Men's Soccer Starts Spring Season In Impressive FashionMarch 29, 2004 MADISON, WIS. - A high-powered offense. Solid defense. Good goalkeeping. Yep, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team must be back in action. UWM kicked off its 2004 spring season in fine fashion this weekend as two different squads excelled in nine-on-nine contests at the University of Wisconsin here this weekend. The UWM Black squad, comprised of mainly veterans and returnees, went 3-1 on the weekend while a team of younger players, the UWM Gold, competed well and posted a 1-2-1 mark. In addition to two Milwaukee teams and two teams from Wisconsin, the Minnesota Thunder and Milwaukee Wave United each brought training teams comprised of signed and tryout players from top universities across America. "This was a very good tournament for us," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "It was very productive for both our experienced Black squad and the Gold squad that consisted of redshirts and rookies. This goes to show that guys are really picking up on what we are trying to do and to play this well in the spring is impressive." The UWM Black team posted a tournament best 3-1 mark, thanks to victories over the Wave United (4-0), the UW Red Team (3-0), and UW White (2-1). The only blemish on the record came in a 1-0 defeat to the Minnesota Thunder with the lone goal coming on a free kick. Goalkeeper Kirk Thode allowed just two goals in the four games while the Panther offense scored a tournament high nine markers. The fact-paced duo of junior Cliff Ellsworth and freshman Dale Weiler excelled in the 4-0 victory over the Wave United as Ellsworth scored a goal and notched two assists while Weiler scored twice and assisted on goals by Ellsworth and Antou Jallow. Weiler scored his third goal of the weekend in UWM's 3-0 blanking of UW White while sophomore Neil Dombrowski added a pair of unassisted tallies. In the final game for the Black squad, a 2-1 in over UW Red, junior defender Trent Furtsch scored twice while Chris Brisson added an assist. The UWM Gold squad played well despite the 1-2-1 record. The Panthers scored five goals in the four nine-on-nine games with a large portion of that production coming from players seeing extended time for the first time in their careers. The Gold team played the Wave United to a 2-2 tie and defeated the Minnesota Thunder 2-1 while dropping one-goal matches with the two Wisconsin squads. Redshirt frehman Ken Ogorzalek starred for the Panthers as the midfielder scored three of the squad's five goals. Ogorzalek scored both of UWM's two goals in the 2-2 tie with the Wave United before scoring the only marker in a 2-1 loss to the UW White team. Daniel DaPra scored the Panthers first goal in the win over the Thunder while Craig Mallace notched the game-winner. Freshman Eric Mickschl allowed just six goals in net for the UWM Gold team. "The young guys did relatively well and got a very nice win over the Thunder," Bennett noted. "This was really an eye-opener for them and it gave an opportunity for some guys to get some in-game experience." The Panthers will return to spring action next Saturday (April 3) with a pair of matches versus local squads. UWM will face Loyola at 11:00 a.m. before playing at UW-Parkside at 1:30 p.m. Results from College vs. Pro Challenge, Madison, Wis., Sunday, March 28
UWM Black
UWM Gold
Final Overall Results
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