Oct. 6, 2006

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MILWAUKEE - Four different players scored goals on Friday night to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team defeat Wright State, 4-0, at Engelmann Field. The Panthers (4-8-1, 1-2 Horizon) scored two goals in each half to defeat the Raiders (6-5-0, 0-3 Horizon) for the 10th-straight time in the head-to-head series.

"We took advantage of our opportunities and created some good chances tonight," UWM head coach Jon Coleman said. "Some guys stepped up and played big. We have been having some troubles putting the ball in the back of the net and I think some guys took it personally and are willing to do whatever it takes to change that."

The Panthers tied their season-high with four goals and snapped a five-game (0-4-1) winless streak in the process.

The team took control of the game in the first half, outshooting the Raiders 12-to-four in taking the 2-0 lead into the locker room. Junior Tenzin Rampa broke open the scoring spree, heading in his first goal of the season at the 16:49 mark. Sophomore Travis Phillips sent a long throw-in into the box, where senior Billy Meier got a head on it and flicked it to the far post. Rampa was there to finish and give UWM a 1-0 lead.

Senior Steve Sperl got in on the scoring at the 29:00 mark, making a nice move to beat a defender in the box after receiving a well-placed lead pass from junior Troy Spielmann. He beat the WSU keeper to the far post and the route was on.

"This was a very important game for us," Coleman said. "We have come up short too often in this season. Too revisit the feeling of `winning' is very important because we are coming up on some big games that we need to win."

The Panther offense looked dangerous all evening, putting nine shots on target in the match. In the second half, sophomore Colin Baker tallied his third goal of the season, doing most of the work himself. He took a Phillips throw-in near midfield and carried the ball into the box. He made some moves around defenders to get open and then beat the keeper to the far post for a 3-0 lead in the 56th minute.

Milwaukee closed the scoring at the 68:00 mark, when junior Chris Lins was taken down in the box off a Rampa serve to set up a penalty kick situation. That set the stage for junior Martin Castro, who netted his third goal of the season, and second PK, to make it 4-0.

The defense did the rest, posting its third shutout of the season. The team allowed 15 shots in the game, but the majority of the 11-second half shots were in the flow of the game and not dangerous. The closest the Raiders came to scoring was in the 62nd minute when Adam Harp fired a 10-yarder off the crossbar in a one-on-one situation with sophomore goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum.

Fernstrum was credited with six saves in the game, including two in the final three minutes of the game to preserve his 13th career clean sheet.

For the game, UWM and Wright State tied in shots, 15-15, with the Panthers carrying the eight-to-six edge in shots on goal. Both teams had two corner kicks while the Panthers were whistled for 22 of the 42 fouls. The game also featured seven yellow cards, four on the Panthers.

The team will be back at Engelmann Field on Sunday, hosting Butler in another Horizon League match-up. The game between the Panthers and Bulldogs is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.