MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's soccer team saw its season come to a heartbreaking close, falling by a final score of 2-1 after Robert Morris converted a penalty kick in the 88^th minute Sunday afternoon from Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (4-7-8) fought valiantly but could not advance in the Horizon League Tournament against the Colonials (6-3-7), who were led by a big day from goalkeeper Josh Lane as well a pair of goals from Anass Hadran.
 
"I thought from start to finish it was a really good performance from our guys," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "The energy was good, the sharpness was good, the communication was good – I thought we played good football throughout the match. I don't think I could have asked for much more from the guys. But that's it … the guys were pretty darn good today. If you have to accept a loss, then at least we went down fighting and had a really good performance and gave ourselves a chance. And that's all you can ask for."
 
The MKE offense came out buzzing – despite a kickoff temperature in the 30's and the windchill in the teens – recording the first six shots of the afternoon including two that nearly found the back of the net. Just 2:09 into the match Ryan Berghauer's attempt off a corner kick had to be cleared off by the RMU backline.
 
In the 15^th minute it was Berghauer again, with a well-placed header snagged just before it hit the goal line by a full-out dive from Lane.
 
Neither side could produce a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes, and the scoreboard remained locked at 0-0 as both teams prepared for the second half. The visitors found a chance early and took advantage, with Hadran slotting home a high-pressure finish for his fifth of the year at the 46:00 mark.
 
Lane then came up huge for his team in the 55^th minute, stopping a Panther PK after Bretzmann was brought down in the box. The disappointment didn't last too long, as Bretzmann finished a pass from Breon Jarvis just 81 seconds later to make it a new game at 1-1 at the 55:27 mark.
 
Lane prevented another Milwaukee goal with a great stop at the post off yet another Berghauer header, having to sprawl on the ground to push it wide, with the proceeding MKE shot finding the side netting.
 
"Their goalie was very good from start to finish, otherwise we would have had another goal or two," Kelderman said. "I told him after the game, I thought he was hands-down the best goalkeeper in the league – at least in my strong opinion. He had a great game today."
 
As the crowd prepared for possible overtime, RMU was awarded a penalty kick which Hadran converted at the 87:35 mark. The Panthers pressed in the final minutes, but their attacking efforts were thwarted and the Colonials held firm until full time.
 
"I often say, jokingly, that 'soccer sucks' … it's a brutal sport and one play with two minutes left decides the outcome," Kelderman said. "And it's a bummer for the group because they played really well today."
 
For the game, the visitors ended up with the 20-18 advantage in total shots, with MKE the 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Panthers had five of the seven corner kicks and Berghauer paced the offense with four shot attempts. Nic Diana made four saves in goal on the day for Milwaukee, while Lane finished with five of his own for the Colonials.
 
"I told the seniors, you made our program proud throughout your careers," Kelderman closed. "In my 14 years of coaching, this has been some of my favorite players that I have had the opportunity to coach, so it's hard to say goodbye."