Oct. 29, 2003

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - A late push in the second half fell short as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to crosstown rival Marquette University here Wednesday (Oct. 29) night. The Panthers, ranked No. 25 in the latest collegesoccernews.com Top 30 poll, dropped to 12-5-1 on the season while the Golden Eagles moved to 9-7-1 while also reclaiming the Milwaukee Cup.

Marquette dominated the early portions of the game which was played under the lights and in a steady rain at Valley Fields. MU controlled the pace of play and appeared to be the aggressor in every aspect. The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute on an acrobatic goal from leading-scorer Chris Lee. Lee rose high in the air at the far post and headed in a 40-yard free kick from Danny Mullin. The Eagles continued to push forward in the frame while holding the UWM offense without a shot in the first half.

"The first half was the worst 45 minutes of soccer we've played this year," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "Marquette did what they wanted to do offensively and they certainly took it to us. We were prepared for this game but for some reason we were in a fog early on."

The hosts continued to control play in the early portions of the second half and appeared to put the game out of reach with a goal in the 58th minute. Derek Gutierrez took advantage of a UWM turnover and found Blair Kohlmeyer who drove a shot past Panther keeper Kirk Thode for the 2-0 advantage.

Despite a two-goal disadvantage the Panthers showed signs of life as the second half wore on. Milwaukee appeared to be sparked by the play of some young players, most noticeably freshmen Steve Sperl, Craig Mallace, and Billy Meier. The Panthers' increased intensity paid immediate dividens as they cut the MU lead in half in the 71st minute. Junior Chris Brisson, who was moved to the midfield in the second half, played a ball wide to Sperl, who touched it back to Brisson, who one-timed it into the back of the net. The give-and-go goal was the second of the season for Brisson and his second in three games.

Brisson continued to spark the Panther offense in the final 20 minutes while nearly tying the game on two occasions. With 8:45 left to play Brisson took another Sperl pass and had a chance to score but his shot just missed the right post. Then, in the game's final minute, Mallace took a long pass, raced down the left sideline and found a streaking Brisson, whose left-footed shot bounced just left with :28 seconds left.

The two Brisson chances proved to be the last gasp for UWM as the Panthers lost to Marquette for the first time in three seasons. Milwaukee rebounded to outshoot the Golden Eagles 6-5 in the second half, with Brisson leading the way with four shots.

"The goal was just a great play by Sperl and all I had to do was find the net," Brisson said. "It was nice to see us fight back like that but we just dug ourselves too big of a hole. We still have a lot to play for this season, especially with the Horizon League Tournament coming up. We still have some goals to reach this season."

UWM will enjoy a week and a half off before hosting a quarterfinal game of the Horizon League Tournament. UWM, the No. 1 seed, will play host to No. 8 seed UW-Green Bay on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Engelmann Field. If Milwaukee defeates UWGB, it will host the semifinals and finals set for Nov. 14 and 16.