The Milwaukee men's soccer team will embark on its 46th season of NCAA Division I soccer this week when it travels to Macomb, Ill., Sunday to take on Western Illinois.

The contest is set to kick off at 5 p.m. and will have live statistics available. It also marks the second year in a row MKE has opened the season with the same opponent. All links are available on the MKE website.

Milwaukee and WIU have met 13 times in the all-time series, with the Panthers currently holding an 8-4-1 advantage. Included in that ledger is wins in three straight (including last season, 1-0) and victories in eight of the past nine meetings (six by shutout). In those nine games, MKE has outscored its opponent by a 16-to-5 total.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
WESTERN ILLINOIS: The Fighting Leathernecks are coming off a 5-10-1 season in 2017. The team returns six players who appeared in 10 or more games last fall, but are also reloading with new talent. One of the returners for 20-year head coach Dr. Eric Johnson is Drew Whalen. Whalen, a 2018 Summit League Player to Watch, is coming off All-Summit League First Team status in 2017 where he tallied 16 points (fourth in the league) and was second in the Summit League with 56 shots.

WIU went 1-0-2 in three exhibition games the past few weeks, including draws against UIC and Quincy plus a 2-1 victory over Big East opponent DePaul. Jamison Kozar led the team with three goals (one each match) and Paul Kirdorf recorded a team-high three assists. The team opens at Oakland Friday before returning home to host the Panthers Sunday.

FOR OPENERS
Milwaukee is now 23-17-5 all-time in season openers following a 1-0 win over Western Illinois to open the 2017 slate. Head coach Kris Kelderman now has seven season openers on his resume at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, going 6-1-0. In addition to the victories over WIU (2017), Eastern Illinois (2016), Evansville (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, posting a perfect 2-0 mark while allowing just one goal in victories over Loyola Chicago (1-0 Aug. 14) and Parkside (2-1 Aug. 22). Evan Conway (2G) led the way for the offense, tying for the team lead with six shots. Vuk Latinovich (1G/1A) was right behind, also taking six shots. Next up were Sean Holmes and Cameron Williams, each taking five shots in the two games. In all, MKE outshot its opponents by a count of 36-to-14, including an impressive 22-9 display against the Rangers. Defensively, Freddy Lorenzen (0.00 GAA) and Ryan Berger (1.00 GAA) split the time in net evenly. A total of 25 players saw time on the field.

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
There will be plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression once again in 2018. A season ago, the Milwaukee squad was very young, with 17 of the 32 student-athletes appearing on a Panther uniform for the first time (in addition, 21 of the 26 student-athletes in 2016 were in their first or second year of playing collegiate soccer). This year, 12 of the 31 on the roster will be appearing in a Panther uniform for the first time (nine true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen, as well as one transfer who sat out last season). In addition, Josh Kaye will be back after missing essentially the whole 2017 campaign due to injury.

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, Milwaukee 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 MKE standards, the magic is getting brought back - the Panthers have compiled a record of 29-14-10 at home in Kris Kelderman's six years as the head coach heading into the 2018 season.

KING OF THE ATTACK
The Milwaukee offense continued to click a season ago, eventually finishing in the Top 50 in the country in goals scored. Finding shot attempts was not an issue either, placing second in the Horizon League at a clip of 15.4 per game. In fact, Milwaukee finished 12th in the nation in shot attempts per game (less than a half shot behind Creighton and Georgetown), after ranking consistently in the Top 5 and as high as No. 1 earlier last fall (Seattle finished  No. 1 at 18.6).

2017 IN A NUTSHELL
The Panthers finished the 2017 campaign at 10-5-4 overall, the third year in a row the squad posted a higher victory total. It was also the second time Kris Kelderman recorded 10-plus victories (also 15 in 2013; his second season). He owns both double-digit win seasons for the program since 2005.

HORIZON LEAGUE RUN
In addition, Milwaukee spent nearly a month in the United Soccer Coaches regional rankings and also won six conference games in a row for the first time since 2002. The six league victories marked the most since 2004.

GOOD UP AND DOWN
One look at the team statistics following the conclusion of the 2017 campaign sees Milwaukee at the top of nearly every category across the Horizon League, whether you are looking at offensive or defensive statistics.

The MKE offense led the conference in points with 91 (second was 88), goals with 31 (second was 30), assists with 29 (second was 28) and was second in shots with 15.4 per contest (leader was at 16.5). Defensively, it was Milwaukee nearly leading the way in goals-against average at 0.943 (tops was 0.936) and tied for most shutouts at eight.

