CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Kostas Kotselas scored a pair of goals, including one in the 77^th minute, to send the Milwaukee men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Eastern Illinois University Sunday afternoon.
 
The contest was the season opener for the Panthers (1-0), played at Judah Christian School in Champaign, Ill., after rain had made the EIU Panthers (0-1-1) field unplayable.
 
"It was a very hard game to play," Milwaukee head coach Kris Kelderman said. "The facility it was moved to was a very large turf field and it was literally 103 degrees on the field. It was brutal, it was hot, it was one of those days where no matter who you played, it was going to be extremely difficult and you were going to have to grind it out. And the guys did that."
 
Following a scoreless first half that saw Milwaukee carry possession and early chances, UWM finally broke through in the 55th minute when Kotselas recorded the opening tally. Assisted by Nick Moon, Kotselas netted the third shot of the frame at the 54:54 mark after dribbling to the top of the box and firing.
 
"We prevailed and I was pleased with the effort," Kelderman said. "We had two golden opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the game where if we would have scored, I think that could have made things a lot different and easier for us. We hung in there. Defensively we were very tough to play against and I was pleased with the team defense."
 
The contest did not stay that way for long, however, with Eastern getting the chance to equalize when a penalty kick was called following a hard foul in the box from behind. Justin Oliver converted, and the game was 1-1 at the 60:59 mark.
 
The game-winner came via Kotselas once again, with Saporito finding him on a through ball to convert at the 76:13 mark.
 
The defense did a great job the rest of the way, holding EIU without a shot until the final seconds when Zach Medawattage's final attempt went wide just in front of the final horn.
 
For the game, Milwaukee tallied an advantage of 12-to-8 in shots, which included a 5-to-4 edge in shots on goal. Both teams had five corner kicks, while UWM was whistled for 19 of the 34 fouls.
 
Oliver Haslund made three saves in recording his first victory in his first collegiate start. Mike Novotny had three saves in defeat. Saporito paced the offense with three shots, tying Evan Conway for the team lead.
 
The Panthers will play just one game week two of the new campaign, heading to Missouri to take on UMKC next Saturday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

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