Freshman Peter Sanger
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Panthers And Marquette Play For Milwaukee Cup Wednesday
UWM battles cross-town rival on Halloween night
Oct. 29, 2007
THIS WEEK IN MILWAUKEE MEN'S SOCCER
Game 18 - "Milwaukee Cup"
• UWM (5-10-2) vs. Marquette (2-11-3)
• Valley Fields
• Milwaukee, Wis.
• Wed., Oct. 31, 7:05 p.m.
• Milwaukee leads 25-7-2
• Last meeting: 9/13/06 - UWM 3; Marquette 2
After closing out the Horizon League schedule with a victory over Green Bay on the weekend, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team will play just one non-conference game this week. But, that game will be a big one, as the Panthers travel across town Wednesday to face Marquette for the Milwaukee Cup at 7:05 p.m.
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The series with Marquette is one of the longest-running in the record book, with the two teams squaring off each year since 1973. Wednesday will mark the 35th time the squads clash for the Milwaukee Cup, with UWM holding a convincing 25-7-2 lead in the series. The Panthers have won five of the past six matches overall and have recorded a 12-4-1 mark over at Valley Fields. They have played the Golden Eagles more times (34) in their history than any other team besides Cleveland State (37) and Green Bay (36).
Last year's version was a thriller, as UWM overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 3-2 win in front of the largest crowd to ever see a game at Engelmann Field. The standing-room-only crowd of 3,256 smashed the old attendance record (2,250) by over 1,000 fans in what was also the first-ever night game at Engelmann Field.
At the time, the two-goal comeback was the biggest for Milwaukee in over five years. When Marquette took that 2-0 lead, it marked just the fourth time since the start of the 2001 season that the Panthers trailed by two goals (or more) in a game. They took care of business, though, storming back for the win - the first time the team overcame such a deficit since Nov. 3, 2001. On that day, they trailed UIC, 2-0, before winning, 3-2.
The game is also scheduled to be aired live on TV, with Time Warner Sports (Channel 32) in Milwaukee providing coverage.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles will enter play Wednesday at 2-11-3 overall, posting a 1-8-1 record in the Big East to this point. They have just one victory in their past 10 games (1-7-2), a 2-1 double-overtime thriller against Cincinnati back on September 30. They dropped a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to No. 2 Connecticut in their last outing Oct. 27.
The team has scored 10 goals, led by Nick Kay who has a team-high four as well as a team-best eight points and one of two game-winners on the season. Dan Addis (two goals/two assists) is second on the team with six points, with Billy Von Rueden contributing a team-best three assists.
Defensively, Matt Pyzdrowski (10 games played) and Steve Purdy (six games played) have split goaltending duties. Purdy owns the lower goals against average (1.46 to 1.49), with Pyzdrowski recording more saves (41-to-29) and more minutes (965:54 to 554:13).
Marquette is led by second-year head coach Louis Bennett, who spent the previous 10 seasons at UW-Milwaukee before leaving in December of 2005. Bennett posted a win-loss record of 136-63-17 as the Panther head coach from 1996-2005.
CUP WINNER WRAPS UP SECOND PLACE FINISH
The Panthers went into their game last week against Green Bay with the chance to finish anywhere from second to fifth place in the Horizon League standings. They took matters into their own hands, defeating the Phoenix, 1-0, to retain possession of the Chancellor's Cup.
Juniors Adam Skalecki (the game-winner in the 78th minute) and Grant Fernstrum (four-save shutout) combined to be the heroes, leading Milwaukee to a 5-2-1 league record and a second place finish in the standings. The result was huge for UWM, as it gives it a bye into the semifinals of the league tournament later this month in Chicago, meaning they will need to win only two games to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS IN LEAGUE PLAY
After a slow start to the 2007 season, the Panthers righted the ship in time for the start of Horizon League play. In their eight conference games, the team gave up just five goals (posting four clean sheets) for a team goals against average of 0.61.
They held edges in every statistical category: goals (9-5), assists (8-5), shots (95-85), shots on goal (41-31) and corner kicks (48-38). Five different players accounted for the five game-winning goals: seniors Zeke Dombrowski (Oct. 7 vs. Wright State), Ken Ogorzalek (Oct. 5 vs. Butler) and Martin Castro (Oct. 14 vs. Cleveland State) and juniors Colin Baker (Oct. 12 vs. Detroit) and Adam Skalecki (Oct. 27 vs. Green Bay).
