MILWAUKEE - Sophomore Declan Rodriguez scored in the fifth minute and the defense posted its second-straight shutout to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois University on a wet Thursday evening at Engelmann Stadium.

The Panthers (5-0-1) and Leathernecks (1-5-0) played most of the night under tough conditions, as heavy rains and lightning caused a 96-minute delay in the contest. Milwaukee hung tough and grinded out the win, extending their unbeaten streak to six games in the process.

"It's hard for the guys - for both teams - to keep themselves going and to come back with energy after such a long break," UWM head coach Kris Kelderman said. "I thought we came out a little bit better in the second half than we did in the first half. With the weather and the elements, you still want to play quality soccer, but it's just one of those games where you just have to roll up your sleeves and fight and battle."

Freshman goalkeeper Liam Anderson needed to make three saves for the shutout, his third in the past four games.

"Western Illinois is a better team than their record shows," Kelderman said. "They did a really nice job in the midfield and are a hard team to play against. We were fortunate enough to get an opportunity and score."

The Panthers found the net on their very first shot of the game. After a foul, junior Luke Goodnetter took the proceeding free kick. He placed the 40-yard attempt perfectly, with Rodriguez heading the winner at the far post and easily past the WIU keeper at the 4:34 mark.

The Leathernecks tried to push back, but settled for a handful of shots from long range before the skies opened up in the 18th minute. With the scoreboard stopped at 17:44, the fans and teams headed for cover, with the rain and lightning causing a one hour and 36-minute delay.

"Thank you to all the fans that hung in there with us," Kelderman said. "Defensively, another shutout and we were very sound. Obviously, a great result at home again."

One play resumed, UWM had the only real threats of the first half, with Rodriguez slotting a short shot just wide in the 33rd minute and freshman Kostas Kotselas volleying an attempt wide in the 36th minute.

In the second half, the Panthers once again had a handful of decent scoring opportunities, but could not find a finish to give themselves that insurance goal. Goodnetter hit the post in the 58th minute to keep it 1-0 and then a pair of fine saves by WIU's goalie also kept UWM off the board.

Junior Laurie Bell found senior Riley Wiener on a run to the goal in the 67th minute, but the keeper came off his line to make a diving stop. He did the same in the 71st minute, denying sophomore Aaron Horvat of a score after freshman Junior Juarez found Horvat on a through ball down the right side. Horvat chipped the oncoming goalie, but he managed to barely get a hand on it and grab the rebound.

Horvat just missed a diving header in the 81st and Bell nearly had an empty-netter in the final seconds, only to be denied by Yves Dietrich, who made his seventh save of the night scurrying back to make the final sprawling stop with three ticks of the clock remaining.

UWM dominated possession and shots once again, totaling a 21-12 shot advantage (8-to-3 in shots on goal), with both teams earning five corner kicks. Milwaukee was whistled for 21 of the 35 fouls and booked for three of the four yellow cards.

The Panthers hit the road for their final contest before Horizon League play begins, heading to Western Michigan Sunday for a 1:30 p.m. CST kickoff.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys

Midwest High School Roundup - Nov.