The Milwaukee men's soccer team will begin the quest for its sixth Horizon League Tournament Championship and 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history Monday, welcoming Valparaiso University in a postseason first-round matchup at Engelmann Stadium. The contest will get underway at 7 p.m.

As the No. 3 seed, the Panthers host the sixth-seeded Crusaders. Monday's other game pits #4 Oakland against #5 Green Bay. Every seed from No. 2-7 was on the line with just one regular-season game remaining Friday. The Panthers could have finished anywhere from three to out (at seven), but took matters in their own hands with the 1-0 win over Cleveland State. See page nine of this release for the complete bracket of the tournament. Monday's affair will have an ESPN3 feed with Matt Menzl on the call as well as live statistics. Check out the Milwaukee website for all links.

Winners from the two games Monday advance to the semifinals at Wright State, where the top-seeded Raiders and No. 2 seeded UIC Flames await in the semifinals.

Valpo actually leads the series with Milwaukee at 5-4-4, with the teams trading punches the past few seasons (2-2-1 ledger the past five). A year ago, the Crusaders used an 82nd-minute strike to escape with a 1-0 win. These teams drew, 1-1, earlier this fall.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
VALPARAISO: The Crusaders finished the season 10-5-3 overall and 4-3-2 in the Horizon League. After a 3-0-2 start had the team in first place midseason, a 1-3 finish saw them wrap up the campaign as the No. 6 seed.

Isaiah Madrid leads the offense and is the conference leader with 25 points, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists. The only other player with more than eight points is Kendan Anderson at 17 (8G/1A). In goal, Nico Campbell has posted a 1.00 goals-against average and six shutouts.

Last season, the Crusaders posted a 7-6-5 record - one which included a 2-1-1 mark against sides ranked in the top-25 nationally, the first time  in  program  history  the  team  had  defeated  multiple  top-25  programs in the same season. Nine of last season's 11 starters returned for the Crusaders in 2016, while in all 15 players were back from last year's squad. Valpo  surely  ranks  among  the  nation's  oldest  teams,  as  the squad features a total of 13 seniors.

POSTSEASON UNDER KELDERMAN
Kris Kelderman has his team in the postseason for the fourth time in his five years at the helm, including the title in a memorable 2013 postseason. Overall, his team has gone 2-2 in the Horizon League Tournament. The last appearance was a tough 1-0 loss on the road at Wright State in 2014.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Evan Dujardin was in the right place at the right time against Cleveland State Nov. 4, following up Evan Conway's partially-saved attempt that rebounded to put home the game-winner with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation. That marked the latest game-winner to the 90-minute mark since the epic 89:59 tally that Pol Narbona netted for the 3-2 win over IUPUI on August 31, 2012.

GAME OF INCHES
Outside of a 3-0 loss to a very good Wisconsin squad that has now risen to No. 20 in the country, the Panthers have actually been oh-so-close to a spectacular campaign. Sitting at 8-7-2 to start the week, the teams other six losses have ALL been one-goal heartbreakers for UWM.

CHANCELLOR'S CUP DRAMA
The battle for the Chancellor's Cup has seen some thrillers over the years but if it feels like the drama and intensity has been higher lately, you would be correct. It happened again this season, with UWM reclaiming the Cup with a thrilling 1-0 victory Oct. 22 on a goal by Magnus Flaatedal.

Five of the past seven times these two teams have played, the game has gone into double overtime, with three of the five ending in victories for one team or the other. Three years ago it was an own goal that won it for Green Bay, snapping Milwaukee's 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1) to start the 2013 season. The 2012 version ended in a draw but the 2011 edition provided one of the most memorable finishes to a game in program history, with Cody Banks netting the winner at the 109:53 mark.

FRANKIE SAYS RELAX
Francesco Saporito is close to accomplishing something that hasn't happened for a UWM player in quite some time. He has been leading the conference most of the year and starts the week ranked second (trailing by just one) in the Horizon League in assists with seven. If he can climb one spot, he would become the first Panther to top the Horizon League in assists since Dale Weiler did in 2004 (16). Weiler's 16 helpers were second in school history and third in league history at the time.

