HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Milwaukee men's soccer team had to battle the cold and Northern Kentucky Wednesday, falling by a final score of 1-0 at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
 
The Panthers (1-1) dominated possession and chances after the Norse (1-1) scored in the 26^th minute, but were unable to find an equalizing goal the rest of the day.
 
"Northern Kentucky was the better team in the first half," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "During that period of time, they capitalized on the goal. We made some adjustments at halftime and came out the second half clearly the better team. But we did not capitalize on a goal and that was the difference, even though we got much better as the game went on."
 
The Norse came up with the lone goal of the match at the 25:04 mark, with Dylan Bufton sneaking in the eventual winner into the lower right corner of the goal. Goalkeeper Nick Chiappa had just made a terrific stop in the 22^nd minute, but was unable to come up with another.
 
With a game-time temperature in the 20's and 10 inches of snow taken off the field the day before, it took some time for the MKE squad to adjust to the conditions.
 
"In all fairness to our group, this was the first time we had played soccer outside and the first time we had been on a regulation field in four weeks," Kelderman said. "To put our guys in an environment like that, with elements on top of that, is challenging at the moment. At this time, it's a balancing act with having high expectations and realizing the challenges we have at the moment. We will keep plugging away."
 
That goal was the culmination of a slow start both ways, with NKU recording the first shot of the contest in the eighth minute and MKE not credited with one until Kasper Davidsson forced a quality stop in the 14^th minute.
 
Milwaukee dominated possession and chances in the second half, outshooting the Norse, 5-2, over the final 45 minutes. Logan Farrington nearly sent the game into overtime late, only to see his dangerous attempt stopped short in the 86^th minute.
 
For the game, NKU ended up with a 9-7 advantage in shots, with both teams recording five corner kicks. Farrington accounted for a team-high three of those attempts, with Chiappa finishing the day with three saves.
 
Up next, the Panthers are set to play their home opener, welcoming UIC to the Mosh Performance Center and the indoor turf facility February 16. Kickoff has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to the change.