Milwaukee, Green Bay Performances Highlight Opening Weekend of Men's Soccer

Horizon League men’s soccer teams opened the season with a 3-3-5 record, highlighted by Milwaukee’s 2-1 victory over No. 12 Marquette in the battle for the Milwaukee Cup. Joined by Green Bay, the Wisconsin members of the Horizon League combined to go 2-0-1 to start the season.

Milwaukee 2, No. 12 Marquette 1
Declan Rodriguez scored just one minute into the contest and senior Austin Toth added the eventual game-winner in the first half to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Marquette University in front of a record crowd of 3,312 people Friday night at Engelmann Stadium.

The Panthers (1-0-0) took a 2-1 lead into the locker room against the No. 12 Golden Eagles (0-1-0), letting the defense do the rest to reclaim the Cup. Freshman goalkeeper Liam Anderson made six saves to record the victory, none bigger than on a close-range blast that he pushed over the crossbar in the 83rd minute.

With the win, not only did the Panthers reclaim the "Milwaukee Cup", but also recorded their first victory over a ranked opponent since October of 2005. Marquette came in ranked #12 in the NSCAA poll and was a consensus Top-25 squad in all of the preseason polls, ranking as high as #8 in one of them.

Rodriguez got the night started off with a bang when he netted the first goal just 60 seconds into the match. The goal was the third-fastest to ever be scored in a UWM home game.

After a foul along the left sideline, junior Laurie Bell stood in front of the long free kick attempt. He sent it deep to the far post, where Rodriguez was there to volley it into the open net and send the large crowd of UWM students into a frenzy behind the goal.

Marquette responded in the 17th minute, helped along by a UWM miscue on defense. A long ball into the back was headed towards the UWM keeper, but C. Nortey was the first to get to it, avoiding the offsides call and beating Anderson to make it 1-1 at the 16:38 mark.

UWM kept pressuring and broke through against just 10 minutes later. Junior Rami Younes carried the ball forward down the right side, sending a long cross to the far post. Toth was there to meet it perfectly, one-timing it back to the other side of the net, hand-raised shortly after to celebrate his first goal in a Milwaukee uniform.

Marquette came out the aggressor in the second half, but the UWM defense was up to the task each time. Anderson picked up a pair of impressive saves early, stopping a Nortey header just 57 seconds after intermission and then again was up to the task at the 48:04 mark on a close-range header.

Overall in the game, Marquette ended up with the 14-to-10 advantage in shots, including a 7-to-3 tally in shots on goal. UWM had four of the nine corner kicks, 18 of the 34 fouls and three of the four yellow cards. Bell led the offense with three shots. For Marquette, Bryan Ciesiulka had four shots and Charlie Lyon made just one save.

Green Bay 3, DePaul 2
In a wild and weather-hampered match, the Green Bay men’s soccer team opened its 2013 season with an exciting 3-2 win over DePaul on Friday afternoon at Wish Field.

A high-scoring, intense affair, the Phoenix rebounded from two early deficits for its first win of the season. The game was called with 6:06 remaining on the scoreboard due to severe weather in the Chicagoland area.

It didn’t take long for the Blue Demons to take an early lead, finding the net with just 1:23 ticked off the clock as Michael Stankiewicz found Brandon Loncar to put the hosts ahead, 1-0.

Jordan Dover entered the match for Green Bay in the 23^rd minute and showed his capabilities off the bench, netting his first goal of the season in the 29^th minute capitalizing on an open-net pass from Sam Krenzien to knot the score at 1-1.

Maintaining the pressure, Lawrence Talery  saw his shot hit the post and another shot by Dover forced DePaul’s Eric Sorby into a save situation, leaving the Phoenix just short of adding another goal.

Despite holding the momentum, it was the Blue Demons who scored the final goal of the first half, bringing in a goal by Pat Flynn off of a free kick to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Again the Phoenix rebounded from a deficit, notching two goals in the first five minutes of the second half to go ahead, 3-2. Krenzien started the scoring in the 48^th minute with an unassisted marker shot from 20 yards out to even the score, 2-2. Jepson followed with his first collegiate goal in the 50^th minute, settling a pass from Tyler Swanner to push the Phoenix lead to 3-2.

Green Bay maintained the advantage down the stretch, until the game came to a halt in the 84th minute for lightning and severe weather in the area. After a 90 minute delay the match was called.

For the match, Green Bay led in shots, 10-8. Corners were even at 1-1. Kyle Ihn played the entirety for the Phoenix, collecting his first collegiate win after making one save.

