Aug. 27, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

TULSA, Okla. - Leone Cruz scored the only goal of the game in the 84th minute, helping No. 2 SMU to a 1-0 victory over the 24th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team on Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Panthers to 0-2, while the Mustangs improve to 2-0.

The winning goal came at the 83:51 mark, as Cruz took a pass that crossed the top of the penalty area and sent it near post for the game's lone score.

"This is a tough one to swallow," UWM head coach Jon Coleman said. "But today was a great way to bounce back after Friday. It really shows the character that we have on this team. These guys are not going to give up."

UWM nearly tied it in the 87th minute to force overtime, but Mustang goalie Matt Wideman came up with his only save of the game to help his team escape with the win.

Panther sophomore Travis Phillips started the play with a long cross, with senior Dale Weiler centering the ball to junior Steve Bode. Bode's shot initially appeared to make it through the hands of Wideman, but he recovered quickly enough to stop the ball before it crossed the goal line.

Sophomore goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum came up big twice to keep things scoreless late in the second half. He stopped Scott Geppert on a shot from the left flank of the box in the 60th minute and also made a reactionary save on a 10-yard blast off the foot of Manuel Mariel, who had the chance in the 76th minute after a UWM turnover.

SMU failed to take advantage of its biggest opportunity in the 49th minute. The play started when Geppert appeared to be well offsides on a breakaway. The action went on, with Geppert taking on Fernstrum one-on-one. Fernstrum forced Geppert around the top of the mouth of the goal, and by the time he got a shot off he sent it off the near post.

"Fernstrum kept us in the game," Coleman said. "It's good because a lot of players have to be at their best when we are not at our best as a team, and he definitely did that down the stretch."

The majority of the first half was played in the midfield, with Milwaukee carrying the play for the first 25 minutes. Field conditions played a major role in the action, as a steady rain was falling from 30 minutes before game time until almost halftime. The Panthers won the time of possession battle easily, but were unable to convert any of those opportunities into dangerous threats.

SMU carried the eight-to-one edge in shots before halftime, but none of them proved dangerous. The Mustangs first shot attempt of the game went off the post, but other than that the UWM defense kept their opponents in check.

For the game, the Mustangs held the 21-to-three advantage in shots, including 10-to-one in shots on goal. SMU forced five corner kicks to none for UWM and was whistled for 18 of the 35 fouls. Fernstrum ended the day with a career-best nine saves.

The Panthers return to Wisconsin for their home opener, taking on IPFW in the 33rd Annual Panther Invitational. That game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start on Friday, with Lipscomb and Wisconsin playing the first game of the tournament at 4 p.m.