The Milwaukee men's soccer team will embark on its 45th season of NCAA Division I soccer this week when it hosts a pair of games at Engelmann Stadium. The 2017 season opener is Friday, with UWM hosting Western Illinois under the lights at 7 p.m. Then, the weekend closes with a 3 p.m. matinee with the Panthers hosting Eastern Illinois.

Both games will have live statistics available and will also feature a live ESPN3 broadcast. Friday's contest will feature Matt Schroeder on the call and Sunday's battle in the Panthers vs. Panthers affair will feature Matt Menzl on the broadcast. All links are available on the UWM website.

Milwaukee and WIU have met 12 times in the all-time series, with the Panthers currently holding a 7-4-1 advantage. Included in that is wins in two straight (including last season, 2-0) and victories in seven of the past eight meetings (five by shutout). The Panthers and Panthers have played 12 times prior to the upcoming contest Sunday, with both teams sitting with six wins apiece. UWM certainly holds the upper hand of late, claiming victory in each of the past five outings, including a 2-1 win in the most recent contest in 2016. A 2-0 win by Milwaukee in 2012 marked the first played between the two schools since 2001.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
WESTERN ILLINOIS: Western Illinois is coming off a 2016 season where it finished 8-10-1 overall, including 3-3-0 in conference play. The team was picked to finish third according to the 2017 preseason Summit League Poll that was announced recently. Both Drew Whalen and Fernando Pacheco represented the Leathernecks on The Summit League 'Players to Watch' list, which totals eight players. Whalen, who missed the 2016 season due to injury, earned 'Summit League Offensive Player of the Year' during the 2015 campaign.

The exhibition slate saw the team play three games, finishing 0-2-1. Results included a 2-1 loss to UIC, 3-1 loss at DePaul and a 0-0 draw at home against Quincy.

EASTERN ILLINOIS: The Panthers went 5-12-1 last season, finishing with a 2-4-0 mark in Summit League play. The team was picked to finish sixth in the recent conference preseason poll. EIU adds nine new members to their 2017 squad, three from overseas. They also welcome back senior goalie Mike Novotny, who earned All-Summit League Second-Team honors in both 2015 and 2016 and was on the 'Players to Watch' list the season. He posted 59 saves and a save percentage of .720 a year ago and now ranks fourth in Panther's history for saves (195), minutes in goal (4,242), and games in goal (47).

The 2017 exhibition season resulted in a 2-1 loss at Northwestern and a 2-0 defeat of Saint Xavier.

FOR OPENERS
Milwaukee is now 22-17-5 all-time in season openers following a 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois to open the 2016 slate. That includes a 26-12-5 ledger in home openers after dominating Evansville, 5-2, two seasons ago. 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 victories over EIU (2016), the Purple Aces (2015), DePaul (2014) and a nationally-ranked Marquette squad (2013), his Green Bay squad topped SIU Edwardsville, 1-0, in 2011.

EXHIBITION SEASON REWIND
Milwaukee played a pair of exhibition contests, finishing 1-0-1 (along with a PK shootout win) in that stretch. The Panthers opened the slate with a 2-2 draw against Loyola, before going straight to penalty kicks and claiming a 9-8 decision. Then, in their final tune-up, Milwaukee raced out to a commanding 5-0 lead just minutes into the second half before claiming a 5-3 win over Dayton. Nick Moon and Vuk Latinovich paced the offense with five points (2G/1A), with Latinovich and Reid Stevenson recording a team-best five shots. Five different players netted goals in the two contests. Defensively, Freddy Lorenzen posted a 0.86 goals-against average in 104:26 of game time, making both starts. He added an .857 save percentage and an assist on offense. Greg Baxa saw just over 75 minutes of action, recording four saves. He was also in net when UWM topped Loyola in the shootout, coming up with the final stop.

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
There will be plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression in 2017. A season ago the Milwaukee squad was very young, with 21 of the 26 student-athletes were in their first or second year of playing collegiate soccer. This year, 17 of the 32 student-athletes will be appearing in a Panther uniform for the first time (12 true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen, as well as one transfer who will be sitting out the season).

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 24-12-6 at home in Kris Kelderman's five years as the head coach.

EXPERIENCED CREW
Four members of the team were honored with postseason awards last year - the most for the Panthers since 2006. In addition to the three earning spots on the All-Horizon League Second Team, newcomer Evan Conway received one of the specialty awards by being selected as the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. Nick Moon, Jonathan Stadler and Francesco Saporito were the trio that picked up second-team accolades, and all three are set to return to the field this fall. In fact, UWM returns 10 players who made at least 10 starts a year ago. Saporito and Moon started all 19 a season ago, while Conway and Sean Reynolds started 18 times. Stadler was next, checking in at 17 starts on the back line. In addition, Sam Glass is back after making 10 starts in goal, posting a 1.15 goals-against average and three shutouts.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
A unique situation takes place this fall on the field for the Milwaukee men's soccer team. For starters, Kris Kelderman will again be the head coach for his son, Jake, for a second straight campaign (Jake redshirted last season). In addition, Marco Fabiano joins the roster this fall. That name sounds familiar, as his dad, Troy, is starting his third season as the UWM women's soccer coach.

GAME OF INCHES
Outside of a 3-0 loss to a very good Wisconsin squad that rose to as high as No. 20 in the country, the Panthers were actually oh-so-close to a spectacular campaign in 2016. Finishing at 8-8-3, the other seven losses were ALL one-goal heartbreakers for UWM. That followed a recent trend for the Panthers. In 2015, eight of the 10 losses were one-goal setbacks.

NOTHING STOPPING 'EM
The Panthers came together and played very well to end the 2016 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).

FRANKIE SAYS RELAX
In 2016, Francesco Saporito came close to accomplishing something that hasn't happened for a UWM player in quite some time. He had been leading the conference most of the year, ending up in third in the Horizon League in assists with seven. Had he climbed to the top spot, he would have 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.

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, 2015 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.

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. Four 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.

EARLY MOON RISING
Nick Moon came through pretty quickly against Bradley on Sept. 27 of last season, 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 early last season 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.

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.

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.

BACK IN THE GOOD GRACES
Milwaukee made an appearance in the National Soccer Coaches Association regional rankings last season, coming in at No. 10 in the Great Lakes Regional Aug. 30. The Panthers last appearance in the regional rankings prior to that 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).

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.

CATCH THEM ANYWHERE
Milwaukee men's soccer will be readily available for the viewing pleasure of UWM fans this season, as 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.

ON TAP
The team hits the road for the first time, traveling to Evansville, Ind., for the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic. First game is Friday against the host, set to start at 7 p.m.