Oct. 12, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team posted their fourth-straight shutout on Wednesday, but couldn't come away with the victory in their Horizon League match-up with the University of Illinois at Chicago at Engelmann Field. UWM (7-2-4, 3-1-1 Horizon) and the Flames (6-3-2, 1-2-1 Horizon) played to the 0-0 draw despite 45 total shots in the match.

The Panthers, playing in their commemorative Hurricane Katrina benefit jerseys, were the aggressor in the overtime periods, especially in the second. They outshot the Flames, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in the Midwest region by the NSCAA, six to zero in the second overtime and had several quality opportunities.

With less than a minute left in the game, senior Kyle Zenoni had the final chance in the match. He found himself unmarked and alone in front of the goal on a cross from sophomore Zeke Dombrowski, but sent his header directly at UIC goalkeeper Jeff Engelbrecht.

Zeke Dombrowski put a shot on target with four minutes remaining, sending a 10-yard blast from the corner of the goal box that was stopped. At the 103:35 mark, senior Neil Dombrowski sent a shot up-and-over the goal from 20 yards away.

"We ended up with a tie because we couldn't finish," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "They did have a couple of chances, but we had two clear-cut opportunities inside the six-yard box. We were pressing and pressing but it didn't fall for us."

UIC did not manage a shot in the second overtime, but had three in the first. One of their best chances came in the 94th minute. Tonci Skroce took advantage of a UWM turnover in back, but junior Billy Meier blocked his shot on goal. The Panthers then cleared the following corner kick as well.

The final five minutes of regulation saw each team get an opportunity to score a goal. Zenoni's shot from the top of the goal box was blocked with 25 seconds remaining, while UIC's Pat McMahon sent his header high off a corner kick in the 87th minute.

"Our guys hung in there and didn't get frustrated," Bennett said. "I really thought that eventually one was going to drop for us."

In the 70th minute, Milwaukee's offense forced three corner kicks and had three shots in a three-minute stretch, nearly finding the lead on one of them. After a corner kick was cleared, freshman Travis Phillips sent the ball back into the box. Junior Craig Mallace had it near the end line and sent a perfect cross to the middle. Once there, Neil Dombrowski got a head on it, but it was not enough. Engelbrecht knocked the ball to the ground on a fantastic save before it was cleared.

The Panthers offense came out of the gate slowly in the first half. They were outshot nine to four in the period while putting only one shot on goal.

That shot came in the 12th minute in the middle of a stretch of four-consecutive corner kicks. Mallace started with a perfect serve to the far post, where sophomore Steve Bode sent a header on goal. The ball made it by Engelbrecht, only to see a Flame defender there to clear it off the line.

The Panthers outshot UIC 25 to 20 in the game. Zenoni led the way for UWM with a career-high eight shots while Neil Dombrowski finished with five. For UIC, Pavle Dundjer finished with a game-high 10 shots, including five on goal.

Milwaukee was called for 15 of the 29 fouls and forced 11 of the 19 corner kicks in the match. Each team finished with eight saves, with Engelbrecht making seven to go along with the one team save. Panther freshman Grant Fernstrum made a career-high eight saves in recording his fourth career shutout.

All four of those clean sheets have come in the past four games, extending Fernstrum's scoreless streak to 412:44. That total ranks fifth all-time in the UWM record book, just behind the 479:33 scoreless streak that Paul Royal had in 1994. He lowered his GAA on the season to just 0.30.

The Panthers played today's game in commemorative red, white and blue jerseys that featured the logo of the American Red Cross in honor of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They were then auctioned off following the match. The fundraiser for hurricane relief was a great success, as the team raised $6795 to give to the Red Cross for the ongoing relief efforts.

Milwaukee will take a break from Horizon League action next, as they travel to play No. 22 Northern Illinois on Sunday. The LeWang Cup will be on the line against the Huskies, set for a 2:30 p.m. start.