MILWAUKEE RUNS DEEP
One major strength of the 2007 team is the exceptional depth displayed at each position. So far this year, 24 different players have seen time, with 22 of them earning at least one start. Only two players, seniors Zeke Dombrowski and Tenzin Rampa, have started all 17 games with six others starting at least 12 times each. Thirteen different Panthers have notched at least one point this season with nine different players scoring at least one goal and five different players notching game-winners. Dombrowski leads the team in goals with four and points with 11, while also tying for the team lead with three assists. Junior Colin Baker and freshman Robert Refai both sit second place with six points each.
DOMBROWSKI LEADING THE WAY
Entering his senior year, Zeke Dombrowski had career totals of one goal, five assists and seven points. Just a little past the midway point in 2007, he had already eclipsed those numbers for goals and points.
Entering play this week, he leads the team in goals (4), points (11), shots (44), shots on goal (16), minutes played (1,530) and is tied for the team lead in assists (3). His points have come at vital times as well, assisting the tying goal against Wisconsin Oct. 10 and the winning goals against Wright State Oct. 7 and Detroit Oct. 12.
UWM TURNS THE BIG 4-0-0
The week of Oct. 14 was another great one for the Panthers, as they extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a tie against Wisconsin Oct. 10 and victories against Detroit and Cleveland State on the weekend. The 1-0 win over UDM was a big one, as it was the 400th victory in the history of the program.
SENIOR SALUTE
The match against Loyola Oct. 18 served as Senior Night. Seven seniors - Steve Bode, Martin Castro, Zeke Dombrowski, Dan Horst, Chris Lins, Ken Ogorzalek and Tenzin Rampa were honored in a pregame ceremony before playing in their final regular season home game in a UWM uniform.
With the bye the team earned with its second-place league finish, the match also turned out to be the final home game of the year.
TOUGH OPPONENTS
The 0-8 start looked bad on paper, but a closer look reveals that four of UWM's 2007 opponents are ranked, or have been ranked, in the national polls this season. UC Santa Barbara, Tulsa, Gonzaga and Cal Poly have all been ranked at some point. Additionally, the eight teams Milwaukee lost to own a combined 64-31-21 (.637 win percentage) record this season, including a 9-1-3 mark by Cal Poly, 8-3-3 by Gonzaga and UC Santa Barbara, 9-4-3 by Drake and 9-2-2 by both Dartmouth and Tulsa.
IT ISN'T LETTING UP OVERALL, EITHER
In addition to the .637 winning percentage that is owned by the eight schools that knocked off Milwaukee to start 2007, the Panthers also lead the way - so to speak - in another category. The overall record of all opponents on UWM's 2007 schedule is currently 123-111-60 (.521 winning percentage). The only other Horizon League team that has a total opponent win-loss record even close to .500 is Valparaiso, at a near break-even 118-117-42 (.502).
SO CLOSE, SO FAR
If it feels like the Panthers have been in every match but can't catch a few necessary breaks, it would be a fact. After a 1-0 defeat to Loyola Oct. 18, the trend sounds familiar: 15 of the last 18 UWM losses dating back to last season have been by just one goal.
Last year, the Panthers overall record consisted of nine losses, but eight of them were one-goal setbacks. Three of them came at the hands of Top 25 teams: 1-0 to No. 2 SMU Aug. 27, 2-1 to No. 6 Washington in overtime Sept. 10 and 1-0 to No. 12 UIC Oct. 3.
OVERTIME JINX CONTINUES
In settling for a 1-1 draw with Wisconsin Oct. 10, UWM saw a streak get extended once again that they would like to see end: the team is now 0-7-9 in its past 16 overtime matches. They were 0-2-2 in 2006, 0-3-5 in 2005 and lost in extra time in the final match of the 2004 season (2-1 at UCSB in the NCAA Tournament). The Panthers last OT win came on Oct. 31, 2004, a 1-0 win over Cleveland State.
SLOW START NO WORRY
The Panthers may have been 0-8 for the first time ever, but a slow start is no indication of how the season will go at UWM. The team started 1-2-2 in 2004, only to finish the season at 14-5-3 overall. A 3-3 start in 2003 led to a 16-6-1 campaign, while a 2-3 start in 2000 led to a record of 11-9-1. UWM is now 5-2-2 after the 0-8 start in 2007.
Also, in 2002, UWM did not have a victory after two games (0-1-1) but went on to produce a program-best record of 19-2-1.
