The Milwaukee men's soccer team opens the month of October with a pair of home matches, welcoming Drake and Oakland to Engelmann Stadium this week.

Up first is a non-conference matchup with the Bulldogs Tuesday, set to kick off at 5 p.m. that day. The conference clash Saturday afternoon against the Golden Grizzlies will kickoff at 1 p.m. and both contests can be seen on ESPN+ with Matt Menzl on the call. Both matches this week will also have live statistics available and all links are posted on the Milwaukee website. Saturday is also "Alumni Day" for the program and will feature "Bark in the Park" and a Bandana Giveaway promotion for fans in attendance who want to bring along their pets.

Milwaukee has gone 9-3-3 all-time against Drake in a series that dates back to 1990. After winning each of the first six meetings, the series is a dead-even 3-3-3 since, with MKE coming away with victories in two of the past three times these teams met: a 2-0 decision in September of 2019 as well as a 2-1 comeback win in the 2021 season opener. The squads played to a 1-1 draw in the most recent battle in September of 2022.

Milwaukee is 11-8-3 all-time against Oakland, with a 5-6-2 ledger since the Golden Grizzlies joined the Horizon League. The series actually dates back all the way to an MKE 3-2 victory in 1973. Two of the past four times they have met resulted in shootouts, overcoming deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to lead at 3-2 - before Oakland would net the final two in a 4-3 victory in 2021. In 2022, the Panthers forced overtime after trailing 2-0, but again lost by the same 4-3 scoreline. In 2022, the teams played to a 0-0 draw while last fall OU got a late goal to overcome a 1-0 deficit and win, 2-1.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
DRAKE: The Bulldogs have gotten off to an impressive start this fall following a challenging 2023 campaign in which they went 3-10-3 overall and 1-6-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The team welcomed back experience in 2023 MVC All-Freshman Team member Jackson Kirsch, veteran defender Brennan Rzewuski, and Damian Segura. Third-year head coach Pat Flinn saw the team get picked for eighth out of nine in the preseason MVC poll. Drake starts the week at 6-2-1 overall (2-2-1 on the road) and has gone the past six matches unbeaten at 5-0-1, including a 4-0 blowout of Belmont in most recent action Sept. 22. The team has found the back of the net 19 times while conceding just 10 goals in nine games. Segura tops the scoring chart with 11 points (5G/1A), with Preston Kipnusu second at seven (3G/1A). In goal, Tomas Butkovic has played all 810 minutes, posting four shutouts, a .697 save percentage, and a 1.11 GAA.

OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies went 8-9-2 last fall, which included a 6-4 ledger in Horizon League play. They were tabbed for first in the preseason poll after playing their way to the Horizon League Tournament Championship game a season ago. Paul Doroh was named head coach of the program in April 2024 after being part of the OU staff since 2016. He helped Oakland win the Horizon League two of the last three years, including winning both the HL regular season and Tournament Championships in 2021. The team starts the week at 3-4-2 overall and is 1-0-2 in conference action, playing IU Indy to a 0-0 standstill Saturday in most recent action.

The offense has 11 goals in nine games, led by Jack Klomparens with seven points (3G/1A). The defense has given up 10 in that span, with Alex Flowers (1.13 GAA/.800 sv. %) having made eight starts.

CUP-ORTUNITY
The Panthers hit the road to take part in their first trophy game of the fall, bringing back the "LeWang Cup" Sept. 24 with a 2-0 victory over Northern Illinois in what was the 50th all-time meeting in the series (MKE now leads 25-20-5). The cup was named after the former NIU coach who was killed in a car accident prior to the 1981 season. LeWang came to NIU as head coach in 1980 following his time as an assistant at Milwaukee and died in a car accident after his first season leading the Huskies. Since 1981, the two teams have played for the trophy named in his honor. Up next for the team is the "Milwaukee Cup" against Marquette Oct. 8.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON
Alejandro Martinez didn't wait long to make his mark as a Panther, scoring a pair of goals while assisting the eventual game winner in just his second outing wearing the Black & Gold against Bradley Aug. 22 in the 3-2 victory. After topping the scoring list across the conference for the opening week, he was rewarded with Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors, the first for a Panther since David Cox in late September of last season. That week was also the last time an MKE player posted a five-point game, as Cox had the same 2G/1A line that Martinez posted against the Braves.

Martinez added a pair of goals against Chicago State Sept. 9, giving him two multi-goal performances in his first four games as a Panther. The last player to net multiple goals more than once in a season was Logan Farrington in 2021. That fall, Farrington recorded a brace against IU Indy (Oct. 2) and Western Illinois (Oct. 5). The last player to accomplish the feat at least three times in a season was way back in 2004, when Antou Jallow recorded five matches of multiple goals, with a high of three against Wright State in October of that fall. Martinez is currently second in the Horizon League with six goals - well on pace to become the first Panther with double-figure goals since Paulo Gratton netted 11 back in 2020.

