October rolls on with a big matchup on the schedule for the Milwaukee men's soccer team, as it heads up I43 Saturday for the annual battle for the "Chancellor's Cup" with league foe Green Bay.

The game is set for Saturday evening, kicking off at 7 p.m. The contest against the Phoenix will be shown on ESPN+ (subscription-based) and will also have live stats provided. All links are available on the Milwaukee website.

The Cup, which originally began as a tournament of Wisconsin state schools in the 1980's, continues to be given to the winner in the annual Milwaukee/Green Bay game. As an extra storyline, Kris Kelderman spent the 2011 season as the head coach at Green Bay.

The Panthers lead the all-time series against Green Bay by a count of 26-17-5. The Phoenix have managed to hold the upper hand of late, posting a 6-3-2 ledger between the two teams since the 2008 season. It's been tight - seven of those 11 games have gone into overtime.

That snapped quite a run of MKE dominance, which posted an 8-1 mark between 2001 and 2007. However, it was a great finish last season - with Sean Holmes scoring in overtime to give the Cup back to the Panthers in a 1-0 final in 2018.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
GREEN BAY: The Phoenix are coming off an 8-6-2 season last fall, which included a 4-3-1 mark in Horizon League play. Head coach Jeremy Bonomo is in his fifth season at the helm of the program. GB welcomed 11 newcomers to its roster for 2019 season, with the returners highlighted by first-team all-league honoree Andre Baires and all-freshman team member Joey Bourgeois.

With a preseason poll landing in the No. 3 spot and an exhibition slate that featured a pair of wins - one over Northwestern - the road has not gone as smoothly since, coming into play Saturday at 2-6-2 which includes getting roughed up by Marquette earlier this week, 6-1. The league ledger is 1-3-0, with the lone victory a 1-0 decision over Cleveland State this past weekend.

The offense has eight goals through 10 games, with Baires leading the way with five points (2G/1A). Jamison Yoder has played over 85 percent of total minutes in net, producing a 1.87 goals-against average and .638 save percentage.

STATE ROUND ROBIN
The Panthers will be looking for their first sweep of the NCAA Division I schools in the state (Marquette/Wisconsin/Green Bay) since 2005. So far this fall, Milwaukee has topped Marquette, 2-1, back on Sept. 17 and also prevailed against the Badgers, 1-0, to open October.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE
The Panthers put up quite the offensive display against IUPUI in a 2-2 draw Oct. 5. The team ran up 34 total shots in symmetrical fashion, firing off 13 in each half and four apiece in each overtime period. The 34 shot attempts marked the most since equaling that total with 34 against Green Bay back in October of 2012.

Vuk Latinovich had an eye-popping 11 shot attempts of his own, nearly coming up with the golden goal on the final one at the buzzer. That marked the first time a Panther recorded 10-or-more shots in a single game since Steve Sperl had 10 against Cleveland State in October of 2006.

TOUGH DECISIONS
The Panthers have been on the wrong side of some hard-luck decisions this season, with four of the five losses coming as one-goal setbacks. Included in those four results are a pair of overtime losses (one on a PK), as well as a 2-1 loss on a 72nd-minute penalty kick.

CONWAY'S CAMPAIGN
Senior Evan Conway has been a three-year starter for the Panthers, making 55 starts in 57 career games coming into the 2019 campaign. The all-league honoree brought a resume into play this fall that included 21 goals, 12 assists, 54 points and 153 shots. With a similar final year stats-wise in a Milwaukee uniform, he could find his way into the record book for career Top 10 in all four of those categories. The current No. 10 spot in all of those categories looks like this:
Goals: 28 (Jake Provan, 1992-95) / Conway now at 23
Assists: 19 (three-way tie)  / now at 15
Points: 72 (Fabio Marras, 1980-83) / now at 61
Shots: 177 (Gerard Lagos, 1988-91) / now at 186

GIVE ME "SHOTS FOR 200 ALEX"
Senior Evan Conway entered the Top 10 for career shots recorded against Cleveland State Sept. 28 when he sent No. 178 on goal and he starts the week at 186.

Up next are Fabio Marras (8th with 190) and Ryan Seymour (7th at 196), with a career total over 200 within his grasp over the remainder of the 2019 campaign. If he reaches 200, he would become just the sixth player in program history to accomplish the feat. Leading the way is the school-record total of 279, set by Pete Knezic back in 1977-80.

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 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 31-11-5 record in the series after retaining possession of the Cup home with a 2-1 victory Sept. 17. MKE is now 3-0-2 over the last five meetings.

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. 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

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
The Panthers are now 22-11-3 all-time in league openers in seasons in which they have been affiliated with a conference following the hard-fought 1-0 victory at Detroit Mercy Sept. 14. Head coach Kris Kelderman is 3-4-2 in his nine seasons, with the team also knocking off Oakland in overtime, 1-0, three seasons ago.

