Oct. 17, 2002

Box Score

CHICAGO - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer coach Michael Moynihan knew his team would eventually give up a goal in Horizon League play. He also knows his squad may eventually lose a conference game. What he didn't want to happen was for both events to occur on the same night and the sixth-year mentor got his wish as UWM played to a 2-2 double overtime with Loyola University in Horizon League action here Thursday (Oct. 17).

The two goals allowed were the first given up by a Milwaukee team in a regular season league game since this same Rambler squad scored twice in a 3-2 loss on Oct. 27, 2000. However, with the tie Milwaukee (6-5-3 on the year and 3-0-1 in the league) runs its conference unbeaten streak to 15 games while Loyola moves to 4-7-2 overall and 0-2-1 in Horizon action.

"Honestly, I was happy with our intensity tonight and we had more than a few chances to win the game," Moynihan said. "When you play on a small field with wet conditions against a team fired up, anything can happen. Loyola played well and we didn't take care of some things. But, we will be alright. This is a different position for us but it doesn't mean its bad."

The Panthers came out aggressive early on in the game and took a 1-0 lead when Elizabeth Chudy scored the team's quickest goal of the year. The freshman forward hammered home a 20-yard blast off a Jeney Walter pass at the 6:26 mark. With the goal, Chudy now leads the squad with four markers on 24 overall shots.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee the lead wouldn't last until intermission as the Ramblers scored on their only shot on goal in the first half. Gina Nierzwicki knotted the game at one at the 23:21 point when she blasted a 30-yard shot just under the cross bar and over the outstretched arms of UWM keeper Mary Duffy.

Milwaukee jumped ahead again less than ten minutes into the second half when newfound scoring maching Erin Shaughnessy connected for her second goal of her career, and second in three games. The junior from Orono, Minn., headed home a five-yard shot off a cross from Maggie Suminski to put UWM up 2-1. The assist was the team leading fifth for Suminski and her team-best eighth point.

However, the homestanding Ramblers spoiled the Panther fun again in the second half, as Nierzwicki notched her second equalizer in as many stanzas. The junior defender gathered a loose ball from 20 yards and drove it past UWM keeper Molly Schneider to tie the game at two. The two squads then proceeded to play the final 30 minutes of regulation and two, 10-minute overtime periods without scoring.

"I do think some of the players thought about the shutout streak even though we didn't ever mention it," noted Moynihan. "It's not something we talk about but I think it weighed on their minds a little bit. But, we still have a chance to win the conference if we win our next two games. We will just go out and play hard and see what happens."

Winning the next game will be no easy task for UWM as the Bulldogs of Butler University will come to Engelmann Field this weekend. Butler will come to Milwaukee on Sunday sporting a 9-3-0 overall mark and 3-0-0 record in Horizon league play. The noon kickoff will be preceded by UWM senior day activities.