A DOUBLE TRIPLE
Raul Medina continues to bring his playmaking skills to the field game after game and August 25 against Bradley was no different. He finished the afternoon with three assists, setting up all three strikes in the 3-2 victory. Medina is the first Panther to record three helpers since Joshua Kidder in April of 2021 (COVID season) and also becomes just the third player in program history to record at least three assists in a game on two occasions. Medina first accomplished the feat against IUPUI on March 24 of 2021, assisting three of the four goals in the 4-0 win. Medina's three assists again tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history. Prior to Medina and Kidder in 2021, the last time as many as three in a single match was accomplished was back in 2004. That season, Dale Weiler notched three helpers against Marquette in late October, setting up each strike in a 3-1 victory. The school record of five has been done twice, while four has also been done on a pair of occasions. Medina currently leads the Horizon League with his six assists.

ABOUT THAT START
The Panthers got the 2024 campaign off to a great beginning, going 2-0-2 through the first four games of the season to mark the best start for the program since 2013 (that season, MKE opened 9-0-1 before being knocked off). Through those first four games, the team was also leading the Horizon League in defense (just 3GA).

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
The Panthers are 24-14-3 all-time in league openers in seasons in which they have been affiliated with a conference following a loss to Purdue Fort Wayne this year. Head coach Kris Kelderman is 5-7-2 in his 14 seasons, with the team knocking off UIC to open 2021 by a final score of 2-1 and also beating Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2, in 2020.

PLAYING THE LONG GAME
The Panthers outshot St. Thomas and had the better of play on the afternoon, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw Sept. 2. Daniel Ibarra not only just missed the shutout in net, but also recorded an assist to give MKE the 1-0 advantage when his long goal kick was sent into the back of the net by Bienvenu Djunga two touches later. That marked the first assist for a Panther goalkeeper since Liam Anderson posted one against Wright State in October of 2013. Prior to 2013, the last prior time was in September of 2006, when Grant Fernstrum's goal kick turned into an assist on a 90th-minute tally against IPFW.

OFF AND RUNNING
Daniel Ibarra flipped on the switch and opened the season in impressive fashion, posting a shutout in the 0-0 season-opening draw against Lindenwood Aug. 22 behind five saves. That marked the first clean sheet in a season opener since 2018, when Freddy Lorenzen needed just one stop to help MKE top Western Illinois, 4-0.

EXPERIENCE; WITH A NEW LOOK
The Panthers will have a new look this season, as 14 of the 30 players on the roster did not appear in a game at Milwaukee last season. In addition to nine true freshmen (and one redshirt freshman), the team also welcomes four transfers from other programs, all of which are listed in the junior class for eligibility purposes.

On the other side of the spectrum, the returning core is heavy on experience, as nine starters are back on the field in 2024, including the top five scoring leaders from last fall as well as six of the top seven. Leading the charge are top scorers Raul Medina (15 points on 5G/5A), Bienvenu Djunga (13 points on 4G/5A), and Asher Ozuzu (9 points on 4G/1A). The team will be very experienced in goal, as all 1,530 of playing time between the pipes last season (all Daniel Ibarra) is back on the field.

Points: returners accounted for 57 of the 68 points (83.8 percent)
Goals: 21 of 24 goals (87.5 percent)
Assists: 17 of 20 assists (85.0 percent)
Starts: returning players accounted for 135 starts last season (72.1 percent).
Minutes: returning players accounted for 11,609 of 16,774 minutes played (69.2 percent), with five players that saw the field over 1,200 minutes (Daniel Ibarra/1,530 ... Micah O'Garro/1,315 ... David Cox/1,292 ... Daiki Kumakawa/1,236 ... Bienvenu Djunga/1,232).

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
The Panthers continue to add quite a mix to the active roster as players with international roots continue to join the program. This fall, the team will have student-athletes from nine different countries or territories. In addition to 19 players from the United States, the roster will have representation from the following:

Cayman Islands: Micah O'Garro (George Town)
France: Bienvenu Djunga (Asnières-sur-Seine)
German: Nico Steinweg (Dortmund)
Ireland: Matthew Toolan (Dublin)
Japan: Daiki Kumakawa (Ryugasaki)
Mexico: Daniel Ibarra (Monterrey)
Scotland: Jack Bowden (Aberdeen)
Spain: Mesfin Roda (Barcelona)/Alejandro Martinez (Santander)/Raul Medina (Madrid)
United Kingdom: Daniel Gill (Newport, Wales, U.K.)

FOR OPENERS
Milwaukee is now 27-19-6 all-time in season openers following a 0-0 draw against Lindenwood to open 2024. Head coach Kris Kelderman now has 14 season openers on his resume at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, going 10-3-1. In addition to the wins over Purdue Fort Wayne (2020), WIU (2017-2019), Eastern Illinois (2016), Evansville (2015), DePaul (2014) and a nationally-ranked Marquette squad (2013), his Green Bay squad topped SIU Edwardsville, 1-0, in 2011.

