Oct. 23, 2001

MILWAUKEE -- The UWM women's soccer team will close out its regular-season league schedule, hosting Loyola on Thursday. The Panthers (11-3, 5-0 Horizon League) look to sweep the league when the Ramblers come to Milwaukee for the 3:00 p.m. match. UWM will then travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Milwaukee returns home after picking up wins at Detroit and Butler to clinch its second consecutive regular-season league championship. The Panthers downed the Titans on Friday, 2-0, and the Bulldogs, 1-0, on Sunday.

Loyola (5-7-1, 1-3 Horizon League) is coming off a weekend split with games at Wright State and at home with IUPUI. The Ramblers lost to the Raiders, 3-1, before beating the Jaguars, 2-0, on Sunday.

Minnesota (4-10, 3-7 Big Ten) hosts the Panthers after being shut out in a pair of games last weekend. Minnesota lost to Michigan, 2-0, on Friday before losing again to Michigan State, 1-0, on Sunday.

Last year, Milwaukee beat Loyola, 3-2, in overtime to close out the regular league season. The Panthers hold an 8-1 record all-time against the Ramblers. UWM lost a close one to Minnesota last season to post a career record of 0-5-1 against the Golden Gophers. Goalkeeper Kerri St. Aubin recorded 12 saves in the 1-0 loss last year.

UWM Recap

* UWM is within one game of sweeping their regular season league schedule for the second time in the program's history. Milwaukee closed out it's perfect 2000 season with a 3-2 victory at Loyola.

* Against Detroit on Friday, Evann Franklin continued her scoring binge with a goal and an assist. Franklin's scored the game-winner in just the seventh minute off an assist from Julie Ruma. Katie Kubacki scored an insurance goal in the final minute off a Franklin assist.

* Amy Oechsner's goal in the 23rd minute was all the offense the Panthers needed to get by Butler on Sunday. Ochsner headed in a cross from Evann Franklin for the game-winner.

UWM (11-3, 5-0 Horizon League) Game Notes

* The Panthers have racked up nine shutouts on the season. Milwaukee will have three chances to tie the school record of 10 with games remaining against Minnesota, Loyola and Marquette, as well as the league tournament.

* Amy Oechsner leads UWM in scoring with 18 points, tallying six goals and six assists. Erin Blaedow is second on the team with 13 points (6g, 1a), while Evann Franklin is third with 12 points (5g, 2a).

* UWM has outscored its opponents, 30-10, and has outshot them, 220-129. In league games, the Panthers have outscored opponents 12-0, and outshot them, 97-30.

* Sophomore goalkeeper Kerri St. Aubin has started every game for UWM so far this season, posting an 11-3 record and 0.68 GAA. St. Aubin, who has 46 saves on the season, has split time with junior Mary Duffy, who has a 0.88 GAA in 205 minutes of action. UWM has recorded nine shutouts on the season, with St. Aubin recording three, and both keepers splitting time in six.

* The Panthers have extended their regular-season league winning streak to 10 games dating back to last season. Their streak is the second-longest in league history. With shutouts coming in all five league contests, Milwaukee is on the verge of becoming just the second league team to not allow a single goal in league play. In 1993, Notre Dame went 6-0 in the league and scored 40 goals compared to zero goals allowed. The Irish also hold the longest league-game winning streak, winning 19-straight matches from 1991-94.

Moynihan Captures 50

UWM coach Michael Moynihan captured his 50th career win on Sept. 28 when the Panthers defeated Illinois State, 2-1. Moynihan's milestone came in his fifth year as head coach of the Panthers, and now he now holds a 56-27-11 record overall.

In The League

UWM's five league wins this season all have come as shutouts. UWM has outscored league opponents 12-0, with Loyola left on the schedule. Last season, the Panthers were undefeated in the league and outscored their opponents, 14-4, while tallying three shutouts.

Nine Straight

After starting the season 0-2, the Panthers rattled off nine-straight wins to tie a school record. The last time Milwaukee won nine consecutive was in 1994, when UWM finished 12-7-1. Milwaukee's run for 10 straight was ended with a 2-1 loss against Northwestern at home on Oct. 5.

Loyola (5-7-1, 1-3 Horizon League) Game Notes

* After a 1-1 record this past weekend, Loyola's record sits at 5-7-1, with a 1-3 record in league action. The Ramblers are in sixth place with games remaining at Milwaukee and at home against Youngstown State.

* Katie O'Connell paces the Rambler offense with eight points on the season (4g). Ashley Baron is second on the team with six points (2g, 2a), while Katie Koning is third with five points (2g, 1a). Three players have scored four points.

* Loyola games are typically close and low scoring. The Ramblers have equalled opponents with 16 goals each, with both teams combining for 2.46 goals per match.

* Junior Erica Pedini has seen the majority of time in net for the Ramblers, amassing a 5-6-1 record with a 1.07 GAA and a league-leading six shutouts.

Minnesota (4-10, 3-7 Big Ten) Game Notes

* Only three players have scored points for the Golden Gophers this year. Rachel Roth leads the team with 14 points (6g, 2a), while Alison Rackley and Samantha Meyers each have four points (1g, 2a).

* Julie Eibensteinger has played all but 13 minutes in goal and has a 1.73 GAA on the season. She has two shutouts and a 4-10 record.

* Eleven of Minnesota's 14 games have come as shutouts. Minnesota has shut out three of its opponents, while having been shutout eight times. Minnesota is 1-2 in games that haven't come as a shutout.

Climbing The Ladder

* After 26 collegiate games, sophomore Kerri St. Aubin has moved atop the Panther career leaderboad in goals against average. After posting a 0.93 GAA in 2000, St. Aubin has dispelled the sophomore jinx by logging a 0.68 GAA this season, lowering her career GAA to 0.79, the lowest in school history. St. Aubin has also moved into third place in career wins (17) and tied for fourth in shutouts (7). Panther assistant coach Kathy Hoverman entered 2001 as the career leader in all three categories with 34 wins, 25 shutouts and a 0.99 GAA.

* With her assist to Evan Franklin on Friday, Julie Ruma moved into a tie for fourth place on UWM's career assists list. Ruma tallied three assists in both 1998 and 1999, and added two more in 2000. With a career-high five assists in 2001, Ruma has 13 career assists tying her with Chandra Konkol.

Entering the 2001 Season

The Panthers entered the season favored to win the Horizon League title after winning the regular-season championship last year with an undefeated record (5-0). The Panthers finished 2000 on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament, losing 1-0 to Wright State in the league championship game.

Coach Michael Moynihan

Moynihan is in his fifth year at the helm of the Panthers, and currently boasts a 56-27-11 career record after last weekend's action. His career winning percentage of .654 is best in the program's history. Last season, he guided UWM to its first-ever regular-season league championship and was named MCC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Moynihan also won the coaching award in 1997, his first year as head coach, when his team won the league tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever in program's history.

A Milwaukee-area native, Moynihan graduated from Wisconsin where he was a four-year letterwinner on the Badgers soccer team.