UW-Milwaukee men's soccer rated 25th in nation by NSCAA

Oct. 18, 2005

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Sometimes, wins and losses are a matter of perspective. For the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a tie and a win were not enough to keep the Panthers in the national top 25 according to the Soccer America polls. But that 1-0 victory over previously 22nd-ranked Northern Illinois on Sunday (Oct. 16) impressed the voters in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, who granted UWM a share of 25th position in their survey Tuesday (Oct. 18).

The Panthers' 8-2-4 overall ledger includes a five-match unbeaten streak which features five consecutive shutouts. The only blemish in that 4-0-1 run (since Oct. 2) was a 0-0 draw with the University of Illinois at Chicago on Wednesday (Oct. 13).

UW-Milwaukee finished 2004 ranked 24th in the nation after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers defeated the University of San Francisco, 3-2, before falling, 2-1, in overtime to then-top-ranked Santa Clara University. This year's edition features freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum, who ranks second in the nation with a 0.26 goals-against average. In addition, junior midfielder Craig Mallace leads the League in scoring with 17 points (four goals plus nine assists).

UW-Milwaukee also moved up two spots in the coaches' regional rankings, now standing third in the Great Lakes Region. The Panthers are one of four teams rated in their respective regions, joining the University of Detroit Mercy and Butler University in the Great Lakes, along with UIC in the Midwest Region.

Detroit's six-match winning streak has lifted the Titans up to fifth in the Great Lakes Region, a three-notch climb from last week. UDM has not lost since Sept. 23, a run which includes victories over both UW-Milwaukee (2-1 on Oct. 2) and UIC (3-2 in overtime on Sept. 25). Detroit has overcome a 0-1-2 start to post its current 8-3-2 ledger.

Butler fell two spots to ninth in the region, riding a three-match losing streak which has dropped the Bulldogs to 9-5-0 overall. BU suffered a pair of one-goal defeats on the road last week, losing 2-1 in overtime at Loyola University Chicago on Friday (Oct. 14) and 1-0 at UIC on Sunday.

UIC remains fourth in the Midwest Region, boasting a 7-3-2 overall mark. The Flames' draw with UW-Milwaukee marked the first time the Panthers have been shut out this season, with UIC netminder Jeff Engelbrecht earning Horizon League Player of the Week honors. Engelbrecht stopped seven shots versus UWM and now has five shutouts this season.

The University of Akron remains atop both major national polls as the only undefeated team in Division I. The 12-0-1 Zips have outscored their opponents 45-6 so far in 2005. The NSCAA poll has Old Dominion University (10-1-2) and the University of New Mexico (10-1-1) third, with the University of Virginia (10-1-2) and the University of Connecticut (9-2-1) sharing fourth position. Virginia is second according to the Soccer America balloting, followed by Connecticut, Indiana University (8-1-4) and New Mexico.

All four of the League's ranked teams face stiff challenges this week, with UW-Milwaukee visiting the University of Michigan on Thursday (Oct. 20) and hosting Loyola University Chicago on Sunday (Oct. 23). Michigan (6-6-1) is ranked tenth in the Great Lakes Region according to the coaches' poll, while Loyola enters the week with a perfect (3-0-0) League ledger.

Detroit has the first change to snap Loyola's conference run, hosting the Ramblers on Friday (Oct. 21) before stepping outside the League for a Sunday matinee at home versus Oral Roberts University. UIC's agenda features a Wednesday (Oct. 19) match versus intra-city rival DePaul University ahead of Saturday's (Oct. 22) road contest versus the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Butler travels to Bloomington, IN, to face defending national champion Indiana on Wednesday before returning home to face Wright State University on Sunday.

The NSCAA/adidas national rankings are released each Tuesday afternoon and can be found at www.nscaa.com through the "rankings" tab at the top of the page. Soccer America publishes its weekly survey on Mondays at www.socceramerica.com. Links are provided on the "headlines" section on the right side of the page.

NSCAA / adidas Men's National Rankings
October 18, 2005

TeamRecordLW
1.Akron12-0-11
2.Old Dominion10-1-23
3.New Mexico10-1-12
T4.Virginia10-1-27
T4.Connecticut9-2-16
T6.Indiana8-1-48
T6.St. John's7-2-44
T8.Santa Clara10-3-09
T8.Maryland10-3-012
10.North Carolina9-3-15
11.Southern Methodist8-4-1NR
12.California9-3-113
13.Duquesne10-2-016
14.North Carolina State8-4-111
15.Creighton7-2-3NR
16.Duke8-3-115
17.UCLA7-3-217
18.Virginia Tech7-3-323
19.Vermont10-4-118
20.Buffalo12-2-021
21.Wake Forest8-3-214
22.Seton Hall9-2-2NR
23.UC Santa Barbara7-2-320
24.Missouri State9-1-29
25.UW-Milwaukee8-2-4NR
25.Brown8-3-1NR
25.Yale6-2-3NR

Dropped out: Cincinnati (previously No. 18), Northern Illinois (No. 22), UNC Greensboro (No. 23), San Diego State (No. 25)

NSCAA / adidas Men's Regional Rankings
October 18, 2005

Great Lakes Region
TeamRecordLW
1.Akron12-0-11
2.Indiana8-1-42
3.UW-Milwaukee8-2-45
4.Michigan State5-3-59
5.Detroit8-3-28
6.Notre Dame7-5-24
7.Northwestern7-4-110
8.Cincinnati7-5-23
9.Butler9-5-07
10.Michigan6-6-16

Dropped out: none

Midwest Region
TeamRecordLW
1.Southern Methodist8-4-13
2.Creighton7-2-35
3.Missouri State9-1-21
4.UIC7-3-24
5.Northern Illinois9-3-22
6.Bradley8-4-16
7.Saint Louis7-4-19
8.Vanderbilt6-5-17
9.Memphis5-5-28
10.Tulsa4-4-6NR

Dropped out: Western Kentucky (previously tied for No. 10), Oral Roberts (tied, No. 10)