MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. – Paolo Gratton scored a goal in each half to lead the Milwaukee men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Robert Morris Saturday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex.
 
"Just really proud of the guys," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "Got a great result today after traveling a long way and dealing with the hot temperatures in the middle of the day as well. Paolo scored two really nice goals, but the build-ups were very nice as well."
 
The Panthers (3-2, 2-0 Horizon League) also used an impressive team defensive effort to top the Colonials (1-5, 1-1 Horizon League), who did get a late goal to prevent the clean sheet.
 
"Proud of the guys," Kelderman said. "We had a game plan and we stuck to it. We were hoping for a shutout, but Robert Morris pulled one out in the end."
 
The decision moved Milwaukee to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2013 campaign.
 
"Just a hard-fought, well-executed game against an opponent that is tough to play against," Kelderman said. "We are 2-0 in conference play and looking forward to our matchup with Wisconsin."
 
After an opening stretch that saw MKE dominate possession, Gratton broke through for his first goal of the season at the 19:53 mark.
 
Gabe Anguil started the play, picking up the ball near the endline before heading towards goal, dipping and dodging around the defense. He sent a perfect pass to Gratton, who one-timed it as he was coming across the goal front, sneaking it inside the right post to make it 1-0.
 
The Panthers carried possession over the first 45 minutes and posted a 10-to-5 shot advantage prior to the break. Logan Farrington nearly made it 2-0 in the 27^th minute, spinning and rocketing a shot on goal from the top of the 18 after receiving the pass from David Cox. However, it was deflected just enough by the RMU keeper on a diving save to push it up and over the crossbar.
 
They were rewarded quickly once the second half kicked off and again it was Anguil playing a role. Gaining possession in midfield, he reversed course and passed to Abdu Regassa on the right wing. Regassa then delivered a perfect serve to the box, with Gratton waiting with a header back to the far post. The goal came just 1:03 into the second half.
 
MKE kept up the pressure on offense, generating numerous opportunities starting about 10 minutes into the second half. Shawn Azcueta saw his close-range shot following a corner kick blocked at the post, while Raul Medina gave it a go following a corner kick as well in the 56^th, resulting in another solid save from RMU.
 
Looking to close out the clean sheet, the MKE defense caught a tough break when a Robert Morris corner kick was batted around the box several times. The loose ball was eventually headed in to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 87^th minute, but Milwaukee was never threatened the rest of the way to pick up the hard-fought victory.
 
MKE posted advantages of 15-to-10 in shots and 6-to-1 in shots on goal, while each team registered six corner kicks. Azcueta led the offense with four shots; Gratton ended the day with three.
 
Up next, the Panthers head to Madison to battle the Badgers Tuesday, set for a kickoff of 7 p.m.