UW-Milwaukee women rank fourth in final Soccer Buzz regional canvass of 2005

Dec. 14, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the second consecutive season, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), which placed the Panthers 24th in its final poll of the season announced Tuesday (Dec. 13).

The Panthers matched their 24th-place finish from last fall and made their second entry into the top 25 this season. The school was voted 25th in the nation on Oct. 18, 2005, before slipping from the rankings.UW-Milwaukee captured the Horizon League championship for the fourth consecutive year in 2005, edging regular-season titlist University of Detroit Mercy 1-0 in the final to advance to its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament. UWM defeated Bradley University 2-0 in the opening round of the national summit, becoming one of only seven schools to post victories in each of the last four NCAA tourneys.

The Panthers then battled top-ranked University of New Mexico to a 2-2 draw in the second round before the Lobos advanced in penalty kicks (5-3) to end UW-Milwaukee's late-season run. New Mexico finished as the national runner-up, losing to the University of Maryland in the final round.

Senior midfielder Neil Dombrowski and sophomore defender Steve Bode both earned First-Team All-Horizon League notice in 2005, with Dombrowski finishing second in the League with 23 points including nine goals. Freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum led the nation with his 0.47 goals-against average, registering ten shutouts in 16 appearances.

The Panthers will be under new leadership in 2006 after head coach Louis Bennett's resignation last week. Bennett, who accepted the head coaching position at cross-town rival Marquette University, posted a 136-63-17 ledger in his ten-year career at the school.

UWM's women's soccer team also drew recognition as coach Mike Moynihan's squad received votes for the final Soccer Buzz national Top 30 rankings. That status marks the first time the program has been mentioned in the Internet-based publication's last poll of a season.

Soccer Buzz also placed the Panthers fourth in the season's final Great Lakes Region canvass, behind only the University of Notre Dame, Marquette and the University of Illinois and ahead of instate rival University of Wisconsin (fifth).

The Panthers' 12-5-5 record included the Horizon League championship plus a sixth consecutive regular-season League crown. UW-Milwaukee outlasted Detroit in penalty kicks (4-3) following 110 minutes of scoreless action in the League final, then took a similar path in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eliminate Purdue University (6-5) in the first round. Marquette ended UWM's season with a 1-0 decision in the second round, scoring with only 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

Freshman goalkeeper Erin Kane tied a school record with 13 shutouts and established a new Panther standard with her 0.58 goals-against average. She was one of three UWM representatives on the First-Team All-League squad, joining sophomore defender Ginny Graczyk and freshman midfielder Sarah Teegarden, while senior defender Janice McGann and sophomore backliner Amanda Winn were Second-Team honorees.

The NSCAA/adidas national rankings are released each Tuesday afternoon during the regular season and can be found at www.nscaa.com through the "rankings" tab at the top of the page. Soccer Buzz publishes its weekly survey on Mondays at www.soccerbuzz.com. Links are provided under "Buzz Rankings," which can be found on the "inside" section on the left side of the page.

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NSCAA / adidas Men's National Rankings
FINAL -- Dec. 13, 2005

TeamRecord
1.Maryland20-4-1
2.New Mexico18-2-3
T3.Clemson15-6-3
T3.Southern Methodist14-6-3
5.Akron18-2-3
6.Creighton15-5-3
7.North Carolina17-4-3
8.California14-4-3
9.Connecticut16-3-2
10.Penn State13-7-2
11.Virginia12-5-3
12.Wake Forest13-8-2
T13.Cal State-Northridge15-4-3
T13.St. John's11-6-5
15.Notre Dame12-8-3
16.Duke12-5-3
17.Indiana13-3-6
18.UNC Greensboro16-6-1
19.UCLA12-5-3
20.Santa Clara13-6-3
21.Old Dominion15-4-2
22.North Carolina State11-7-1
23.UC Santa Barbara13-5-3
T24.UW-Milwaukee14-4-5
T24.Seton Hall13-4-3

Soccer Buzz Women's National Rankings
FINAL -- Dec. 5, 2005

TeamRecordPrev.
1.Portland23-0-21
2.Penn State23-0-22
3.UCLA22-2-24
4.North Carolina23-1-13
5.Florida State20-4-17
6.Notre Dame22-3-05
7.Santa Clara17-5-210
8.Virginia18-6-16
9.California16-4-28
10.Texas A&M18-4-212
11.Cal State-Fullerton19-4-015
12.Boston College13-6-217
13.Marquette19-4-114
14.Yale15-4-123
15.Duke14-6-19
16.Pepperdine19-4-116
17.Tennessee15-6-211
18.Southern California13-6-224
19.West Virginia12-6-320
20.Illinois12-7-329
21.Connecticut15-5-213
22.Gonzaga12-4-418
23.Brigham Young15-2-421
24.Arizona11-8-3NR
25.Florida13-6-122
26.Nebraska14-8-1NR
27.Vanderbilt16-3-320
28.Colorado12-8-427
29.Dartmouth12-5-130
30.Saint Louis16-5-0NR

Others receiving votes (in alphabetical order): Boston University (14-5-4), Hofstra (14-4-3), Mississippi (14-5-2), Southern Methodist (15-5-2), Virginia Commonwealth (13-5-5), Wisconsin (13-9-2), UW-Milwaukee(12-5-5).

Soccer Buzz Women's Regional Rankings
FINAL -- Dec. 5, 2005

Great Lakes Region
TeamRecordPrev.
1.Notre Dame22-3-01
2.Marquette19-4-12
3.Illinois12-7-34
4.UW-Milwaukee12-5-56
5.Wisconsin13-9-23
6.Michigan State12-6-57
7.Purdue11-7-25
8.Minnesota9-8-28
9.Michigan8-9-49
10.Kentucky8-6-710
11.Ball State15-3-211
12.Louisville11-8-012
13.Bowling Green14-6-213
14.Dayton10-7-314
15.Drake11-7-215

Others receiving votes: Detroit (10-4-5), Northwestern (9-9-1).