MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team closed out the season with a bang, handing regionally-ranked Northern Kentucky University a lopsided 4-0 loss Friday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"It was a great win and a really good performance by everybody," Milwaukee head coach Kris Kelderman said. "The team played really well together. We scored four goals – we have been waiting for a performance like that for a long time. I am glad it happened tonight. The guys were pretty sharp tonight and I was very pleased."
 
The Panthers (5-10-3, 2-5-2 Horizon League) scored a pair of goals in each half against the Norse (8-6-4, 4-2-3 Horizon League), a team that came into the game ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA Great Lakes Regional poll and fighting for a two-seed in the Horizon League Tournament.
 
Milwaukee came out dominant from the start, not allowing a Norse shot until the 28^th minute in addition to jumping out to a 2-0 advantage before the game was 17 minutes old.
 
Declan Rodriguez, one of six student-athletes to be honored at "Senior Night" did his part, scoring a pair of goals to lead the way. He got Milwaukee on the board at the 13:50 mark, heading in a cross from the left sideline off the foot of freshman Jason Palitang Svensson. The goal turned into his third game-winner of the season.
 
Six seniors in all were honored. In addition to Rodriguez, it was Dustin Ashley, Aaron Horvat, Zach Stevenson and Agustin Rey all in the starting lineup. The final senior made an appearance late, with Jonathan Stahr subbing in the final 13:11 of the night in net. He needed to make one save to preserve the shutout, matching Rey's total on the night.
 
"It was great," Kelderman said. "We had an opportunity to play all six seniors and all but one was in the starting lineup and he came in late as a goalkeeper change. They all had a great game. It was a great way to end their season with a victory and all of the seniors having a big part of it. I couldn't ask for a better scenario as far as a send-off for the seniors."
 
Milwaukee wasted little time in pressing for another. Not even three minutes later, a corner kick was cleared out to the top of the penalty area, where freshman Francesco Saporito was waiting. He collected the ball, made a nifty move to open some space and sent a rocket to the upper right corner of the goal to make it 2-0 just 2:49 after Rodriguez's opener.

The Panthers took that 2-0 advantage into the locker room, building the lead with a 9-to-2 advantage in shots in the first 45 minutes. They had a couple of quality chances to add to it, but Rodriguez's header went just high in the 23^rd minute and Stevenson's left-footed one-timer on a run to the goal narrowly missed at the post in the 36^th.
 
It was all but over just after intermission, with Rodriguez getting a breakaway opportunity that he put away easily for the brace and a 3-0 lead at the 46:04 mark.
 
The opportunity was created beautifully by Saporito, who sent a long ball from the right sideline perfectly over the back line. Freshman Alex Young was also credited with an assist on the play after playing the ball to Saporito.
 
Kelderman used substitutions freely late in the game, with 21 different players seeing action on the night. It was a trio of the subs that converged on the final goal of the contest. Freshman Azael Flores took possession of the ball near midfield and fed sophomore Reid Stevenson making a run down the right side. He crossed the ball to the far post, where freshman Peter Raymonds was waiting to bury the first goal of his collegiate career at the 79:00 mark.
 
For the game, UWM held advantages of 13-to-10 in shots, 6-to-2 in shots on goal, 4-to-2 in corner kicks and 15-to-14 in fouls. Rodriguez led the offense with almost half of the shots at six total, with Zach Stevenson adding three.
 
The victory concludes the season for Milwaukee in 2015 after the team did not qualify for the Horizon League Tournament.
 
"Obviously, we were disappointed in the results from the season," Kelderman said. "We know we are a better team than what the results showed, but that is the reality. They came out, won 4-0 against a Northern Kentucky team that was playing for the second seed in the conference. That shows that there is a lot of heart and a lot of passion with these guys and that means a bright future for UWM soccer."

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