MILWAUKEE – Fernando Pirry led the way as the Milwaukee men's soccer blew out Chicago State, scoring the most goals for the program in 35 years in a 9-1 victory Tuesday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"It was a good performance, really, from top to bottom," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "It was a good team performance; we had good individual performances. It is something that we have been striving for and going into the conference game (Saturday), I think it was good. Some guys got some good play in; we were able to rest some people. The guys that came in did a nice job."
 
The Panthers (1-2-2) enjoyed the offensive fireworks against the Cougars (0-6-0), scoring the fourth-most goals in a game in program history as Pirry tied the school record with four goals in the match. In addition, the big victory extended the team's unbeaten streak at home to 12 consecutive contests (7-0-5), the longest stretch since the school record of 13 was set back in 2002.
 
"Ultimately, in a winning culture, it's important that everyone is competing," Kelderman said. "It was an opportunity for a lot of guys to step up and do well. It was a very pleasing performance and hopefully we can carry some of this momentum and maybe a little bit of confidence into the game against Cleveland State in Horizon League play."
 
Pirry was phenomenal, finding the back of the net in the 21^st minute to open his scoring line. He became the 11^th player overall to score four goals in a game and the first to do so since Aaron Horvat did during the 2013 season. What was more impressive was that Pirry did it on just six total shots and did not even play in the second half.
 
"It's one of those games, where you know, you would love to leave people in the game, but you have to think long-term and what's best for the group," Kelderman said. "And at the end of the day, what might be best physically for players even though they might argue with that. We had to make some decisions that weren't easy today and think about the next game."
 
In addition to the impressive goal total, Pirry actually had what looked like his second goal of the evening in the 14^th minute, volleying in a rebound off the post. However, the offside flag was up, and the goal was wiped off the scoreboard at the time.
 
It was all Milwaukee all evening, with Dominic Zuniga getting the team on the scoreboard first at the 4:54 mark, blasting home a pair of centering passes from Bienvenu Djunga and Breon Jarvis.
 
"The intensity right from the get-go, I thought was excellent," Kelderman said. "We have been challenged so far in scoring some goals. We have had some good opportunities, but just finishing has been a challenge for us."
 
In all, Pirry scored at the 20:50, 24:36, and 39:55 marks to become the first Panthers with as much as a hat trick in over a decade. He waited all of 42 seconds to strike again, tying the program mark at the 40:37 mark on a pretty volley that would not be stopped for his fourth of the evening.
 
The offense was full of impressive performances, with Pirry's eight points – tied for third-most in a game in history – leading the way. In addition, Zuniga and Felix Huwiler each tallied a goal and a pair of assists, while Djunga was also a multi-point scorer with a goal and an assist and Jarvis with a pair of assists.
 
In all, eight different players recorded goals and nine tallied assists, helping the team break the school record with its 12 total assists. The prior mark of 11 was set back in 1979 against Lewis.
 
Zuniga's opener and Pirry's brace made it 3-0, with Djunga extending the lead to 4-0 in the 36^th minute. Pirry tacked on the fifth and sixth goals of the evening to make it 6-0 at the break.
 
Not done there, the offense kept pushing until Huwiler made it 7-0 with his first collegiate goal at the 66:01 mark. Gabe Thistle followed suit, sending in an amazing header off a free kick from Alejandro Zuniga to extend the lead to 8-0 at the 70:50 mark, capping his goal with a backflip celebration.
 
The Cougars did find a way to spoil the shutout, heading in a corner kick in the 86^th minute. The Panthers had one more strike in them, however, coincidentally started by goalkeeper Nolan Meyer. Meyer played to Pavle Ivkovic, who immediately played a long ball all the way down the field. Praise Ogwu did the rest, beating the Chicago State keeper for the final goal at the 89:46 mark to close out the scoring on the evening.
 
Meyer finished the contest with four saves, including a pair of impressive stops. He saved a close-range header in the 17^th minute when the game was just 1-0 and then made a diving save on a blast from the wing in the 53^rd minute that also was highlight-reel material.
 
On the night, the Panthers rolled up advantages of 24-13 in total shots and 11-5 in shots on goal. Pirry led the way with 6; while Djunga and Ogwu added three apiece. The visitors did end up with five of the eight corner kicks.
 
Up next, the team looks to carry this momentum into the Horizon League opener Saturday, welcoming Cleveland State to Engelmann Stadium for a 5 p.m. kickoff.