Oct. 16, 2010

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. - Freshman Riley Weiner netted the game-winner in the 109th minute to send the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Loyola University Saturday night at Loyola Soccer Park. The Panthers (4-6-2, 3-3-0 Horizon) also got five saves from sophomore goalkeeper John Shakon to send the Ramblers (3-7-2, 3-1-1) to their first loss in Horizon League play.

"Going into overtime, we felt confident," UWM head coach Chris Whalley said. "That's our seventh time into overtime and five times we have gotten positive results. That shows we are fit, it shows the guys are working hard and that they believe in each other."

Weiner made his first collegiate goal a memorable one, helping Milwaukee to the victory with his goal at the 108:44 mark. It was another freshman that set him up, as Edison Crespo found Weiner at the top of the 18-yard box and Weiner did the rest. He took a few touches to beat the defense and open up a lane, sending the 10-yard shot to the far post for the golden goal.

"I feel great. For that to be my first college goal, you can't ask for much more," Weiner said. "I got the ball and was looking to make something happen and I just took it myself."

"It was a great goal," Whalley said. "It is something that we work on in practice, in terms of us trying to hit the channel, because Edison's speed is very dangerous. He worked hard, played the ball to Riley and then Riley showed he's got a little class and magic that made him the state player of the year last year. We felt like he deserved a chance and he really took it tonight not only with his goal but with his overall play."

The game was a tale of two halves, as the Panthers got outshot, 9-to-2, before intermission and were fortunate to make it to halftime at 0-0. From there, the game was all Panthers, outshooting the Ramblers, 13-to-7, the rest of the way.

"I said to the lads at halftime that I felt like I was banging my head against the wall because they just weren't doing the things that we need to do well to be successful," Whalley said. "When they listen and execute what we are good at, we are a match for anybody. In the first half, we didn't do that very well. In the second half, every player improved their game 10% like Coach (Ben) Shepherd asked them to. I thought we could have even won the game in the second half. We had most of the chances, which was great. When we pass and play like we can, we can compete with anybody."

Weiner's shot was the only attempt for either team in the second overtime, with each team getting credit for three in the first. It was Crespo that nearly ended the match in the first minute, firing a 25-yard shot off a back heel pass from freshman Robbie Boyd that LU's Peter McKeown had to push over the bar in the 91st.

Junior Ross Van Osdol was next, finding the ball at his feet after a corner kick, but his shot to the post was knocked wide for the save.

The Panthers had several solid opportunities in the second half, including Van Osdol's header off the cross bar in the 74th minute.

Another came in the 66th minute, when freshman Kevin Ferron took an end-line serve from sophomore Andrew Wiedabach and sent it back to the near post. The ball was past the keeper, but somehow cleared off the line by the Loyola defense. Ferron also had a nice chance in the 58th minute, but McKeown was up to the task.

Just a few minutes later, Milwaukee used a team save of its own to keep it scoreless. Following a long flip-throw in, Shakon punched the initial ball away. The ball was then flicked towards the goal by Josh Westeberg, but Boyd was there to head it away from the back of the net.

For the first time in 12 games, the Panthers were actually outshot this season. Loyola had the 16-to-15 edge, with UWM the 8-to-6 advantage in shots on target. Milwaukee had five of the eight corner kicks in the match and was whistled for 11 of the 21 fouls.

Van Osdol, back in the lineup after missing last week with an injury, led the team with a game-high four shots, including three on goal. Weiner and Ferron added two each.

The team will return to midweek action with two games on the schedule. First up will be a trip to Rochester, Mich., for a non-league date with Oakland University, Wednesday at 3 p.m. CST. Then, a return to Engelmann awaits when the Panthers host UIC Saturday, starting at 7 p.m.