MILWAUKEE – A spectacular goal by Alan Lopez just before halftime went down as the game-winner as the Milwaukee men's soccer team claimed an impressive 3-2 victory over Northern Illinois Tuesday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"It was an exciting game," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "I thought both teams were pretty sharp today and both teams had good energy. That is a good victory for us – Northern Illinois is a very technical team; they have some pace and they are good on the attack. I thought we created some good chances. If we could have finished a couple more, we could have made the game a bit easier for ourselves. As the game went on, we did what we had to do on the defensive end. It was a great team defensive effort and I am proud of the guys."
 
The Panthers (2-3) went back ahead of the Huskies (2-4) in the 33^rd minute before Lopez dazzled with an impressive one-touch strike, netting the first goal of his collegiate career just 37 seconds before intermission to help Milwaukee reclaim the LeWang Cup for the first time since the 2017 season.
 
"I told the guys, not only is it a nice-looking trophy, but it's a big one," Kelderman said. "And the guys were excited and we have another trophy we can keep in the office for the next year."
 
Goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra also came up huge on the evening, denying an NIU penalty kick in the 40^th minute to preserve what was a 2-1 lead at the time.
 
"Massive save by Daniel," Kelderman noted. "Again, going from one-goal down to tying it, momentum changes so easily and quickly in the game of soccer and he came up huge for us. When you have a goalkeeper like that bailing you out in certain situations it does so much for your team."
 
The rest of the defense provided a spark in the second half, including a pair of blocked shots from close range on back-to-back attempts inside the goal box in the 72^nd minute.
 
"That's just the thing … when you have a one-goal lead and the game is getting late, the other team is going to push and be aggressive and you are dealing with longer balls and they are throwing more numbers forward," Kelderman said. "I thought our team buckled down and managed it well."
 
NIU came out on the front foot, but it was the Panthers who struck first. Bienvenu Djunga created the opportunity, drawing a foul in which a PK was called. Raul Medina took care of the opportunity, giving the home side the 1-0 lead at the 9:37 mark.
 
It was Medina and Djunga combining again to put MKE back ahead after the Huskies drew even in the 27^th minute. Medina charged down the left side of the goal box and found Djunga at the near post, sending a shot off the goalkeeper and in at the 32:00 mark for the first of his career in the black & gold.
 
Following the PK save, it looked like the home team would take that one-goal lead into the locker room, but Lopez had other thoughts. David Cox won a 50-50 ball near midfield and sent a pass over the backline and, just two touches later – one from Arthur Souza – Lopez unleashed a volley from the top of the 18 that soared into the upper-90 at the far post and made it 3-1 at the 44:23 mark.
 
"You know, Alan has been through a lot already for a college freshman," Kelderman said. "He's had an exciting period of time in his life the past couple of weeks. So for him to step in and score that goal – I knew he did it for someone special – I couldn't be happier for him."
 
The Panther offense was denied by inches on a pair of occasions early. It was Djunga off the right post after a great lead pass from Stu Sain in the sixth minute and then the team saw Quinn Rechner put a Medina corner kick off the crossbar in the 14th minute.
 
Ibarra also made a sensational stop of a close-range blast in the 37^th, ending the evening with a pair of saves.
 
For the game, NIU would wind up with slim advantages of 16-13 in total shots, 5-3 in shots on goal, and 7-5 in corner kicks. Djunga led the MKE offense with four shots; Medina finished with one goal and one assist.
 
Up next, the Panthers return to Horizon League action, traveling to Wright State on Saturday. Game time against the Raiders is set for 4 p.m. CST.