Fresh off a 2-0 start to the season, the Milwaukee men's soccer team heads to Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the UAB "Soccer For a Cure Classic". The event, which is now in its 12th year of the current format, brings three other teams from across the country to UAB's campus. The event raises money to help aid cancer victims through the sport of soccer. The money raised by the event remains in Birmingham and is divided among cancer research facilities.

The Panthers open Friday against Memphis and then close out the weekend against the host Blazers Sunday. Both contests will have live stats available, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. against the Tigers and 12 p.m. against UAB. All links are available on the Milwaukee website.

The Panthers will be taking on Memphis for the first time since 2003, with the series tied at 1-1. That game in 2003 saw the Tigers claim a 3-2 win, with the other contest a Milwaukee win by a final score of 2-1 back in October of 1999.

MKE and UAB have played just once, and it was actually in this same event. The Panthers traveled south for the "Soccer for a Cure Classic" back in 2011, falling to the Blazers by a final score of 2-1 in overtime (they also dropped a 2-1 decision to Gardner Webb that weekend in Birmingham).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
MEMPHIS: The Tigers were picked sixth in the preseason poll and defender Ben Roberts was named to the American Athletic Conference's preseason all-conference team. The team is off to a 1-1 start, handing Campbell a 4-0 defeat while also falling to Wright State by a final score of 4-2. Memphis went 8-7-4 last season, which included a 2-4-1 ledger in AAC play.

Five different players have scored goals this fall, with Gurman Sangha leading the way with a pair. Parker Lackland has played all 180 minutes in net, making five saves in allowing four goals. Roberts was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.

UAB: The Blazers went 6-9-3 a season ago, which included a 2-5-1 mark in league play. First-year head coach Jeff Kinney looks to get them back into the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2014. The program also has a new look, with recently-renovated BBVA Field making its debut. UAB will showcase 15 new faces this season, made up of seven transfers and eight freshmen. Returning are 17 players (six seniors), highlighted by 2018 Conference USA All-Freshman Team honoree Blake White.

So far in 2019, the team is 0-2, falling by identical scores of 2-1 to both Marquette (2OT) and Wisconsin on a weekend trip to the state. Grayson Dupont has both goals (on just three shots), while Seth Torman has seen all 196 minutes of action in net, posting a .667 save percentage and 1.84 GAA.

TWO AND "OH"!
It's always fun to start the new year unbeaten and Milwaukee is 2-0 for first time since 2014 (two years ago, the team was unbeaten at 1-0-1). The Panthers will be looking for their first 3-0 start since 2001 when they meet Memphis on Friday.

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.

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 third place all-time.

1. Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit Mercy: 8
T2. Antou Jallow, Milwaukee: 7
T2. Eric Lukin, UIC: 7
3. Freddy Lorenzen, Milwaukee: 6
4. 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 34-17-11 (.637) at home in Kris Kelderman's seven-plus years as the head coach heading into the 2019 season.

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 brings a resume into play this fall that includes 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 22
Assists: 19 (three-way tie)  / now at 13
Points: 72 (Fabio Marras, 1980-83) / now at 57
Shots: 177 (Gerard Lagos, 1988-91) / now at 163

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.

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 30-11-5 record in the series after retaining possession of the Cup home with a 2-1 victory Sept. 19 of last season.

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 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.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
The Panthers are now 21-11-3 all-time in league openers in seasons in which they have been affiliated with a conference following the rare opening draw with Cleveland State, 1-1, Sept. 15. Head coach Kris Kelderman is 2-4-2 in his eight seasons, with the team knocking off Oakland in overtime, 1-0, three seasons ago. The Panthers fell to UIC, 2-1, in last year's opener.

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).

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.

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
The team remains on the road and has just one game next week, opening Horizon League play at Detroit on Saturday. Kick off against the Titans is set for 6 p.m. CST.