Nov. 10, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - The stage was set for a dramatic showdown in the championship game of the 2002 Horizon League Women's Soccer Tournament here Sunday (Nov. 10). However, thanks to spirited play and three first half goals the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team took any drama out of a highly-anticipated matchup, defeating No. 2 seed Butler University 4-2 in a rematch of the 2001 league title game.

The UWM defeat of BU was the second of the season and fifth consecutive in the series between the two schools, with the first four ending in 1-0 scores. With the win, Milwaukee (11-5-5) will advance to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament beginning Friday (Nov. 15) at campus sites. The Bulldogs, who lost in the championship game of the tourney for the second straight year, ended their season with a 15-6-0 mark.

"Our attacking game is really improving and I think we are just creating a lot more chances than we did early in the season," UWM head coach Michael Moynihan said. "This is our third straight league and regular season title so we took that attitude into the game. We needed to be the aggressor and we did that. We wanted to let Butler know that we were the team to beat and I think everyone fed off that spirit and attitude."

Displaying a newly-found offensive attack and its usual staunch, physical defense, UWM put the pressure on the Bulldogs from the early going. Milwaukee finally dented the scoreboard at the 18:00 mark when defender Brenda Andrews drilled home a rebound shot. Andrews, who entered the tournament without a goal in her two seasons at Milwaukee, scored her second goal in as many days, both of which started with a Panther corner kick.

UWM extended its lead to 2-0 in the 35th minute when the speedy Lisa Bengtsson scored for the second consecutive game. Bengtsson, who like Andrews entered the tournament scoreless, intercepted a Bulldog clear, raced towards the goal, and blistered a 15-yard shot past BU goalkeeper Katie Sanders.

The Panthers all but put the game out of reach just 5:01 later when senior Carrie Durand tapped home a Maggie Suminski corner kick for a 3-0 cushion. Suminski curled a perfect corner kick towards the near post where Durand tapped it just over the goalline for the score. The goal was the first of the senior defenders three-plus years in a Panther uniform. In all, Milwaukee outshot Butler 9-1 in the first half while notching three corner kicks to BU's zero.

Butler attempted to get back in the game early in the second half, with an aggressive attack and a new-found energy level. The BU persistence finally paid off when 2002 Horizon League Player of the Year Amy Morrison connected for her 19th goal of the season. The senior chipped home a 12 yard shot off a crossing pass from Annie Doerr.

The comeback was shortlived, however, as Bengtsson, UWM's Swedish-sensation, deflated the Bulldog sails less than seven minutes later with her second goal of the game. The junior, who was named the 2002 Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player for her efforts, corraled a soft pass from Elizabeth Chudy and one-timed an eight-yard blast past Sanders and just inside the far post. Bengtsson, who has seven points on the season, led all players with three goals in the 2002 tournament.

"A lot of Lisa's game is confidence," Moynihan added. "I think early on in the year we were trying a bunch of different people in the lineup and she wasn't getting comfortable with that. But she has really stepped up late in the season and turned it on. We turned to her when Amy Oechsner got hurt and I think that helped her confidence a little bit."

Butler's Martha Guidel added a goal in the final minute to make the final margin 4-2 but the damage had been done. On the game, UWM outshot the Bulldogs 12-7 while holding a 6-0 edge in corner kicks. The four scores tie a season-high for goals in a game by UWM, matching the output in a 4-1 win over Valparaiso University on Nov. 1. After scoring 11 goals in its previous nine contests, the UWM offense has exploded for 11 goals in its last three games, seven of which came in the Horizon League Tournament.

The NCAA Tournament appearance is the third in program history, with the 1997 and 2001 squads advancing after conference tournament championships. UWM will find out its next opponent and site on Monday (Nov. 11) when the official NCAA pairings are released at 3:30 CST. UWM, who is 0-2 in NCAA Tourney play, heads into the "Big Dance" boasting a four game-winning streak and a seven-game unbeaten stretch.