Men's Soccer Weekly Release #13 -- NCAA Tournament Preview

Nov. 15, 2005

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UW-Milwaukee Faces Bradley in Rematch

Friday's match marks the second time this season UW-Milwaukee and Bradley have met on the field, with the Panthers posting a 3-2, come-from-behind victory at Engelmann Field on Sept. 13.

The UWM-BU showdown is one of 16 first-round contests taking place on campuses across the country this weekend. The winners of those matches take the first step toward the championship which will be presented on Sunday, Dec. 11.

The winner of Friday's match travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to face second-seeded University of New Mexico on Tuesday. The Lobos (15-1-2) are ranked second in the latest NSCAA/adidas national coaches' poll. The University of Maryland (15-4-1) carries the top seed into the tourney.

In the first meeting, Bradley yielded three goals in an 11:36 span midway through the second half. Trailing 1-0, the Panthers exploded quickly to take control. Sperl headed home Craig Mallace's service to tie the score, and Sperl hit the net again five minutes later after a pass from Adam Skalecki.

Weiler provided an insurance marker at 73:44. Tenzin Rampa set up Weiler's header past Chris Dunsheath for a 3-1 cushion. That padding proved important as Nick Mentgen netted an unassisted tally with 5:37 to play, but UWM did not allow a shot the rest of the way.

UWM ended the match with a 19-8 edge in shots, including an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal. Dunsheath finished with five saves in the loss while Eric Mickschl had one stop for the Panthers.

Bradley1 - 1 -- 2
UW-Milwaukee0 - 3-- 3

BU -- Zach Bell (Steve Chromik), 6:52
UWM -- Steve Sperl (Craig Mallace), 62:08
UWM -- Steve Sperl (Adam Skalecki), 67:06
UWM -- Daile Weiler (Tenzin Rampa), 73:44
BU -- Nick Mentgen (unassisted), 84:23

Shots: BU 8, UWM 19
Saves: BU (Dunsheath) 5, UWM (Mickschl 1, team 1) 2
Corner Kicks: BU 0, UWM 9
Fouls: BU 11, UWM 12
Offsides: BU 2, UWM 0

DID YOU KNOW?

The Horizon League posted a 6-3-1 record head-to-head versus the Missouri Valley Conference during the regular season. UIC went 2-1-0, defeating Eastern Illinois (1-0 on Sept. 18) and Creighton (2-1 on Oct. 5) before falling at Bradley (4-1 on Nov. 1). Butler also defeated Bradley (1-0 on Sept. 3) while UW-Green Bay defeated Eastern Illinois 3-1 (Sept. 3). Wright State split its two matches versus the MVC---defeating Western Kentucky (1-0 on Sept. 16) but losing 2-1 to Vanderbilt two days later. In addition to its 3-2 victory over Bradley, UW-Milwaukee tied Drake in the season-opener 3-3 (Sept. 2), with Creighton defeating Loyola 1-0 (Sept. 10).

NCAA Tournament Teams by Conference

(First team listed earned that league's automatic berth / * - denotes the 18 schools also in NCAA Women's Soccer Championship)

Conference-- Teams in NCAA Tournament
America East (1)-- Stony Brook
Atlantic Coast (8)-- Duke-*, Clemson-*, Maryland, North Carolina-*, North Carolina State, Virginia-*, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest-*
Atlantic Soccer (1)-- Hartwick
Atlantic Sun (1)-- Stetson
Atlantic 10 (1)-- Rhode Island
Big East (7)-- Connecticut-*, Notre Dame-*, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, South Florida, West Virginia-*
Big South (1)-- Coastal Carolina
Big 10 (3)-- Penn State-*, Indiana, Ohio State
Big West (2)-- Cal State-Northridge, UC Santa Barbara
Colonial (3)-- Hofstra-*, James Madison, Old Dominion
Conference USA (2)-- South Carolina, Southern Methodist-*
Horizon League (1)-- UW-Milwaukee-*
Ivy League (3)-- Dartmouth-*, Brown, Yale-*
MAAC (1)-- Marist
Mid-American (1)-- Akron
Mid-Continent (1)-- Western Illinois
Missouri Valley (2)-- Creighton-*, Bradley
Mtn. Pac. Sp. Fed. (1)-- New Mexico
Northeast (1)-- Robert Morris
Pacific-10 (3)-- UCLA-*, California-*, San Diego State
Patriot (1)-- Lafayette
Southern (1)-- UNC Greensboro
West Coast (2)-- San Francisco, Santa Clara-*

Panthers Return to NCAA Tournament For Fifth Year in a Row

Horizon League champion UW-Milwaukee is back in the field of 48, heading into the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year after defeating regular-season League titlist Detroit 1-0 in the League Championship tournament final on Sunday (Nov. 13). Dale Weiler's goal in the 63rd minute was the difference as Tournament MVP Grant Fernstrum posted his third consecutive 1-0 shutout victory of the League summit.

The Panthers (13-4-4 overall, ranked third in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region poll) have registered 11 shutouts this season, including four in a row to enter the NCAA Tournament. Freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum has nine of those whitewashes in 14 appearances since taking over the starting job in early October. He currently ranks among the national leaders with a 0.40 goals-against average. He has not allowed a goal in the last 360 minutes since Oct. 26.

UW-Milwaukee has not allowed a first-half goal in its last 12 matches, going back to Oct. 2.

Offensively, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 34-16 this season, including 18-5 in the first half. Senior midfielder Neil Dombrowski tops the UW-Milwaukee scoring charts with nine goals and 22 points while junior defender Craig Mallace's 18-point line features a League-high ten assists plus four goals. Sophomore defender Steve Bode (five goals, 11 points) and junior forward Steve Sperl (four goals, four assists) provide support for the attack, which has seen 11 different players score goals and 15 players register assists this season. Of the 20 Panthers (not including goalkeepers) to take the field this season, only three have yet to register a point in 2005.

UW-Milwaukee has been shut out only twice in 21 matches this season: a 0-0 tie versus UIC on Oct. 12 and a 1-0, overtime loss to UW-Green Bay on Oct. 26. The UWGB contest marked the team's last defeat and continued an unfortunate trend for the Panthers, who are 0-3-4 in overtime contests this season. That mark includes defeats against Fairleigh-Dickinson (2-1 on Sept. 11) and Michigan (2-1 on Oct. 20) in addition to the loss to UW-Green Bay.

By contrast, UWM is 13-1-0 in matches decided in 90 minutes. Detroit is the only team to defeat the Panthers in regulation, posting a 2-1 decision on Oct. 2.