Green Bay 3, No. 12 Marquette 3
Sabastian Xiong scored two goals, including the equalizer in the 85th minute, as Green Bay (1-0-1) earned a 3-3 double overtime tie at No. 8/12 Marquette (0-1-1) on Sunday evening at Valley Fields in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles were ranked as high as eighth in the 2013 preseason top-25 national rankings.

Head coach Dan Popik’s team scored six goals in the two games against BIG EAST opponents, with four different players finding the back of the net.

Green Bay led twice on Sunday, but found itself trailing 3-2 in the waning minutes against the nationally-ranked Golden Eagles. That is when Xiong scored the equalizer, getting a cross from senior Sam Krenzien beating his defender and firing a shot past the keeper.

Xiong took another shot just 30 seconds into the first overtime session, but the ball missed wide. Marquette was able to get off just one shot in the 10-minute period, and freshman keeper Kyle Ihn kept it out of the net.

The suspense of a second overtime would have to wait more than 30 minutes due to a lightning delay, but when the two teams took the field again the Phoenix outshot the Golden Eagles 4-2. Ihn made another late save with under a minute to play to turn back Marquette’s last chance. Green Bay junior AJ Patterson had one last chance to win it for the Phoenix, but his header with four seconds left went high.

In the opening half, Green Bay dented the scoreboard first in the 24th minute. Lawrence Talery (Coon Rapids, Minn.) connected with Xiong, whose shot from 18 yards out ricocheted off the post and into the net.

Ihn preserved the lead in the 43rd minute with a penalty kick save against Marquette’s Axel Sjoberg. The freshman keeper stopped seven shots in the game for the Phoenix, but Marquette was able to tie the game just before halftime when Jake Taylor scored the first of his two goals for the hosts.

Talery made sure Marquette’s momentum did not carry over to the second half, beating two defenders and tallying his first marker of the season just one minute and nine seconds after the break for a 2-1 edge.

Taylor scored his second goal in the 53rd minute to tie the game, and the Golden Eagles’ went in front for the first time in the 66th minute on a goal from Coco Navarro.

Ihn and Green Bay kept Marquette at bay for the final 45 minutes, and Xiong’s second goal earned the Phoenix an impressive result for the second-straight road contest.

Valparaiso 0, Jacksonville 0 (2ot)
The Crusader men posted a 0-0 draw Friday night in Jacksonville, despite being a man down for the final 23 minutes of regulation and the duration of overtime.

Playing with heavy legs indeed, Valpo was unable to develop any type of rhythm during the first half of play; as a result, the Crusaders struggled to keep the ball and were outshot by the Dolphins, 6-1.

The second half, however, saw the Crusaders settle into the remainder of the game nicely, as the team was able to hold onto the ball and build an attack. This led to Valpo creating several quality chances early in the period. Charles Barden, Jesse Ortiz, Todd Vervynckt and Omar Lawrence each took shots for the Crusaders.  The team also earned two corner kicks, but could not convert on either chance.

The run of play continued to favor Valpo until a Crusader player was sent off for a “high elbow” in the 67th minute of play. Forced to play a man down for the remainder of the contest, the Crusaders relied on a defense that very rarely concedes goals. Tonight was no different, as a rebuilt back line limited the amount of quality chances from the Dolphins. Yannick Iwunze, Mitch Albrecht, Adrian Graham and Lawrence anchored the back line.

Tom Serratore did well to earn his first career shutout, as the Crusader goalkeeper was tested early and often Friday night. Each of Serratore's eight saves were vital in keeping the Crusaders level with the Dolphins, but none was more important than the effort seen in the 97^th minute and first period of overtime. With a free kick awarded to the Dolphins just outside of the Crusader penalty area, Serratore extended to make a superb diving save on a ball that seemed certain to find the back of the net.

Valparaiso 1, North Florida 1 (2ot)
With little turnover between games, the Crusader men were back in action Sunday afternoon to take on the North Florida Ospreys. Having played 110 minutes in hot, humid Jacksonville weather on Friday night, the Crusaders again found themselves going the distance in the hot Florida weather, as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw.

Taking advantage of the heavy legged Crusaders, the Ospreys went up in the 16^th minute of play as Alex Morrell was able to make his way through the Valpo defense and find the back of the net.

Being a team that has already overcome tough challenges in this young season, the Crusaders were able to dig in and work themselves in the game. The rest of the first half saw Valpo take seven shots, forcing the Osprey goalkeeper to make four critical saves. Aside from giving up the early goal, the first half was played evenly between the two teams.

