Panther Men Fall 2-1 To Minnesota ThunderApril 21, 2003 MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee head men's soccer coach Louis Bennett knows one of the best ways to evaluate his team is to see it play against top-level competition. The two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year did just that this weekend as he watched his Panthers take a lead before dropping a 2-1 decision to the Minnesota Thunder of the professional "A" League on Saturday. "I'm glad we came here to play this match because the guys on the Thunder are professionals who all played at a high level in college," Bennett said. "We like to use the spring season as an evaluation period and we got to do some of that. While two-to-three years ago we would have been pleased with an outcome like this, we now know we have the program on a different level and we feel we can put two solid halves together and get a win." Playing into a very strong wind with driving rain, midfielder Julian Chang was able to get things going for UWM in the first half, as his rebound goal accounted for the first scoring of the match. The junior put the Panthers on top when he stuffed back a Trent Furtsch shot at the 34 minute mark. Unfortunately, the lead lasted less than five minutes before the Thunder tied the game when Zafer Kilickan scored an unassisted goal in the 38th minute. "I thought we played very well in the first half," Bennett noted. "We played some very entertaining soccer despite playing into a strong wind under tough conditions. It would have been nice to keep the lead but the level of play was very high." The match became very physical in the second frame as both teams scrapped for opportunities. Milwaukee was able to create some scoring opportunities with the wind in the frame but could never break through to find the back of the net. Meanwhile, the Thunder were able to crack the UWM defense and score the game winner in the 72nd minute when Wayne Cort headed home a Kilickan pass at the back post. UWM pushed forward the remainder of the half but could not net the equalizer. "It turned out to be a really scrappy-type of second half and we just missed on a couple of opportunities," added Bennett. "Our interior midfield of Kyle Zenoni, Julian Chang, and Khaled El-Ahmed played well today and we really got a good look at some new things. Overall, it was a good experience for us to play a team like the Thunder."
The Panthers, who are now 2-2 on the spring season, will face another "A" League team on Thursday when they face the Milwaukee Wave United at Uihlein Field. The game is set to begin at 6 p.m.
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