WILMINGTON, N.C. – A late goal sent the match to overtime and St. Francis Brooklyn found the winner in the in the 105^th minute to send the Milwaukee men's soccer team to a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the first round of NCAA Tournament Thursday evening at UNCW Soccer Stadium.
 
The Panthers (8-5-0) went ahead on a penalty kick by Raul Medina in the 62^nd minute and held that lead until the final moments, with the Terriers (7-1-1) finding the equalizer with just 1:08 left on the clock in regulation.
 
"No matter what you say at this moment, it's just a lot of disappointment and it's tough to say something to get these guys to feel as proud as they should of themselves right now," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "As I said to them, it was a great year. All of the challenges we had this year with COVID, the weather … we have accomplished a lot and we are going home winners. We didn't win today, but we are going home winners and I told them that. As disappointed as we are, go home with your heads held high. Be proud of it, because we accomplished a lot. The guys fought through it all and that is what winners do. We have a group of winners here and I am excited for next season."
 
With the second overtime session heading to the closing minutes, St. Francis Brooklyn was able to find the golden goal, with Ivan Tapuskovic scoring to send his team to the second round and bring Milwaukee's impressive campaign to a close.
 
"Our opponent had six seniors and four juniors in their starting lineup," Kelderman said. "A big, strong, physical team; very direct. It's challenging and is a tough style of soccer to play against. I thought we had our chances to come out of here victorious and the ball just bounced their way today."
 
Scoreless at the break, Milwaukee broke through on Medina's fourth goal of the season. It came after Abdu Regassa was fouled in the box, with Medina burying the spot kick at the 61:05 mark.
 
Paolo Gratton nearly made it 2-0 in the 70^th, playing a ball off his chest and volleying a rocket on frame, but a nice stop by the Terriers goalkeeper kept it a one-goal game.
 
With the final minutes of regulation ticking away, the MKE defense was forced to play down a man due to injury and St. Francis Brooklyn took advantage, scoring on a combination of passes to even the contest with just 68 seconds remaining.
 
Milwaukee had a pair of decent chances in the first overtime, with Gratton's finishing attempt of a Josh Kidder cross getting saved, while Kidder's far-post header in the final seconds sailed just wide to force a second extra session.
 
The Terriers recorded all three of the shots in OT2, including the game-winner.
 
The first half was played strongly defensively both ways, with Gratton nearly sneaking one inside the right post in the 16^th minute, but again, pushed just wide by Callum James to force a corner.
 
Nick Chiappa made an impressive save of a low free kick in the 30^th minute, one of five saves he was credited for on the night.
 
For the game, St. Francis Brooklyn finished with a 13-to-9 advantage in shots, gaining a 7-to-6 edge in shots on goal, while also earning seven of the 11 corner kicks. Gratton led MKE's offense with five shots, four of which were on goal.
 
The loss brings the 2021 season to a close at 8-5-0, with the team claiming the Horizon League Tournament Championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 10^th time in program history. The Panthers will graduate no seniors this year, with the full roster set to return to the field in the fall.