The Milwaukee men's soccer team returns to action with a pair of home games this week, getting things started with another rivalry cup game against Northern Illinois Wednesday. Then, on the weekend, Horizon League play continues when the Panthers host a Saturday night matchup against Belmont University.

Wednesday's game will feature a live ESPN3 broadcast, with Matt Menzl on the call. Live statistics will be available against the Huskies as well as on Saturday. All links are available on the Milwaukee website.

The Panthers lead the all-time series against NIU by a count of 22-15-5. Following three victories in a row in the series from 2011 through 2013, UWM kept possession of the LeWang Cup in 2014 with a 2-2 draw in Milwaukee and again last season with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory on the road.

It will mark the 43rd showdown between the regional foes and former Midwestern Collegiate Conference rivals. The winner of the match claims the John LeWang Cup, which is named after the former NIU coach who was killed in a car accident prior to the 1981 season. LeWang came to NIU as head coach in 1980 following his time as an assistant at Milwaukee and died in a car accident after his first season leading the Huskies. Since 1981, the two teams have played for the trophy named in his honor.

The all-time series between UWM and Belmont consists of just two games, played since 2014 when the Bruins joined the Horizon League. The Panthers claimed a 2-0 victory in the first meeting, while the Bruins evened things up with a 1-0 victory at home a season ago.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies, led by eighth-year head coach Eric Luzzi, are off to a tough start to 2016, still in search of their first win of the season. They will bring a 0-4-2 record to Engelmann Wednesday, with a pair of 1-1 draws against SIUE Aug. 26 and UMBC Sept 4 breaking up four shutout losses. The offense has netted just a pair of goals overall, with Max Voss and Kevin Rodriguez leading with two points each. Drew Connally has played all 580 minutes in goal, recording a 1.86 goals-against average and 20 saves.

NIU brought back eight starters and 15 letterwinners from last season's team that went 7-7-1 overall, including junior defender Luke Read who earned All-MAC and NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors a season ago.

BELMONT: The Bruins are 1-5-1 to date, scheduled to play at Campbell on Tuesday before traveling to Milwaukee on the weekend. That includes an 0-2 start in Horizon League action, falling to Cleveland State and Valparaiso by identical 2-1 scorelines. Nat Hubert paces the offense with five points (2G/1A), having connected on both of his shot attempts on the season so far. Mertcan Akar has played every minute between the posts, recording an NCAA-leading total of 58 saves to go along with a 2.37 goals-against average.

The Bruins returned 13 letterwinners and five starters from last year's club which went 4-13-2. The 2015 Bruins improved upon their win total from the previous season while scoring more goals and allowing fewer goals than in 2014.

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.

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.

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).

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
The Panthers found a way to earn the hard-fought 1-0 victory over Oakland Sept. 19 in the waning minutes, with Francesco Saporito putting home the golden goal on a beautiful 20-yard free kick just three-plus minutes from the end of the second overtime (goal came at 106:43).

That ended a streak of double-overtime jinxes at 12 games, as Milwaukee had been 0-1-10 in the previous 11 games it played into the second overtime period. The last 2OT win? Cody Banks' memorable goal to claim the Chancellors Cup on September 28, 2011 - giving UWM the 3-2 victory with the clock reading 109:53.

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.

DAZZLING DEBUT IN 2015
There were many highlights for the Panthers from the season-opening 5-2 victory over Evansville a year ago. Among them:
-The most goals scored in a season opener since 1996 (a 5-0 win over Northwestern) and the second-most all time (seven is the record).
-No fewer than six freshmen (Josh Kaye, Matthias Binder, Sean Holmes, Francesco Saporito, Jason P. Svensson & Tinashe Marowa) started the contest, the most for a UWM team in at least the past 20 years. The former high-water mark was four freshmen, which has been done three times (2014, 2011, 2009).
-Senior Declan Rodriguez scored twice to become the first player to record a brace in a season opener since Edison Crespo had a pair vs. Marquette in the 2010 opener. The program record remains a hat trick (3) by Dan Day in 1984.
-The two newcomers to score (Binder/Saporito) became the sixth and seventh freshmen since 2000 to net a goal in the opener.

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 are set to be televised locally by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

ON TAP
The four-game homestand continues with midweek action against Bradley and weekend league play against Detroit. The Panthers and Braves kickoff Tuesday at 7 p.m., with the Saturday matchup against the Titans also getting underway at 7 p.m.