DAN'S THE MAN
Newcomer Daniel Ibarra earned the starting goalkeeper job and played every minute in net last season for the Panthers. He posted a 1.76 goals-against average and added a .709 save percentage and topped the conference in total saves with 73 and saves per game at 4.29.

THE FAMILIAR FACES
Three players on the roster this season that are set to graduate have spent their entire careers as Panthers. David Cox has been at Milwaukee since a redshirt 2019 campaign and has been a starter ever since, appearing in 62 career games while making 45 starts. He has 20 career points, coming on six goals (2GW) and eight assists. Raul Medina has been a Panther since 2020, making starts in 53 of his 54 career games played. He is also the current member of the roster with the most career points, accumulating 43 in his career on 14 goals (2GW) and 15 assists. Collin Mullen (listed as a RS-JR) is also set to graduate and has been on the MKE roster since 2021.

THE BATTLE FOR THE MILWAUKEE CUP
Milwaukee and Marquette play for the "Milwaukee Cup", one of the longest-standing rivalries in all of college soccer. In the summer of 2011, the College Soccer News website published a list called "The Fourteen Greatest Rivalries in College Soccer." Weighing in at No. 10 on their list was the Milwaukee Cup. The Panthers certainly have the upper hand all-time, now holding a 31-12-6 record in the series and did maintain possession of the Cup from 2017 until fall of 2022. Over the past eight meetings, the Panthers are 3-2-3.

The 2012 matchup remains one for the memory books, as the Golden Eagles, trailing the Panthers 2-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest, pulled off a stunning finish to grab possession of the Cup. Following a goalkeeper miscue, Marquette found the equalizer at the 81:53 mark and then won the contest at the buzzer as the winning goal crossed the line at the 89:59 mark before the horn sounded. The 2013 edition was just as exciting, with the Panthers scoring just 60 seconds into the affair en route to a 2-1 victory over a Marquette squad that was ranked No. 12 at the time.

CHANCELLOR'S CUP DRAMA
The battle for the Chancellor's Cup has seen some thrillers over the years, but if it feels like the drama and intensity has been higher lately, you would be correct. Jake Kelderman scored the only goal just 91 seconds into the 1-0 victory in fall of 2021 and David Cox was the hero in 2020's version, netting the game-winner with 36 seconds left in regulation. Last fall, Raul Medina netted a goal in the 83rd to help MKE find a 1-1 decision and maintain possession of the Cup.

The Chancellor's Cup, which originally began as a tournament of Wisconsin state schools in the 1980's, continues to be given to the winner in the annual Milwaukee/Green Bay game. As an extra storyline, Kris Kelderman spent the 2011 season as the head coach at Green Bay.

It happened again in 2018, with Sean Holmes' golden goal coming in the 99th minute. The year prior, MKE tied the game with just eight seconds remaining in regulation on a goal by Jonathan Stadler to force overtime before falling. And again in 2016, when Milwaukee reclaimed the Cup with a thrilling 1-0 victory Oct. 22 on a goal by Magnus Flaatedal. Seven of the past 14 occasions these two teams have now played, the game has gone into overtime (5 of 7 into double-overtime), with five of the seven ending in victories for one team or the other. Nine years ago it was an own goal that won it for Green Bay, snapping Milwaukee's 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1) to start the 2013 season. The 2012 version ended in a draw but the 2011 edition provided one of the most memorable finishes to a game in program history, with Cody Banks netting the winner at the 109:53 mark.

GETTING TO TWO
Recently on offense, once the team has found a second goal, the Panthers continue to be very tough to beat. The squad went 7-1-0 in 2021, 6-1-0 in 2020, and 10-0-1 in 2019 when scoring two or more goals. That brings the six-plus year tally to 59-14-13 (.768) when finding the back of the net at least twice in a match.

NOW THIS IS HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
When it comes to home field advantage, the Panthers have historically ranked right up there with the best in the business. From 2001 through 2006, Milwaukee turned Engelmann Stadium into a place visiting teams did not want to see on their schedule, going 49-8-2 in that time. After a few down seasons by MKE standards, the magic is getting brought back - the Panthers have compiled a record of 53-29-28 (.611) at home in Kris Kelderman's 12-plus years as the head coach.

CATCH THEM IN ACTION
Milwaukee men's soccer will be available for the viewing pleasure of MKE fans this season, as five of the eight home games are scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+ (subject to change due to weather and location). The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform. ESPN+, which will host the Horizon League women's soccer, men's soccer and volleyball championships this season, offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) and cancel at any time. Launched in April of 2018, ESPN+ is an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App.

ON TAP
The Panthers head across town for the next trophy contest of the season, taking on Marquette in the battle for the "Milwaukee Cup" Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.