GETTING TO TWO
The Milwaukee defense was stingy a season ago, producing nine shutouts to lead the league. Offensively, once the team found a second goal, the Panthers were very tough to beat. Last fall, the squad went 8-1-2 when scoring two or more goals. That brings the two-year tally to 14-2-3 when finding the back of the net at least twice in a match.

PEAKING LATE
A look at the Panthers performance the final few weeks of the 2017 season is quite impressive. The 3-2 win Oct. 14 came against a Wright State squad that was in first-place in the league standings and ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coach Great Lakes regional poll. It was also a game where MKE trailed by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 before coming back each time. The victory at Cleveland State Oct. 7 came against a Viking squad that had not lost a league game to that point in the season. Also, the triumph over Northern Kentucky Sept. 30 snapped the eight-game unbeaten streak of the Norse and also handed them their first conference loss of the fall.

Following that was a road game at Detroit Mercy where MKE fell down, 1-0, on a penalty kick. No worries ... three unanswered goals later the team claimed the 3-1 win. The 3-0 shutout of IUPUI made it five league wins in a row and moved the squad from last place (following an 0-3 start in conference play) all the way up to third. Six in a row came in the finale at Oakland, a 2-0 victory. That marked the first time UWM has won six league games in a row since reeling off a perfect 7-0 conference slate in the 2002 campaign.

TAKING NOTICE
The Panthers played very well a season ago and, as a result, found their way into the United Soccer Coaches Great Lakes Regional, coming in at No. 10 in Week 8. Week 9 saw a rise to No. 9 and the following week, Milwaukee stepped up to No. 8 in the region.

OVERTIME THRILLER
Evan Conway had an impressive outing against first-place Wright State Oct. 14 of last season, scoring the first goal of the game to get MKE back to even at 1-1. He then topped that with the golden goal in overtime, one of his five shots (four on goal) in the contest as the Panthers claimed the important 3-2 victory.

As a result, Conway was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week, the second time he earned the award in his career.

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 29-11-5 record in the series after returning the Cup home with a 2-0 win Sept. 26 of last season. They have posted back-to-back wins 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.

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 last season, with MKE tying the game with just eight seconds remaining in regulation on a goal by Jonathan Stadler to force overtime before falling. And again in 2016, with Milwaukee reclaiming the Cup with a thrilling 1-0 victory Oct. 22 on a goal by Magnus Flaatedal.

Six of the past eight occasions these two teams have played, the game has gone into overtime (5 of 7 into double-overtime), with four of the six ending in victories for one team or the other. Five 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.

DANDY DEBUT
Freddy Lorenzen posted a shutout in his collegiate debut last fall, becoming the fourth freshman in the past 16 years to start the season opener in goal for the Panthers (freshman Oliver Haslund was in net two years ago in the 2-1 win at Eastern Illinois). Lorenzen became the first keeper to record a shutout in the opener since Kirk Thode made four saves to blank Dayton in a 0-0 draw to open the 2004 campaign. He followed that up with a 1-1 draw against EIU to earn Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week 1.

MILWAUKEE ACCOLADES
Five members of the team were honored with postseason awards following the 2017 campaign. Highlighting the way was a pair of All-Horizon League First-Team honorees, with Nick Moon and Sean Reynolds making an appearance on the top squad. Vuk Latinovich gave the Panthers a trio of all-league selections with a spot on the second team, while Latinovich, Freddy Lorenzen and Jake Kelderman round out the list with appearances on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
A unique situation again 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 third straight campaign (Jake redshirted in 2016). In addition, Marco Fabiano joined the roster last fall. That name sounds familiar, as his dad, Troy, is in his fourth season as the MKE women's soccer coach.

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. Milwaukee 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, Milwaukee 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.

Jaime Colin helped the Panthers get the LeWang Cup back in 2017, netting the only goal of a 1-0 victory on a great individual effort in the first half.

CATCH THEM ANYWHERE
Milwaukee men's soccer will be readily available for the viewing pleasure of MKE fans this season, as all but one home game (and nearly all conference road games) will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.

ESPN+, which will host the Horizon League women's soccer, men's soccer and volleyball championships this fall, offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time. Launched in April of 2018, ESPN+ is an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App.

ON TAP
It's off to Ohio next week, taking part is a tournament at Dayton where the team will play the host Flyers on Friday and then Ohio State to close out the event on Sunday.