Oct. 22, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

CHICAGO, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to six games by defeating Loyola, 1-0, on the road Sunday afternoon. The Panthers (8-8-2, 4-2-1 Horizon) improved to 5-0-1 in their last six contests and locked up the third seed in the Horizon League standings by blanking the Ramblers (9-7-1, 4-2-1 Horizon).

"We are starting to look like our old selves, which is a very good thing at this time of the year," UWM head coach Jon Coleman said. "It was another 1-0 decision ... we kept it out of the back of the net so all we needed was that one goal."

Senior Billy Meier scored that goal in the 36th minute, heading home a free kick from junior Troy Spielmann. The free kick came after a foul from outside of the corner of the 18-yard box, with Spielmann sending in a perfect 20-yard assist to Meier at the back post.

The game was an important one for UWM in many aspects. Not only did it extend the team's unbeaten streak to six, but it marked the first road victory of the season and, most importantly, got the Panthers back to .500 on the season.

"Talk about momentum," Coleman said. "We are creating a buzz, especially within the team. This season is far from over - as long as we continue to do that - who knows how far we can go."

The defense has played a major role in the unbeaten streak and did so again today. The Panthers posted their sixth shutout of the season and fourth in the past six games. They limited Loyola to just seven shots in the game - only one in the first half. Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Germann ran his scoreless streak to 358:39 with four saves in his fourth-consecutive start. He is 4-0 with three clean sheets in that stretch. His counterpart, Sean Bond, made five saves in defeat.

"Ryan Germann has brought a real presence back there," Coleman said. "The guys defensively feel good about it and he has made the big saves when asked. He is someone who has taken a huge advantage of an opportunity when it was presented to him."

For the game, UWM outshot the Ramblers 11-to-seven, including seven-to-four in shots on goal. The Panthers also held the five-to-three edge in corner kicks and were whistled for 22 of the 40 fouls in the game.

The victory locks Milwaukee into the third spot in the league standings. The team could still tie with UIC for second at 4-2-1 (UIC is currently 4-1-1, but still plays UW-Green Bay this evening), but the Flames hold the tiebreaker courtesy of their 1-0 win earlier this season.

The team does know they will play Butler at Engelmann Field this upcoming weekend. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, but may still be played on Friday. The day and time decisions for the contest will be made Monday morning and the specifics will be posted to the UWM website as soon as they are available.