Nov. 4, 2000

MILWAUKEE-The UWM men's soccer team ended their season earlier than anticipated, falling to UIC, 2-0, in the semifinal round of the MCC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Knocked out by the first-seeded host, the fourth-seeded Panthers finish with a 5-3-1 MCC record and 11-9-1 overall record.

Playing with a veteran squad of seven seniors, the Flames were able to capitalize on a UWM defensive miscue in the first half to take the 1-0 lead. UIC senior forward Eric Lukin, the MCC Player of the Year, scored in the 24th minute past UWM goalkeeper Brad Swenby from 12 yards out. Lukin's goal was followed with a red card issuance five minutes later after elbowing UWM's Chad Dombrowski. UIC played a man short for the remainder of the game, and will have to do without the league's leading scorer in the MCC championship.

The Flames broke through the Panthers' defense again with a goal in the 33rd minute. UWM allowed midfielder Jay DeMerit to penetrate against several defenders and split it to senior Nick Dudziak. From a difficult angle near endline, Dudziak surprised Swenby with a rifle shot near post and scored to lift the Flames to 2-0.

"Obviously, we're disappointed," said UWM coach Louis Bennett. "The first goal set us back with a defensive lapse, and it was just negligent defending on the second one. Once we settled down,-a little late-the defining moment came when we missed a penalty kick. That could have been the turning point."

UWM was awarded a penalty kick late in the first half when freshman Bobby Lish was taken down in UIC's box. Senior goalkeeper Chris Jamal blocked UWM midfielder Blake Bostwick's shot attempt, allowing the Flames to end the half with a two-goal lead.

After halftime, the Panthers dominated possession in UIC's half of the field but were unable to take advantage of any opportunities. Perhaps the best chance to score in the half came off a corner kick headed far post by junior forward Ryan Seymour. A UIC defender headed Seymour's shot off the line, keeping the Panthers scoreless in the hard-fought match.

The semifinal game ended with frustration for the Panthers, as senior Scott Dombrowski was issued a red card in the 79th minute, followed by Chad Dombrowski and freshman Daniel Saavedra in the 86th minute. UWM ended with the advantage over UIC in shots, 12-7, and corner kicks, 8-3. Swenby recorded two saves in the match while UIC's Jamal recorded six.

"Even though it was one-way traffic in the second half, we didn't get clear-cut chances to score because they had everyone behind the ball," said Bennett. "I'm sure when we look back on this, we'll say we had a good season. It's a little hard right now."

UIC will play UW-Green Bay in the championship game of the MCC Tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. on UIC's campus in Chicago. UW-Green Bay advanced to the tournament final after defeating Loyola, 4-3, in an earlier semifinal match on Saturday.