June 26, 2002

MILWAUKEE-- Highlighting the UWM men's soccer schedule in 2002 will be against the Missouri Valley Conference in its first games of the season, as the Panthers open on the road against Tulsa and Southern Methodist. The Panthers first travel to Oklahoma on Aug. 31 before taking on last year's No. 1 team, SMU, on Sept. 2 in Dallas, Texas. The Mustangs were the top-ranked team in the country during the 2001 regular season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where they received their first loss of the season (21-1).

"We're excited to be playing top teams, especially SMU, who should again be ranked in the top four," UWM coach and 2001 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year Louis Bennett said. "It's a demanding schedule, but one we are capable of doing very well with. It's also good to have five Horizon League games at home. I'm happy for the fans that they'll have the opportunity to see the team eight times on campus, with another home game being played under lights in Milwaukee."

The Panthers home opener will come in their 30th-annual Panther Invitational, the longest-running current Division I tournament, on Sept. 7 and 8. In mid October, UWM hosts Akron for a night game (TBA). The Zips, who finished second in the Mid-American Conference last year, open up their schedule at national-champion North Carolina and are projected to be nationally ranked during the season.

Milwaukee continues its tradition of playing three annual cup games and will host two of them. Looking to defend their possession of all three trophies, the Panthers travel to Northern Illinois on Oct. 6 for the John Lewang Trophy before hosting cross-town rival Marquette on Oct. 22 in the Milwaukee Cup. UW-Green Bay will then visit Engelmann Field for the Chancellor's Cup and a league match up on Oct. 25.

UWM stays at home for the remainder of the regular season to host two more league games, including Butler on Nov. 1. The Bulldogs automatically advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year after upsetting the Panthers in the Horizon League Tournament championship with a 2-0 win.

Bennett, also named the 2001 Horizon League Coach of the Year, led his squad to record the most wins in a season with an 18-5 record last year. The Panthers received national rankings for most of 2001 and finished the year at No. 19. UWM captured its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with an at-large bid, and also grabbed the Regular Season Horizon League Championship with an undefeated record of 7-0. UWM returns 10 starters this season, including All-Great Lakes Region First Team selection Chad Dombrowski.