NOTHING STOPPING 'EM
The Panthers have been playing very well this season, with a hard-fought 1-1 draw on the road at league-leader Valparaiso Oct. 8 coming on the heels of four consecutive wins. That five-game unbeaten streak marked the best stretch for UWM since a five-game win streak in late 2013 (Oct. 26-Nov. 17).

TURN THE PAGE
Sitting at 8-7-2 as the start of the week, the Panthers already have more wins than they did all of 2015 when they finished an uncharacteristic 5-10-3. With postseason play still looming, the team will look to record the second-most victories under head coach Kris Kelderman, trailing only the 15-3-2 campaign of the 2013 squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

THE GLASS IS ALWAYS HALF-FULL
Sam Glass made his first start in the fourth game of the season and had been the regular in goal for Milwaukee ever since, up until a recent injury. He had been spectacular prior to an injury and the Horizon League took notice as well, naming him the Defensive Player of the Week following victories over Bradley Sept. 27 and Detroit Oct. 1.

The Panthers are 4-2-2 in Glass' past eight games and, since a tough loss to Northern Illinois Sept. 21, Glass has been very good. In his most recent six outings, the redshirt freshman has posted a trio of shutouts, including an impressive eight-save effort against the Braves. He has allowed four goals in 560 minutes in that stretch (0.64 GAA), making 24 saves on 28 shot attempts against (.857 save percentage).

I CAN GET USED TO THIS
Magnus Flaatedal recorded the first goal of his Panther career against Bradley on a penalty kick Sept. 27th. The score came in the reliable midfielder's 38th career game in a Milwaukee uniform. He waited all of four days to net his second, blasting home a ball sent back out by the defense to equalize the match against Detroit Mercy just 11 seconds before the halftime horn. Two games later, with UWM trailing Valparaiso 1-0, Flaatedal set up Evan Conway with a perfect assist to help tie the game at 1-1 and earn the eventual draw.

EARLY MOON RISING
Nick Moon came through pretty quickly against Bradley Sept. 27, netting a goal just 1:49 into the contest to set the stage for the 2-0 win. The score was the earliest in a game this season for the Panthers by a wide margin (prior best was the 25th minute) and also marked the earliest goal in any UWM game since Declan Rodriguez hit the back of the netting at the 1:00 mark against Marquette on August 30, 2013 - leading the way to the 2-1 victory over the No. 12 Golden Eagles that day.

CONWAY DOUBLE-DIP
The play of Evan Conway was noticed by the Horizon League, selected as the Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 19 after his pair of goals against Marquette and another tally against Northern Kentucky Sept. 17. The two-goal effort was the first for a UWM freshman since Reid Stevenson accomplished the feat against Green Bay October 1, 2014.

Conway has come into his own as the season progressed, scoring four goals in four games at one point - including the game-winner against Belmont Sept. 24 - while adding an assist on 14 total shots (six on goal) in that stretch.

COMEBACK OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS
The Panthers found themselves down, 3-0, before the "Milwaukee Cup" match against Marquette Sept. 14 was even 30 minutes old. No big deal for this year's squad. With Evan Conway leading the charge, UWM tied the game at 3-3 to force overtime and actually had a couple of chances to grab the win. A look back through the record books shows that this was indeed the first time that the Panthers overcame a 3-0 deficit to post a result in any game. For starters, the reason it is so rare is because UWM has not been down three goals in a game that often in program history. Overcoming even a two-goal deficit does not happen that often ... but the last time it did, it was also a "Milwaukee Cup" matchup. Marquette grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the second half back on September 6, 2006 - the first night game in the history of Engelmann Stadium - only to see the Panthers roar back with the final three goals in the 3-2 win. The only other two-goal deficit overcome to post a win in the past 15 years was a 3-2 win at UIC where Milwaukee trailed, 2-0 on November 3, 2001.

THE BATTLE FOR THE MILWAUKEE CUP
Milwaukee and Marquette play for the "Milwaukee Cup", one of the longest-standing rivalries in all of college soccer. In fact, in the summer of 2011, the College Soccer News website published a list of what they called "The Fourteen Greatest Rivalries in College Soccer." Weighing in at No. 10 on their list was the Milwaukee Cup.

