Panthers Extend Unbeaten Streak
MILWAUKEE - Juniors Rami Younes and Laurie Bell scored goals and freshman Liam Anderson recorded his first collegiate shutout to send the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Bowling Green State University Sunday at Engelmann Stadium.
The Panthers (2-0-1) scored once in each half against the Falcons (1-2-1) and used a strong defensive effort to record the clean sheet in the closing game of the 39th Panther Invitational. The 2-0-1 start marks the first time Milwaukee has been unbeaten after three contests since the 2005 campaign.
"I was really pleased with the effort that the guys put in today," UWM head coach Kris Kelderman said. "Our style of play, our possession was really good. We were sharp - the only thing that was missing was being a little sharper in front of the goal with our chances. But overall, I was very pleased with our performance today."
Anderson capped a solid weekend with his first shutout, making three saves on the day to improve his goals-against average on the season to 0.62. All three of the saves were impressive to watch, stopping a diving header in 47th minute, a diving save in a one-on-one situation in the 27th minute and a nice block of a blast from the wing in the 21st minute.
"He's a very composed person for being a young player," Kelderman said. "He had a great weekend and we're excited about it because he is a guy that is only going to get better. The guys in front of him, defensively, have done a really good job and our team defense was solid all weekend."
The offense was firing all day, ending the afternoon with a shot advantage of 21-to-5, including 7-to-3 in shots on goal. That gave UWM 39 in the two games on the weekend. UWM also earned eight of the 11 corner kicks on the day.
"That is something to build on," Kelderman said. "We have to do a little bit more with those chances but at least we are creating them. They (BGSU) are a big, strong, physical team and they work hard. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game today, but we came ready to play and it showed. I am proud of the guys."
A scoreless game well into the first half, Younes netted his first goal of the year on some fine individual effort. After taking a pass from Bell, he moved up the left sideline, dodged a handful of defenders across the wing of the penalty area and sailed one in to the corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead at the 33:11 mark.
It stood that way until the 60th minute, when Bell easily netted a penalty kick to push the lead to 2-0.
Bell started the play that led to the PK, feeding senior Robbie Boyd on a nice pass into the penalty area. Boyd tried to sneak around a final defender, but was tripped, with the foul leading to the spot kick.
Freshman Beau Laufer provided a spark off the bench, recording four shots in just 39 minutes of action. Only a pair of great saves by the BGSU keeper kept him from finding the back of the net.
The Panthers stayed unbeaten after three games, the first time in eight years they have accomplished the feat (the 2005 team was also 2-0-1).
"That's exciting news and is a sign that we are doing some things well," Kelderman said. "It's still a work in progress. I told the guys to be excited about the performance thus far, but we have a ways to go."
Up next will be the first road trip of the season, heading to Chicago to play DePaul Friday at 4 p.m.
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