Defense prevailed for the Milwaukee Panthers (6-4-1) as they came out with a 2-0 victory over Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-5-1). It was the fourth straight win for the Panthers this season.
The team started out slow at John MacKenzie Alumni Field in Macomb, but they got their groove late in the first half. Panthers head coach Kris Kelderman was pleased with how his team performed offensively and defensively.
“It was a good complete performance from start to finish,” said Kelderman. “We are on a good run now over the past six games and are doing our best to keep this thing going.”
The two goals the Panthers scored in the game came courtesy of Nick Moon and Francesco Saporito. Kelderman said it was a total team effort to get the win.
“Our goalkeeper all the way to our attackers,” said Kelderman. “We are trying to improve and be a team that is hard to play against.”
That pertains to both sides of the ball. They aim to score goals as quickly as they can and prevent other teams from scoring or stealing the lead. That is exactly what Moon and Saporito did in the first half. Saporito hit a 25-yard free kick to the net in the 28th minute. Moon soon added the second goal 2 minutes later from an assist from Peter Raymonds. Kelderman says both Moon and Saporito were on a roll scoring goals
“It was another nice win and two nice goals by the guys,” said Kelderman.
The Panthers’ offense outshot the Leathernecks 9-8 and handed them their first loss at home this season. The Panther fans in attendance gave them a huge amount of support during the game. The team now returns to Milwaukee to prep for a confrontation with Horizon League rivals Valparaiso on Saturday.