against Wright State, the University of Illinois-Chicago or Valparaiso.
Coleman said he knows whomever they play will be good, and his team will have to be ready.
“It’s a new season. We’re starting 0-0-0,” Coleman said. “The squad is very competitive. They’ll be hungry on the 16th.”
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