After surviving a brief scare early on in the second half with an Osprey header hitting the post, the Crusaders settled into the half and put their mark on the game. Keeping the ball and building through solid possession, Valpo kept the Osprey defense busy; earning four corner kicks. Finally, a breakthrough came in the 76^th minute with Julio Velasquez scoring his first career goal as a Crusader. Velasquez picked an opportune time for his first career goal as his tally leveled the contest at 1-1.

Collecting a ball served into the penalty area, Velasquez showed great skill in controlling the ball and placing it out of reach of a diving Osprey goalkeeper. Credited with the assist were Todd Vervynckt and Jacob Gandarilla, his first career assist as a Crusader. Valpo was able to create two additional chances late in the half but were unable to finish either.

With neither team able to break the 1-1 deadlock, the game would be sent into two overtime periods. Valpo held the better of play in overtime, but were unable to the find the chance that would put them ahead. The game would end in 1-1 draw, moving the Crusaders to 0-0-2 on the season.

Oakland 2, Pittsburgh 2 (2ot)
Joey Tinnion scored the equalizing goal and Sean Magee added a goal as the Oakland men's soccer team (0-0-1) tied the first match of the season at Pitt (0-0-1), by a score of 2-2 in 120 minutes of play, Friday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Tinnion tied the match at 2-1 in the 85th minute as he took a pass from Derek Nowak and was able to beat the keeper to the far right post. Earlier in the half Sean Magee earned a goal by taking a pass from Dylan Schauder inside the box and scored on the near left post, to tie the match at 1-1 in the 67th minute.

The Panthers got on the board first in the 28th minute as Ryan Myers scored off a free kick in the lower right post. Pitt would take a 2-1 advantage in the 71st minute as Chu Chu Onyeukwu deflected a corner past Sean Lewis.

Oakland and Pittsburgh played very competitive extra periods as Pitt held a 8-5 shot advantage, but OU had a 2-1 shot on goal favor as neither team was able to break the tie in the opening match. Lewis finished the match making four saves while allowing the two goals in 120 minutes and Pittsburgh's Dan Lynd had six saves with two goals allowed.

Duquesne 1, Oakland 0 (ot)
Shawn Claud Lawson had two shots on goal and Sean Lewis made three saves but it was not enough as the Oakland men's soccer team (0-1-1) fell to Duquesne (2-0-0), 1-0 in overtime, on Sunday at Arthur J. Rooney Field.

In the extra period, the Golden Grizzlies were penalized and the Dukes capitalized off the free kick as Colin Phillips headed in the game winner in the 96th minute. OU outshot the Dukes 12-10 in the match including a 5-4 shots on goal advantage and a 6-3 corner kick lead.

Sean Lewis finished the match with three saves, while Sam Frymier ended the match with five saves for DU.

Oregon State 3, Cleveland State 0
Cleveland State men's soccer team began its 2013 season on Friday night at Oregon State, falling to the Beavers 3-0.

The first half was a scoreless defensive game where Cleveland State and Oregon State each had four shot attempts at the net. Cleveland State's junior midfielder Mike Derezic attempted two shots on goal, but could not sneak one past Oregon State's goalkeeper Matt Bersano.

In the second half Oregon State scored at the 56 minute-mark when Josh Smith knocked in a header into the right corner of the net. Ole Sandnes was credited on the assist.

Oregon State added to its 1-0 lead when midfielder Will Seymore had a free kick from the center line just left of the net coming at the 79 minute-mark of the match giving the Beavers a 2-0 lead. The Vikings had no answer for Oregon State when Sandnes scored at the 89 minute-mark to create the final margin.

Cleveland State attempted 13 shots on the night and four shots on goal but came up empty. CSU goalie Joe Kalt had two saves on the night.

Cleveland State 3, Portland 2 (2ot)
Cleveland State collected its first win of the season on Sunday, knocking off Portland in double overtime, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Vikings improve to 1-1-0 on the young 2013 season.

With the Vikings being out-shot 17-8 in the game and allowing nine shots on goal, Cleveland State overcame adversity and fought to the very end when senior Jordan Hart sealed the victory for CSU.

At the 20 minute-mark, Portland defender Matt Liberator netted his first goal of the season from the far right side to give Portland an early 1-0 lead. Defender Hugo Rhoads was credited on the assist off of a corner kick 30 yards out. Cleveland State found the back of the net to tie the score at one at the 39 minute-mark of the match when sophomore midfielder, Cristian Arboleda snuck a ball past Portland goalie Justin Baarts from the left wing 18 yards out. Freshman midfielder Sergio Manesio was credited on the assist.