FRESH FACES
The Panthers newcomers continue to make an impression on the line-up, as 10 have seen time on the field in 2007, including eight who have made starts. That trend continued against Cleveland State Oct. 14, as Elliott Dunn, Greg Rosenthal, Van Hong, Ben Chavers and Raphael Martinez were all in the starting line-up. They've handled the pressure of big games too: Rosenthal, Martinez and Calvin Mai were in the starting line-up against UC Santa Barbara Sept. 7, playing the defending national champions.
NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR MARTINEZ
Speaking of the newcomers, Raphael Martinez was given some national recognition in the preseason when College Soccer News tabbed him as one of its "100 Freshman To Keep An Eye On In 2007". The website noted his playing for the club team Chicago Magic, his 17 goals and seven assists as a senior and that he was an NSCAA Youth All-American.
HOME COOKING
Despite a 2-3-2 mark at Engelmann in 2007, the Panthers still rank right up there with the best in the country when it comes to home-field advantage. In 2006, that was no different, as the Panthers posted back-to-back shutouts to open the home slate and finished 7-2-1. Since the start of the 2001 season, UWM has turned Engelmann Field into a place visiting teams do not want to see on their schedule. They have gone 52-8-3 on their home pitch in that time, including a 13-2 mark in postseason play and a perfect 2-0 mark in NCAA Tournament action.
THE DRIVE FOR 400
The Panthers did hit a significant milestone in their history Oct. 12 against Detroit: all-time program victory No. 400.
UWM entered play in 2007 with an all-time mark of 397-222-53, a .635 winning percentage.
MILESTONE PROGRAM WINS:
1: Marquette, 4-1 (9/22/73)
50: UW-Green Bay, 4-0 (10/7/78)
100: Northern Illinois, 4-3 (11/6/82)
150: Cleveland State, 2-1 (10/18/87)
200: Michigan State, 4-0 (10/13/91)
250: Cleveland State, 5-0 (10/15/95)
300: Loyola (MD), 2-0 (9/17/00)
350: Detroit, 3-0 (9/28/03)
400: Detroit, 1-0 (10/12/07)
NOW THAT'S FAST!
Junior Travis Phillips gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead against Yale Sept. 23 before most people had even found their seats. Phillips caught the Yale goalkeeper off guard with a 35-yard blast off a free kick from near midfield in the first minute of play. The tally at the 55-second mark was the sixth-quickest goal to start a match in program history.
Quickest UWM Goal Scored To Start A Game
#...Time...Date...Opponent...Player
1. 0:19...9/14/03...Memphis...B.J. Blake
2. 0:23...9/12/93...Alabama A&M...Jake Provan
3. 0:26...8/29/03...Northern Illinois...Bobby Lish
4. 0:32...9/17/80...Minnesota...Dave Dray
5. 0:49...11/15/02...Butler...Evan Richardson
6. 0:55...9/23/07...Yale...Travis Phillips
PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
The Panthers were picked by league coaches to place third in the Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the preseason poll announced Aug. 23 by the league office. Milwaukee has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the past six seasons, reaching the second round in the last four it appeared (2002-05). It has compiled a league record of 34-5-3 in that time.
UIC, the regular season champion in 2006, took the top spot this year with 64 points and eight first place votes (all possible). Green Bay edged out UWM for second, compiling 53 points (and one first place vote) to the 48 that the Panthers received. This marks just the second time in the past six years that the Panthers were not chosen as the favorite. In 2006, they were tabbed for a second place finish.
1. UIC (8 first place votes) - 64 pts.
2. Green Bay (1) - 53
3. Milwaukee - 48
4. Loyola - 45
5. Butler - 31
6. Cleveland State - 27
7. Detroit - 25
8. Wright State - 23
9. Valparaiso - 8
SENIOR CLASS READY TO RETURN TO FORM
The seniors on the 2007 squad will look to go out on a high note, and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament is what they have in mind. After going to the second round of the tournament in each of their first two seasons, the seniors will look to improve on their 2-1-1 NCAA ledger in four games with a return trip this fall.
ON TAP
Milwaukee concludes the regular season with one contest next week. The team will play its third-consecutive "cup" game, heading south to take on Northern Illinois for the LeWang Trophy next Tuesday. UWM will be looking for revenge after the Huskies beat them, 1-0, in OT here in Milwaukee last year. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
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