No. 8 Men's Soccer Hosts First Round NCAA GameNov. 18, 2002
MILWAUKEE - Engelmann Field will play host to an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history as the No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team was one of 16 teams to receive first round home games in the NCAA Men's Soccer College Cup. Milwaukee will host Mid-Continent Conference tournament champ Oakland at noon on Saturday (Nov. 23) at Engelmann Field on the UWM campus. The winner of the UWM/Oakland game will face No. 12 Creighton on Wednesday (Nov. 27) at Tranquility Park in Omaha, Neb. "It's fantastic to host an NCAA Tournament game on campus for the first time in school history," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "It is a reward for the players and especially the fans that have followed and supported the team all season long. For them to get to see us play one more time at Engelmann Field is exciting." Oakland, which won both the Mid-Con regular season and tournament title, boast a 10-7-3 overall record after defeating Western Illinois, 3-0, in Sunday's tournament final. The two teams met in an preseason exhibition game on August 18 of this year with UWM claiming a 2-0 win at Engelmann Field. Friday's NCAA Tournament appearance will be the first in the history of the OU program. Meanwhile, the Panthers will be making their fifth overall and second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Milwaukee is winless in four previous first round games with one, a 1-0 loss to Cleveland State on Nov. 22, 1979, coming in Milwaukee. UWM enters postseason play with an 18-1-1 overall record, the best mark in Division I college soccer. The Panthers have won 18 straight contests, the longest current streak in the country, and need one win to set a new school standard for wins in a single season.
Tickets for the NCAA Tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for students and can be purchased by calling the UWM Ticket Office at 414-229-5886.
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