The Vikings were outshot 10-2 in the first half and only attempted one shot on goal to Portland's six shots on goal. During the first half, Portland attempted seven shots before CSU was able to get off its first shot.

In the second half, the Vikings at the 67 minute-mark broke the 1-1 tie when senior forward, Admir Suljevic scored from the top of the box.  Senior defender Zach Ellis-Hayden was credited on the assist on a short cross pass.

The Vikings could not control the lead late in the match when Portland tied the game with three minutes left in regulation. Forward, Steven Corbett scored from the top of the box just one yard out.  Aaron Caprio would set him up for the goal on a cross pass.

There was no scoring in the first overtime session as the Vikings defense held strong to force double overtime. The Vikings ended the game and captured their first win of the season when senior forward Hart netted a goal into the right corner side of the net at the 100 minute-mark. Aslinn Rodas set up Hart's game winner on a cross pass three yards out.

No. rv/13 UC Santa Barbara 1, UIC 0
The UIC men’s soccer team fought tooth and nail against No. 13 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday afternoon at Flames Field, but a lone goal in the first period by the Gauchos proved to be the difference maker as the Flames fell, 1-0.

The Flames out-shot the Gauchos by a tally of 6-5 and had two strikes on goal. UIC had a great opportunity to score in the first period as senior Slobodan Aleksov connected on a header that bounced off the crossbar and out of play. Junior Jesus Torres nearly punched in a goal in the second half on a hard kick less than 10 yards in front of the net that went straight into the waiting arms of the UCSB goalie.

Santa Barbara collected the game’s only score at the 39:03 mark of the first period as senior Goffin Boyoko netted a header that was crossed by teammate Armand Bagramyan. Boyoko has three goals in just two contests so far this season.

The non-conference matchup did feature nine yellow cards, including seven for UCSB. In the second half, Gauchos’ head coach Tim Vom Steeg was ejected after receiving his second yellow card.

Detroit 0, IUPUI 0 (2ot)
The University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team opened up the 2013 season with a 0-0 tie against the IUPUI Jaguars Friday afternoon on Titan Field.

Both teams struggled to find the back of the net in the first half. Detroit managed to put up four shots, two of those from reigning 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year, Adam Bedell, including a header that almost crept by IUPUI goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes. The Jags had their fair share of chances, hosting up seven shots by seven different players.

The Titans nearly got on the scoreboard first, but a ball from Kevin Pinkos with 12:38 remaining in the opening half slightly missed the foot of Mike Pugh for what would have been an easy Titan goal.

IUPUI put up seven shots the first half but junior goalkeeper Nathan Steinwascher made sure to give his squad a chance by keeping the Jaguars off the scoreboard.

Both teams returned to the field looking to put a point on the scoreboard. UDM senior Bedell had an opportunity on a few headers, especially one that looked golden with 28:43 remaining in the match and finally give the Titans an advantage over IUPUI, but the attempt was saved.  Shortly after, some miscommunication by the Titans led to a breakaway for the Jaguars, but Steinwascher saved a shot by Ben Ogedegbe and another from Olayode Ahmed, who was fed after some spiffy moves by Lance Davis. The match remained scoreless at 20:28 into the second frame.

UDM freshman Tyler Moorman's only shot of the game at the 17-minute mark prematurely sent Titan fans cheering, but it was the play of the two goalkeepers that kept onlookers on the edge of their seats. In the final minutes of regulation, Mike Pugh had a chance for the game-winning goal, but the attempt ran high as the clock ran down.

Kevin Pinkos almost made the overtime a short one, but missed the attempt off a throw from Bedell. The Titans certainly had their far chances in the first half outshooting the Jaguars three to one.

During the second overtime each squad went into desperation mode to put together a successful run on goal. Detroit handled the ball for about eight minutes of the final overtime and had chances at goal, including a potential winner with with one second left but the Bedell shot sailed wide, and the Titans would go on and play to a draw in their season opener, 0-0.

Wright State at #rv Kentucky – postponed
The Wright State men's soccer opener at Kentucky Friday night was postponed due to a power outage.

Both teams were preparing to take the field for the national anthem when the power went out in the facility, forcing a postponement. The two teams have rescheduled the contest for Tuesday, November 5, with a time to be announced.