DURHAM, N.C. – The Milwaukee men's soccer team outshot its opponent by a wide margin Friday, yet could not find the back of the net in falling to Elon by a final score of 2-0 at Koskinen Stadium.
 
"Obviously with the loss, we failed to get a result today, but I was really pleased with our performance in the second half," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "I thought we got better, we got stronger as the game went on, which is a tall task in the heat here that we are not very accustomed to playing in."
 
The Panthers (0-1) and Phoenix (1-0) opened their respective seasons in the first game of the Rennie Nike Invitational on the campus of Duke University.
 
"Statistically, we had more shots in the game, so I was pleased with the way we kept going," Kelderman said. "It was a good way to finish the game and shows a little bit about our character. Down a couple of goals in a tough environment, to play as well as we did to finish the match was promising. We have to regroup, we have a big match against Duke on Sunday, which I think overall will be a great experience for our guys as we prepare for Horizon League play."
 
Milwaukee ended the afternoon with a final shot advantage of 11-to-7, yet could not overcome allowing a goal in each half.  Logan Farrington led the way, recording a team-high three shots, doing his part to help MKE to the majority of possession on the day as well.
 
The Panthers got an early shot attempt off, with Farrington sending one high just 140 seconds into the match. Elon then struck first, however, heading in a goal at the 20:10 mark to take the 1-0 advantage.
 
Kasper Davidsson came close to equalizing, forcing a tough save in the 33^rd minute.
 
Elon scored a second goal in the 56^th minute. It seemed to wake up the offense for a spell, rifling off three shots in a short timespan, including a pair that resulted in saves in the 65th minute, yet could not get anything past Phoenix goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuck. His counterpart in net, Nick Chiappa, finished with one save on the afternoon.
 
"Unfortunately we dug ourselves a hole, which we had been doing in the preseason as well," Kelderman said. "They had a nice header on their second goal, which was unfortunate for us. Again, the final 30, 35 minutes, I really thought we pressed and played quality soccer, we're just struggling on that final pass or that final shot. But I thought that we had the better of the play."
 
The Panthers wrap up the weekend with a tough task, facing host Duke Sunday, a team that is ranked No. 12 in the preseason national poll. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. CST.