MILWAUKEE – With the Milwaukee men's soccer team facing an unknown fate in the postseason heading into the final game of the regular season, Bienvenu Djunga netted an equalizing goal in the 83^rd minute to help the team to a 2-2 draw against Detroit Mercy Tuesday afternoon at Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (4-6-8, 3-1-5 Horizon League) fell behind the Titans (5-10-3, 2-5-2 Horizon League) by scores of 1-0 and 2-1, yet fought to the end to pick up a vital point in the standings – earning them a home game in the first round this coming Sunday.
 
"It's really not a joking matter and we have discussed it with the team … we seem to play our best when we are under duress," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "Sad to have to admit that, but that's been the case. Down a goal, and the guys picked it up a notch. At least they had some fight and got the point out of the game which helped turn Sunday into a home game. Things were set up for us today and we weren't sharp enough in our defensive third or attacking third to get the win."
 
Despite strong pressure out of the gates – the MKE offense generated five shot attempts over the opening eight minutes – it was UDM that struck first, converting a penalty kick in the 13^th minute. It was nearly 2-0 in the 17^th minute, but Nic Diana came up with a big save off a header in front off a free kick, keeping it at 1-0.
 
"I thought, as far as our play went, that we got off to a good start," Kelderman said. "We created a couple of chances, so I was pleased with how we started. But then we gave them a penalty kick that wasn't necessary and before you know it, you're down a goal despite playing well."
 
The deficit didn't last long, as Jack Bretzmann stayed hot, scoring for the third straight game as he put a nice finish on a ball chipped over the back line from Daiki Kumakawa, making it 1-1 at the 18:52 mark. Mitch Goodman also received an assist for starting the scoring play.
 
The Titans went back ahead in the 26^th, when a loose ball in the box was tapped in to make it 2-1.
 
"I thought the second goal was dodgy as well and we could have done better," Kelderman said. "You can back it up a play or two up the field – we didn't make good decisions, and it led to a tap-in in the middle of our goal. We haven't been strong enough scoring goals to be in a position where we give up two. Now you are being asked to score three? That's a big task for us, based on how the season has gone. Some games you can get away with that. I know the group is disappointed in the result today, but we have a big game to look forward to Sunday and see what we can do to finish the season up here."
 
It stayed that way until late, despite numerous scoring chances both ways. Diana came up big in the 69^th minute, making a nice diving save on a ball from 25 yards out. Praise Ogwu subbed on and nearly came through quickly, seeing his blast from the wing saved nicely by the UDM keeper to push it over the crossbar.
 
The perseverance finally paid off, with Jack Wagner winning a ball in back before connecting with Fernando Pirry with a deep touch. Pirry turned and centered the ball, where Djunga pounced from distance to make it a new game at 2-2 at the 82:23 mark.
 
The suspense wasn't done. The Panthers needed a point-blank save from Diana in the 84^th minute to get to the end of regulation tied. Angel Gongora nearly pulled out the victory next, rifling one to the post in the 85^th minute, turned away by the final defender.
 
For the game, the MKE offense generated a season-high 26 shots to lead 26-21, tied its season-best with 11 on goal (11-8 edge), and also earned a season-high 10 corner kicks to grab the 10-3 advantage there. Bretzmann set a new high for shot attempts for the second consecutive match, finishing with a game-high seven. Diana finished the day with six saves.
 
Milwaukee and Robert Morris each finished the regular season tied for fourth place with 14 points and identical 3-1-5 conference ledgers. The teams drew, 2-2, in the regular season head-to-head. MKE finally earned the seed on the fourth tiebreaker, courtesy of its defeat of #3-seed Green Bay.
 
That earns the Panthers a home game in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, hosting RMU Sunday at Engelmann Stadium. The match will kickoff at 1 p.m.