GETTING GOING
Freshman Matthew Cahill is making a quality first impression with the Panthers, scoring twice in his first four games. His goal at the 2:57 mark against UAB Sept. 8 is also the quickest to open a game for Milwaukee since September of 2016. That day, Nick Moon found the back of the net in just 1:49 to jumpstart a 2-0 win over Bradley. The school record is only 19 seconds (B.J. Blake against Memphis in 2003).

TWO AND "OH"!
It's always fun to start the new year unbeaten and Milwaukee accomplished that this fall, opening 2-0 for first time since 2014 (two years ago, the team was unbeaten at 1-0-1).

FREDDY JOINING SOME FAST COMPANY
Freddy Lorenzen was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 3 after going 2-0 to open the campaign, which included a five-save shutout of Drake Sept. 2 to mark the 14th clean sheet of his time in Milwaukee. It is also the sixth fifth time he has now won the honor in his career. Considering he's just embarking on the start of his junior season, he may have a crack at league history over his career. The conference record for most weekly awards is eight. With six on his resume, Lorenzen already stands in fourth place all-time.

1. Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit Mercy: 8
T2. Antou Jallow, Milwaukee: 7
T2. Eric Lukin, UIC: 7
4. Freddy Lorenzen, Milwaukee: 6
5. JC Banks, Green Bay: 5

SYKES DOUBLE-UP
Alex Sykes netted a pair of goals in the season opener against Western Illinois Aug. 30 and, with five points (2G/1A), is near the top of the Horizon League scoring race and well on his way to top the eight (3G/2A) he recorded a season ago. It continued a recent trend over the years, marking the fourth time since 2010 that a Panther scored twice in the season opener. The most recent to do it was Kostas Kotselas (2016), with the recent list including Declan Rodriguez (2015) and Edison Crespo (2010). The program record for the season opener remains a hat trick (3) by Dan Day in 1984.

EXHIBITION SEASON REWIND
Milwaukee played three exhibition contests this fall, posting a 2-1-0 mark as it topped Cardinal Stritch (2-0 Aug. 16) and Parkside (3-2 Aug. 23), while also dropping a tight one at Loyola Chicago (1-0 Aug. 20).

Vuk Latinovich paced the offense with a trio of goals (two against Parkside), recording five shots. Evan Conway had a goal, assist and three shots, while newcomer Matthew Cahill also scored and fired off five shot attempts. In net, freshman Nick Chiappa compiled 61:04 of scoreless play in two games, making two saves. Freddy Lorenzen saw 148-plus minutes of action, allowing two goals while making four saves.

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 36-18-12 (.636) at home in Kris Kelderman's seven-plus years as the head coach.

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
There will be plenty of chances for newcomers to make an impression once again in 2019. A season ago, the Milwaukee squad was very young, with 12 of the 31 student-athletes appearing on a Panther uniform for the first time (nine true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen, as well as one transfer who sat out the prior season). This year, 10 of the 25 on the roster will be appearing in a Panther uniform for the first time (seven true freshmen, one redshirt freshmen, as well as a pair of transfers).

GETTING TO TWO
The Milwaukee defense was stingy a season ago, producing five shutouts which was good for third in the league. The team goals-against average of 1.10 was just off the top spot of 0.95 and also checked in at third. Offensively, once the team found a second goal, the Panthers were very tough to beat. Last fall, the squad went 6-1-0 when scoring two or more goals. That brings the three-year tally (heading into the 2019 campaign) to 22-3-5 when finding the back of the net at least twice in a match.

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 Sean Holmes golden goal coming in the 99th minute. The year prior, MKE tied the game with just eight seconds remaining in regulation on a goal by Jonathan Stadler to force overtime before falling. And again in 2016, when Milwaukee reclaimed the Cup with a thrilling 1-0 victory Oct. 22 on a goal by Magnus Flaatedal.

Seven of the past nine occasions these two teams have now played, the game has gone into overtime (5 of 7 into double-overtime), with five of the seven 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.

FOR OPENERS
Milwaukee is now 25-17-5 all-time in season openers following a 3-2 victory over Western Illinois to open the 2019 slate. Head coach Kris Kelderman now has nine season openers on his resume at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, going 8-1-0. In addition to the wins over WIU (2017-2019), 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.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
A unique situation again takes place this fall on the field for the Milwaukee men's soccer team. Kris Kelderman will again be the head coach for his son, Jake, for a fourth straight campaign (Jake redshirted in 2016).

BRING ON THE CUP
The "Milwaukee Cup" 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.

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 is an interesting week for the Panthers, playing a pair of non-conference games as the schedule hits mid-October. Up first is a road game at Eastern Illinois Tuesday, Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.