Sept. 27, 2002

Box Score

OMAHA - Life on the road in college athletics usually means a lot of bonding, studying, sleeping, and driving. For the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team road trips mean winning, winning, and more winning. The UWM road warriors claimed their third consecutive win away from home and 12th covering three different seasons with a 1-0 blanking of Creighton University here Friday (Sept. 27). The win was the third straight overall for UWM who evened its record to 4-4-1 on the season while the host Bluejays dipped to 3-5-1.

"This was a nice win for us on the road against a solid team like Creighton," UWM head coach Michael Moynihan said. "They are a very physical team with an athletic front line who play very direct soccer. They just tied Nebraska who is 18th in the country. Our defense played very well tonight."

The two teams played even soccer all night long, with control and momentum switching numerous times. The hosts outshot Milwaukee 10-4 in the first half and registered five corner kicks to UWM's three. However the Panthers went into halftime with a lead for the first time all season thanks to Megan Mann's goal at the 28:34 mark. The junior notched her second goal in three games when she took advantage of a turnover in front of the Bluejay net. Mann corraled a loose ball that originated from teammate Katie Kubacki and beat CU's Jaimie Thompson for the eventual game-winner.

"It was kind of an opportunistic goal really," Moynihan added. "The field was wet and hard so the ball was moving. Katie took a shot and it skipped around in the box. Megan controlled it and tucked it in the net."

Down a goal, Creighton attempted to press late in the second half but the UWM defense wouldn't budge. The Jays were able to hold possession for much of the second stanza but couldn't create any real scoring chances against the staunch Milwaukee defense. Jeney Walter played a solid game on defense for UWM as did senior midfielder Maggie Suminski. Mary Duffy played the entire match in goal for the Panthers en route to her first solo shutout of the season and third of her career.

"Mary played well in net tonight," noted Moynihan. "She handled crosses well and she made smart decisions. Jeney Walter also played very well in the back. The was a well-earned shutout because Creighton is a solid team."

The Panthers will stay on the road and face their second-straight Missouri Valley Conference school when they face the University of Northern Iowa on Sunday (Sept. 29). The match is set for noon in Cedar Falls, Iowa.