The Panthers certainly have the upper hand all-time, now holding a 28-11-5 record in the series after the two teams played to an entertaining 3-3 draw Sept. 14. They have posted back-to-back wins very recently, reclaiming the Cup in 2010 with a 4-2 victory and keeping possession in 2011 with a 2-1 final score.

The 2012 matchup remains one for the memory books, as the Golden Eagles, trailing the Panthers 2-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest, pulled off a stunning finish to grab possession of the Cup. Following a goalkeeper miscue, Marquette found the equalizer at the 81:53 mark and then won the contest at the buzzer as the winning goal crossed the line at the 89:59 mark before the horn sounded. The 2013 edition was just as exciting, with the Panthers scoring just 60 seconds into the affair en route to a 2-1 victory over a Marquette squad that was ranked No. 12 at the time.

PART OF HISTORY
The Panthers and all of the fans jam-packed into Engelmann Stadium for the 'Milwaukee Cup' matchup against Marquette Sept. 3 of last season became part of history. The 4,030 in attendance not only blew away the old facility record of 3,312 (set in the 2013 'Milwaukee Cup'), but was also the largest crowd to ever watch a collegiate men's soccer game in the history of the state of Wisconsin. UWM now holds the top four spots on the list.

4,030 - Sept. 3, 2015 - Milwaukee 1, Marquette 1 (MKE CUP)
3,312 - Aug. 30, 2013 - Milwaukee 2, Marquette 1 (MKE CUP)
3,256 - Sept. 13, 2006 - Milwaukee 3, Marquette 2 (MKE CUP)
3,000 - Nov. 22, 1980 - Cleveland State 1, Milwaukee 0
2,470 - Oct. 13, 1995 - Wisconsin 2, Indiana 0
2,250 - Sept. 3, 1990 - Milwaukee 0, Evansville 0
2,145 - Oct. 15, 1993 - Indiana 5, Wisconsin 1
2,138 - Oct. 1, 2003 - Wisconsin 1, Milwaukee 0

BRING ON THE CUP
Speaking of the "Milwaukee Cup", it is one of the three traveling trophies that the Panthers play for each and every season. In addition, Milwaukee takes on Green Bay for the "Chancellor's Cup" and also play Northern Illinois for the "LeWang Trophy". Back in 2011, UWM posted wins in all three games (2-1 over Marquette; 3-2 in double-overtime against Green Bay and 1-0 against NIU) to hold all three trophies for the first time since the start of the 2005 campaign. A year ago, the team lost to the Phoenix, and also defeated NIU, 2-1, to retain possession of the LeWang Cup.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
The Panthers are now 21-9-2 all-time in league openers in seasons in which they have been affiliated with a conference. Head coach Kris Kelderman is 2-2-1 in his prior five seasons, with the team knocking off Oakland in overtime, 1-0, a season ago. The Panthers fell to UIC, 1-0, in this year's opener.

FALL WELCOME
The fans came out in abundance for the home opener against Drake Sept. 6, watching the Panthers overcome an early deficit to take the lead before a late goal helped the Bulldogs escape. The 1,978 in attendance marked the 10th-largest crowd in Engelmann Stadium history.

BACK IN THE GOOD GRACES
Milwaukee has already made an appearance in the National Soccer Coaches Association regional rankings this season, coming in at No. 10 in the Great Lakes Regional Aug. 30. The Panthers last appearance in the regional rankings came over the first month of the 2014 season after spending nearly all of the 2013 campaign in the Great Lakes Regional poll (and in the NSCAA national rankings as well).

A PAIR IN THE OPENER
Kostas Kotselas picked a fine time for his first multi-goal outing as a Panther, leading Milwaukee to a season-opening 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois. Two goals in a season opener would seem to sound rare, but this marks the second year in a row that a UWM player has accomplished the feat. Declan Rodriguez netted a brace in the opener against Evansville a year ago and Edison Crespo had a pair vs. Marquette in the 2010 opener. The program record for the season opener remains a hat trick (3) by Dan Day in 1984.

