Lisa Bengtsson
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Panthers Gear Up For Conference Tournament
UWM looks to win fourth-straight conference title
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Nov. 4, 2003 MILWAUKEE -
After playing three games in eight days, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team is rested and geared up to defend their conference title. The Panthers finished off conference play with a 1-0 victory over Youngstown State (10/26/03) and then went 1-1 against the Big Ten to finish off the season. After falling to Wisconsin, the Panthers rebounded to defeat the Wildcats of Northwestern 2-1. Throughout the games, the Panthers received solid goaltending by Molly Schneider (4 saves against UW) and offensive prowess by Elizabeth Chudy (3 goals). UWM will receive a first round bye, as the No. 1 seed, will play the winner of Wright State versus Detroiit on Friday, November 7 at 5:00 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.
Champions Again
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team clinched its fourth-straight Horizon League regular season league championship. UWM clinched the title with a 1-0 victory over Youngstown State in front of its home crowd on Sunday afternoon. The victory also sealed a first-round bye in the post season league tournament. The Panthers began their title streak in 2000 after clinching their first league title in 1997. The title is also the fifth in the seven-year tenure of head coach Michael Moynihan.
Chudy Mirrors 2002 Finish
Sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Chudy ended the 2003 regular season in the same fashion as she did in 2002, as the league's player of the week. Chudy was rewarded for a strong week of play that saw her score three goals in three games for the Panthers. The Milwaukee-native scored one goal against Wisconsin and capped off her week by scoring two goals against Northwestern. Chudy ends the regular season as UWM's leading goal scorer with five goals.
Pulling Ahead of The Pack
After starting the 2003 season with a record of 0-5-1, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team made tremendous strides to turn the season into a positive one. Following the victory over Youngstown State Sunday afternoon, UWM pushed itself above .500 for the second time this season. The Panthers have also rebounded to win nine of their last 12 games. The dramatic turnaround was a springboard towards the capture of another league title.
Round One
The Horizon League conference tournament will start on Thursday, November 6. The first round will feature UW-Green Bay against Youngstown State, Butler against Loyola and Wright State against Detroit. UWM will face the winner of Wright State/Detroit on Friday, November 7 at 5:00 p.m. The winners of UW-Green Bay/Youngstown State and Butler/Loyola will square off on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
How The Panthers Have Faired
The Panthers could play Wright State or Detroit. UWM has defeated both during the regular season. Out of the remaining teams, the Panthers have only lost to UW-Green Bay. UW-Green Bay defeated the Panther 2-1 on October, 17. The Panthers grabbed an early lead in the game, but the Phoenix came back to score two goals enroute to the victory.
Way To Help The RPI
No one can accuse UWM head women's soccer coach Michael Moynihan of seeking out easy wins. Before the season started, it appeared as if the seven-year head man had put together one of the nation's toughest schedules. Well, looking back on it now, the assumption was right on. Here is a quick look at how a few of UWM's non-conference opponents have fared: UCLA: No. 2 in the nation, enough said. Kansas, No. 21 in the nation, 15-4-1. Oakland is sixth in the region. Dayton, Wisconsin and Marquette close out the regional rankings.
Panthers Down the Stretch
With much of the emphasis on the play of the UWM offense during the team's 9-3 stretch, it can be easy to forget just how solid UWM's goal-keeping duo of Kerri St. Aubin and Molly Schneider has been. Since the first win of the season, a 1-0 blanking of Butler on Sept. 21, the UWM goalkeeping tandem has allowed just 13 goals in the last 12 games, good for a 1.06 goals against average. St. Aubin, who has played 608:32 minutes, has allowed just seven goals to go with 25 saves while Schneider has allowed 6 tallies with 21 saves in her 500:18 minutes.
UWM Expected To Wear Crown Again In 2003
The Milwaukee women's soccer team will look to make it four in a row in 2003 as the three-time defending regular season champions were once again picked to win the Horizon League title. The Panthers were the unanimous choice to claim the league title in a vote of head coaches. Following is a breakdown of the preseason voting by the league coaches (first place votes in parentheses):
School 2002 Record Points
1 Milwaukee (6) 11-6-5 36
2 Butler (1) 15-6 30
3 Detroit 7-8-5 23
4 Loyola 7-9-3 22
5 Wright State 6-10-4 22
6 UW-Green Bay 4-11-2 19
7 Youngstown State 1-19 6
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