Oct. 16, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

DeKALB, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to five games on Sunday afternoon, defeating Northern Illinois 1-0 on junior Craig Mallace's penalty kick in the 57th minute. The 25th-ranked Panthers (8-2-4) retained the John Lewang Trophy for the sixth-straight year and snapped the 22nd-ranked Huskies (9-3-2) seven-game unbeaten streak with the victory.

The only score of the game came at the 56:23 mark. Just before the penalty was called, sophomore Andre Francois sent a shot off the post that rebounded back into the box. A hand ball was then whistled on a Northern Illinois defender on the cross that Mallace followed with. Mallace stepped up to the penalty kick and sent the left-footed shot to the left of NIU goalkeeper Steve Goletz. Goletz guessed right on the save attempt but came up empty as Mallace recorded his fourth goal of the season and third game-winner.

"It was a great team performance," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "We adjusted some things tactically before the game and it worked out really, really well."

The goal that Milwaukee scored helped end another streak that the Huskies - ranked 22nd overall and second in the Midwest Region by the NSCAA - brought into the game. They had recorded a school-record seven-consecutive shutouts (dating back to September 18) and had their scoreless streak reach 646:31 before Mallace netted the game-winner.

Panther freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum extended his own streak with his fifth-straight shutout. He made two saves in extending his personal scoreless streak to 502:44, good-enough for the third-best streak in the Milwaukee record book. Only Chris Dadian's 741:63 mark in 2002 and P.J. John's 544:18 scoreless minutes remain ahead of Fernstrum.

His five-straight games without allowing a goal also rank in a tie for third all-time. The stretch has allowed him to lower his season GAA to just 0.26. He has allowed only two penalty kick goals all season long in 690 minutes of action.

The victory marks the first time UWM has recorded five-straight clean sheets since the 1979 squad accomplished the feat in September of that season. What makes the streak more impressive is that three of the games have been played on the road.

"We have been playing more disciplined on the road then at home," Bennett said. "We came into the game today prepared to earn whatever we got and then taking advantage of those opportunities."

The victory allows the Panthers to maintain possession of the John Lewang Cup, the traveling trophy named for the former NIU coach that was killed in a car crash in 1981 that goes to the winner of the annual UWM-NIU match. This is the sixth-straight season that Milwaukee has recorded the victory.

"We are very happy to be keeping the Cup," Bennett said. "I was very proud of the team. We don't want to lose any of the Cups that we currently have. We want to keep that hardware in Milwaukee."

The team was outshot 10 to seven, including five to three in shots on goal. But the defense was up to the task once again, as Fernstrum recorded two saves of his own while the defense was credited with three team saves. Steve Goletz was credited with two saves in defeat. NIU had the corner kick advantage by a count of seven to one and were whistled for 13 of the 24 fouls.

The best chance the Huskies had offensively came in the middle of the second half, when a corner was sent into the box and headed on target. Fernstrum was there to make a fantastic save by clearing the ball up-and-over the cross bar with his left hand. The Huskies then pressured in the final ten minutes of the match, but were unable to come up with any quality chances.

The Panthers continue non-conference action this Thursday, when they head to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on Big Ten foe Michigan. Game time is scheduled for a 4 p.m. central time start.