GETTING THAT DEBUT 'W'
Newcomer Oliver Haslund made a trio of saves in the 2-1 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois Aug. 28, including a tremendous first-half stop that kept the game 0-0 at the time. The only goal he allowed came on an EIU penalty kick. He became just the third freshman in the last 15 years to start a season opener, and the second to record a victory. Liam Anderson was in goal for UWM's 2-1 upset of nationally-ranked Marquette in the 2013 opener, while John Shakon was on the wrong end of a tough 1-0 loss to the Golden Eagles in the 2009 opener, with the only score coming on an 85th-minute strike.

EXHIBITION SEASON REWIND
Milwaukee played three exhibition contests this year, displaying impressive defense in not allowing a single goal to Dayton, Parkside and the Milwaukee Bavarians. The teams did not play overtime in the 0-0 draw against the Flyers, while the Bavarians did prevail, 4-2, in a penalty kick shootout following 110 minutes of scoreless action in the exhibition finale. The goalkeeper trio of Oliver Haslund (3 starts/0.00 GAA/141:57 of playing time/4 saves), Sam Glass (3 games/0.00 GAA/117:35/1 save) and Adin Chiappa (1 game/0.00 GAA/30:28/2 saves) was brilliant in goal. On offense, five different players netted goals, with Reid Stevenson leading the way with four points (1G/2A). Ten different players recorded goals or assists and Stevenson topped the list with seven shots.

NOW THIS IS HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
When it comes to home field advantage, the Panthers have historically ranked right up there with the best in the business. From 2001 through 2006, UWM turned Engelmann Stadium into a place visiting teams did not want to see on their schedule, going 49-8-2 in that time. After a few down seasons by UWM standards, the magic is getting brought back - the Panthers have compiled a record of 19-9-5 at home in Kris Kelderman's four years as the head coach.

CLOSE DOES COUNT
Outside of lopsided victories to open and close the season (5-2 over Evansville and 4-0 over NKU), and a loss to the eventual No. 1 team in the land in Creighton, 13 of the other 15 games the Panthers played last season (including nine in a row at one point) were one-goal decisions or went into overtime. Milwaukee also played back-to-back double-OT contests against Oakland and UIC, something that had not happened since playing in three 2OT games in a row at the end of September in 2012. That year, UWM lost to Bowling Green (2-1) Sept. 25 before playing back-to-back double-overtime draws against Loyola (1-1) and Green Bay (2-2).

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE; PART II
There were plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression in 2015, as 14 players out of the 33 on the roster made their UWM debuts last year, all as freshmen. Experienced was gained at a high level, with Francesco Saporito playing all 18 games and making 17 starts, earning Horizon League All-Freshmen Team accolades. In addition to Saporito, Matthias Binder made 16 starts and Sean Reynolds and Jason Palitang Svensson made 15. It was one of youngest rosters in the land (fourth-youngest technically), and Coach Kelderman will see the team have the same opportunities in 2016.

A peak at the roster sees 11 freshmen and 10 sophomores overall, giving the Panthers 21 underclassmen. The roster also includes no seniors, so 21 of the 26 student-athletes are in their first or second year of playing collegiate soccer.

LACK OF SENIORITIS
As stated the roster features no seniors this season. The five-member junior class will be looked at for leadership and guidance. The most experienced member of the group is Reid Stevenson, who tops the class in all categories heading into the 2016 season: games played (35), games started (20), points (13) and goals scored (5).

FOR OPENERS
Milwaukee is now 22-17-5 all-time in season openers following a 2-1 victory over Eastern Illinois Aug. 28. Head coach Kris Kelderman now has six season openers on his resume at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, going 5-1-0. In addition to the victory over EIU, he has wins over Evansville (2015), DePaul (2014) and a nationally-ranked Marquette squad (2013); while his Green Bay squad topped SIU Edwardsville, 1-0, in 2011.

CATCH THEM ANYWHERE
Milwaukee men's soccer will be readily available for the viewing pleasure of UWM fans this season, as all eight home games will be streamed live on ESPN3. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN3 platform. ESPN3 is available to nearly 116.3 million homes. In addition, the men's game against Marquette Sept. 14 and Green Bay Oct. 22 were both televised locally by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

ON TAP
If the Panthers can go on to claim the Horizon League Tournament Championship, they would advance on to the NCAA Tournament next week. Their next loss would end the 2016 season.