Sept. 8, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - The highly-regarded, much-publicized, and high-powered offense of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team was on display in full force here Sunday (September 8) as the hosts coasted to a 4-1 win over Western Illinois University. The Panthers outshot WIU 25-5 on the day en route to the victory and a championship showing in the 30th annual Coca-Cola/Panther Invitational. UWM is now 2-1-1 on the season while Western Illinois drops to 1-3 for the year.

Early in the contest the Leathernecks were able to control the UWM attack with a patient, defensive-minded game plan. WIU thwarted some early Milwaukee attacks with a complacent style of play. It was only a matter of time, however, until the home team broke through as the Panthers took a 1-0 lead into the break. UWM's Julian Chang scored his second goal of the year when he drove home a sliding shot in front of the net off a spectacular crossing pass from partner-in-crime, Antou Jallow. The assist was the first of the sophomore's career while the Chang-Jallow combination connected on a goal for the third straight game.

"Julian and Antou realy gel and they always seem to know where the other one is," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "They are very confident players and they aren't afraid to try some things. It's funny because it isn't something we work on particularly. They have just developed a feel for each other on the field."

UWM fired out of chute in the second half and took little time in putting the contest out of reach. Jallow scored his team-leading third goal of the year when he drove home a shot from six yards out at the 60:56 mark. Milwaukee made the score 3-1 less than six minutes later when Tighe Dombrowski found the back of the net on a six-yard blast from a Bobby Lish sideline throw-in. The assist was the second on the game for the junior Lish.

The Panthers continued to attack WIU from all angles and grabbed a four-goal lead at the 79:09 mark. Reserve Kevin Roethe, who provided a major spark off the bench, was rewarded for his hard work when he chipped home a beautiful shot from 20-yards out after stealing a WIU pass. The Leathernecks kept from being shutout when Mike Smith flicked home a shot off the far post just 20 seconds after the Roethe goal.

"I'm real excited and happy to get the win and play well doing so," noted Bennett. "It's good to see us scoring goals and getting our offense going. We can be an exciting team to watch when we start making things happen."

UWM will enjoy a nine-day break before their next contest, a Tuesday (September 17) game versus Northwestern University. The Panthers will head to Evanston, Ill. for the 4 p.m. showdown versus the Big Ten Conference school.