The Milwaukee men's soccer team opens up the month of October with a two-game stop at home, welcoming Wisconsin and IUPUI to Engelmann Stadium this week.

Up first is a contest against the Badgers Wednesday. It is "Res Life Night" as part of the festivities, with Panther headbands being supplied to the first 200 students from the residence halls that make their way over to Engelmann for the contest. The game is the second of a women's/men's doubleheader, with a tentative start time set for 8:30 p.m. (start time subject to change).

Following the tilt with UW, Milwaukee dips back into conference play Saturday with a 7 p.m. start against the Jaguars. Both games this week will have live statistics and a live ESPN+ (Wednesday) and ESPN3 (Saturday/ both subscription-based) video feed available. All links are posted to the Milwaukee website.

The in-state series with the Badgers dates back to 1974, with the Panthers trailing by a slim 16-19-9 ledger. Wisconsin has certainly had the upper hand of late, claiming wins in four of the last eight (4-0-3 mark the past seven). Milwaukee's last win in the series came in a 1-0 result in the 2012 campaign. However, it is not as one-sided as the record appears - four of the losses since 2009 have been 1-0 defeats and three others have resulted in double-overtime draws - including a 1-1 affair in Madison last fall.

The series with IUPUI is relatively brief, with the Panthers holding a 3-1 mark all-time. Included in that is a 3-0 victory two years ago when the Jaguars first joined the Horizon League, with IUPUI claiming a 1-0 victory in 2019 on a 69th-minute header. The other contests came in 2013 (3-0 win) and 2012 (3-2 win).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
WISCONSIN: The Badgers went 10-6-2 a year ago, finishing with a 6-2-0 mark in Big Ten play. They were picked fifth in the 2019 preseason league poll, with Dean Cowdroy, Noah Leibold, and Robin Olofsson all earning preseason Big Ten honors.

At 2-6-1 overall this fall, the defense has been solid - allowing just 12 goals. But, the offense has been shutout six times, including four times over the past five games - a stretch that has seen Wisconsin go 0-4-1. Seven different players are tied for the team lead with two points. In net, Cowdroy has played all 830 minutes, recording a .760 save percentage and 1.30 goals-against average.

IUPUI: The Jaguars were 5-10-4 a season ago, with a 4-3-1 mark in Horizon League play. The squad was selected seventh in the 2019 preseason poll. So far this fall, the team is 3-3-1, but have gotten off to a undefeated start through two conference games. The results have been thrilling, scoring in the 89th minute to topple Northern Kentucky, 2-1, and then in the 104th minute in their dramatic 2-1 win over Green Bay.

Yan Souza (7 points on 3G/1A) and Alan Aguilar (3G/1A) are tied for the team lead offensively. The stingy defense (7 GA in 7 games) is led by Quinn McCallion, who has played all 666:46 on the year. He brings a 0.94 GAA and .774 save percentage into the week, with the team also taking on Eastern Illinois Tuesday of this week.

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 13
Points: 72 (Fabio Marras, 1980-83) / now at 59
Shots: 177 (Gerard Lagos, 1988-91) / now at 178

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. Up next is Tighe Dombrowski (2000-03) in ninth place at 180, with a career total of 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 35-18-11 (.633) 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
Just one game on the slate for the Panthers next week, but it's a big one. The team travels to Green Bay Saturday to battle the Phoenix for the "Chancellor's Cup". Game time is set for 7 p.m.