MILWAUKEE - Oliver Haslund came up with a key save on the first penalty-kick attempt of the shootout and Francesco Saporito sent the Milwaukee men's soccer team on to the semifinals when he netted the decisive try Monday evening in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"It's a tough way to win the game and certainly a tough way to lose the game," Milwaukee head coach Kris Kelderman said. "A lot of respect for Valparaiso, they have a very good team. They are very difficult to play against and I have a lot of respect for Coach Avery. It's a tough way to go down on penalty kicks, but I am very excited for our group. We knew it was going to be a tough game."
 
After the Panthers (8-7-3) and Crusaders (10-5-4) played to a grind-it-out scoreless draw in regulation, Haslund was the first to play hero and Saporito the last, capping off a 5-3 shootout win and the wild dash and celebration in front of the home fans that the entire team joined in on.
 
"As a team, we have really been working towards this and I just thought, as I was walking up, that I was going to celebrate with the fans and that's about it," Saporito said. "We've been working really hard together and it was just a matter of putting it away and giving us a chance to celebrate."
 
Both teams get credited with a tie on their records, with Milwaukee officially advancing, 5-3, in the penalty-kick shootout to extend the 2016 campaign into the semifinals in Dayton, Ohio on Thursday.
 
"Got the result that we wanted and worked really, really hard for this season and I am excited for the guys," Kelderman said.
 
Haslund, who was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the day, played a deciding role on the first Valpo attempt, making the save when he got his hand up high on a diving attempt to his left to give UWM the early lead.
 
"Absolutely huge, it was a great save," Kelderman said. "Ollie has been our guy for the last handful of games and he's really played very well for a freshman. I am very excited for not only the way that he is playing, but he's got a bright future ahead of him."
 
The Panthers converted all five of their PK's. Josh Kaye, Jonathan Stadler, Nick Moon and Magnus Flaatedal all netted their tries, setting the stage for Saporito to finish it. And he did, with Campbell going the right direction but unable to stop the winning strike.
 
A very even game throughout, both defenses had the opposition's attacking third on lockdown. The final shot total in the 110 minutes of action added up to 28 (22-to-16 Valpo), but only consisted of what could be termed a handful of combined quality chances.
 
One of those came in the 107^th minute, and it belonged to Valpo and very nearly ended the game. After earning a corner kick, the Crusaders played the attempt nicely to the far post. Omar Lawrence went up and sent it back where it came from and clear of Haslund.
 
But Kaye was there to save the day, in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off the line and keep that scoreline reading 0-0.
 
"I just saw the Valpo player at the back post jump really high and I just stepped across and luckily it came to me," Kaye said. "I just volleyed it away really and thought 'thank God' and such a feeling of relief."
 
Milwaukee recorded four shots in the extra frames, the closest chance at a golden goal coming from the head of Sean Reynolds, who fired just wide in the 107^th minute off a nice feed from Jaime Colin.
 
Haslund came up big near the end of regulation as well. Nico Campbell, the Horizon All-League Second-Team honoree, booted one 2/3 of the way down the field. It was run onto by Kendan Anderson, but Haslund was up to the task with an impressive save just four minutes from the end of time.
 
The Panthers also had a close chance at the end of regulation, with Horizon League Freshman of the Year Evan Conway heading one wide right of the target off a nice feed from Stephen Andrusko in the 86^th.
 
Milwaukee's best chance in the first half came from Moon. He dribbled in from the left wing and sent a left-footed blast on frame, only to see it knocked away with a foot save from Campbell.
 
For the game, Valparaiso ended the long night with that 22-to-16 advantage in shots, also with the slim 7-6 edge in shots on goal. Both teams earned three corner kicks and Valpo was whistled for 15 of the 28 fouls.
 
Conway led the offense with four shots. Flaatedal was second with three.
 
Up next is the Horizon league Tournament semifinals, as the team heads to Dayton, Ohio, where top-seeded Wright State is set to host the final three games. The Panthers will take on No. 2 UIC in the first game on Thursday, scheduled for a 3 p.m. CST start against the Flames.
 
If they win that game, it's on to the finals on Saturday. The Panthers and Flames played a tightly-contested affair in the regular-season, a matchup that ended in a 1-0 win for UIC.

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