Panthers Post Third Consecutive Shutout
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Junior Rami Younes scored one goal and assisted the other and freshman goalkeeper Liam Anderson posted his third straight shutout to give the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team a 2-0 victory over Western Michigan University Sunday at the WMU Soccer Complex.
The Panthers (6-0-1) scored first and led at halftime for the seventh game in a row, topping the Broncos (3-5-0) to remain one of 15 unbeaten teams left at the NCAA Division I level this season.
"We are pretty pleased with that and excited about our performance today from start to finish," UWM head coach Kris Kelderman said. "Defensively, we were very solid and that starts with the goalkeeping and the back line. Our team defense was very good today and we created some nice chances - could have had some other goals but overall, a very good performance."
The victory was Milwaukee's third-straight road win, marking the first time it has accomplished that feat in six years. The third shutout in a row also marked the longest stretch of scoreless defense since the team recorded five in a row at the end of the 2005 campaign.
At 6-0-1, UWM has one of the top winning percentages in the country, with only a trio of 7-0 teams ahead of it on the list.
Younes netted the eventual game-winner in the 12th minute, rocketing a 20-yard shot over the WMU goalkeeper's head. It hit the cross bar and caromed straight down, with play continuing briefly before the referee's gathered and called it a goal.
"We're getting off to good starts and we just have to keep that going," Kelderman said. "We have to get the second goal a little quicker than we have been, but pretty pleased with today's effort."
It stayed that way until much later, when junior Laurie Bell volleyed home his fourth goal of the campaign at the 57:41 mark.
Freshman Junior Juarez created the opportunity, picking up a loose ball in the attacking third and sending it forward to Younes. Younes set up Bell with a well-placed cross to make it 2-0.
Milwaukee ended with a 14-to-8 edge in shots, narrowly missing a couple of other quality scoring chances. Bell found freshman Kostas Kotselas for a header just before intermission, but the ball flew just wide. Bell came close himself in the 28th minute, volleying a cross from senior Robbie Boyd along the end line narrowly over the cross bar.
The Panthers also missed an extremely early goal when a short shot from sophomore Aaron Horvat went just wide in the first 30 seconds after a combination of passes from Bell and Boyd.
The defense did a solid job again today, with Anderson needing to make just a routine save in the 67th-minute to keep the zero on the scoreboard.
The Panthers will not play midweek, waiting until the weekend to begin Horizon League play. Milwaukee heads to Detroit Saturday, set for a start time of 2 p.m. CST.
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