DAYTON, Ohio – A fortunate goal by Wright State in the 80^th minute held up as the Milwaukee men's soccer team dropped a tough-luck 1-0 decision Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
 
The Panthers (2-4, 0-2 Horizon League) nearly pulled out a last-minute draw against the Raiders (1-2-3, 1-1 Horizon League), but the first of a pair of attempts was blocked and the final hope was saved with just 17 seconds remaining to seal their fate in the league road contest.
 
In net, goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra put together a great performance, tying his season-high with six saves.
 
The game was getting late when WSU was able to take advantage of a lucky break – the MKE defense was able to block an initial threat, but it rebounded directly to the foot of Conner Osterholt who was able to finish it for the only goal at the 79:03 mark.
 
The Panther offense pushed to find a goal and grab a point, but it wasn't meant to be. In the closing minute, Sam Torhorst had his effort blocked and Arthur Souza followed that up with another try, only to see a nice stop by the Raider keeper save the day with just a few ticks left on the clock.
 
The home team did manage five of the first six shots on the afternoon, but following that the MKE offense got going. Up first it forced a tough save by Asher Ozuzu in the 28^th and then another that was blocked in the 34^th minute in addition to a pair of corner kicks. The WSU keeper also made a nice save in the closing seconds to deny Alan Lopez a goal at the 44:48 mark.
 
For the game, the Raiders ended with advantages of 20-12 in shots, just an 8-7 edge in shots on goal, and a 5-4 margin on corner kicks despite the Panthers owning 57 percent of possession in the match. Ozuzu, Lopez, and Raul Medina all tied for the team with two shots apiece.
 
The team returns home for a big matchup next, hosting Marquette Tuesday evening under the lights in the battle for the "Milwaukee Cup". Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Engelmann Stadium.