Panther Men Host League Quarterfinal GameNov. 2, 2004 MILWAUKEE - Complete Release in PDF Format
Panthers Prepare For Postseason After 17 regular season games, two in-season tournaments, and seven Horizon League games the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team is set to begin the postseason portion of the 2004 season. UWM enters the 2004 Horizon League Tournament with a 10-4-3 overall record and 6-1-0 league mark thanks to a current seven-game winning streak. The Panthers earned a share of the regular season league title with Butler but claimed the No. 1 seed and tournament hosting rights thanks to a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs. Milwaukee will open the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 6) versus No. 8 seed Cleveland State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Engelmann Field. Heading In On A High Note If a team is ever going to peak, now sure is the right time to do it. The UWM men's soccer team won all three of its games last week while clinching a share of the Horizon League title and the No. 1 seed in the 2004 Horizon League Tournament. Milwaukee opened the week with a 3-1 defeat of Marquette on Tuesday, marking the 23rd win against seven losses in the all-time series versus the crosstown rival. UWM followed that up with a crucial 2-1 victory over Butler on Friday, handing the Bulldogs their first league loss of the season. The Panthers closed out the regular season with a 1-0 overtime victory over Cleveland State on Sunday, setting up Saturday's first round rematch with the Vikings. So We Meet Again Familiarity certainly won't be a problem when UWM and Cleveland State hookup for Saturday's quarterfinal Horizon League tournament matchup at Engelmann Field. The two teams faced each other on Sunday in the regular season finale for the Panthers. The Vikings, who came into the game in the bottom of the league standings, put up a fight before falling 1-0 in overtime. With the result UWM cliniched the top spot for the league tourney while CSU guaranteed itself a last place finish and return trip to Milwaukee. UWM outshot the Vikings 17-3 on the game and 12 to one in the second half but needed a goal in the 94th minute by Kyle Zenoni to claim the victory. With the win, Milwaukee defeated CSU for the 14th consecutive time dating back to the 1989 season. Postseason Soccer At Engelmann Continues For the fourth consecutive season, Horizon League men's soccer teams will be making their postseason reservations in Milwaukee. Thanks to UWM's regular season championship and No. 1 seed, Engelmann Field will host to the upcoming league tournament beginning with Saturday's semifinal matchups. If Milwaukee defeats Cleveland State on Saturday the tournament semifinals and final will be played at Engelmann the following weekend. The two semifinal matches on Friday (Nov. 12) are set for 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. with the Sunday (Nov. 14) title game scheduled for 12 p.m. The winner of the postseason tournament receives the league's automatic berth into the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Engelmann Field and Postseason Play With so much soccer success at UWM the last few seasons, the quaint soccer complex on the corner of Hartford and Cramer has seen plenty of postseason action. The Milwaukee men's team is 11-1 all-time in postseason play at Engelmann and 9-1 all-time in home Horizon League tournament contests. The Panthers have posted perfect 4-0 postseason records at home each of the last two seasons after finishing the 2001 Horizon League tournament with a 2-1 mark. Home Cooking Does Panthers Right Home may be where the heart it but its certainly where the wins are for the UWM men's soccer program. Need some evidence? Here it is: since the 2001 campaign the Panthers have posted a 36-4-1 record at Engelmann Field and a 19-1-1 record against Horizon League competition. The lone loss came against Butler in the 2001 league championship game while the tie came last season versus UIC. In addition, the Panthers have won eight straight postseason games at Engelmann. Antou Jallow: Record Breaker While some may have called it a formality it is now official: Antou Jallow is the greatest goal-scorer in UWM soccer history. With three goals this past weekend the senior striker jumped ahead of former Panther and U.S. World Cup star Tony Sanneh into sole possession of the top spot on UWM's career goals scored list. Jallow has 54 goals in his career, one better than the previous mark held by Sanneh who played from 1990-93. Furthermore, the 54 career goals are good for a first-place tie on the Horizon League's all-time goals scored list with Jorge Ferreira who played at Detroit from 1995-98. Jallow also holds UWM single-game and single-season goal records with four and 24, respectively. Offense Cranks It Up Early in the year many around the UWM men's soccer team asked "what's wrong with the usually high-powered offense?" Well, if the last seven games are any indication the goal-scoring woes for the Panthers are a thing of the past. The Panthers, who still rank second in the league in goals scored and first in league only games, have scored 32 goals on the season, with 24 of those coming in seven games since Oct. 13. The Panthers, who lead the league with 20 goals and a +16 goal differential in league-only contests, is actually five goals ahead of the pace set by last year's Horizon League Tournament champion squad. Weiler In A Helpful Mood UWM forward Dale Weiler obviously understands the concept of sharing. The sophomore from Hudson, Wis., has been a major part of the Panther offensive attack despite having scored just one goal in the season. How has he done it? One word: Assists. The speedy wing player has assisted on 11 of UWM's 32 goals this season, good for the top spot on the Horizon League assist charts. Furthermore, the 11 assists and 0.65 assists per game are good for fourth nationally among NCAA DI players while placing sixth on Milwaukee's single-season assist list. Unheralded Hoelker Makes His Mark
When naming off the key members of the 2004 UWM men's soccer team the name Ian Hoelker may not be the first to roll off the tongue. However, a closer examination of the squad will show the importance of the 6-2 senior's efforts this season. The Middleton, Wis., native is the only Panther to start in all 17 games this season while patrolling his central defender position. Hoelker has been a key component in the UWM's defense that boasts a league-best 0.90 team goals against average. Furthermore, Hoelker has one goal on the season while providing a big target in the box on corner kicks.
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