MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Jack Bretzmann scored a spectacular goal in the 33
rd minute and goalkeeper
Carson Pridie and the defense made it stand up, sending the Milwaukee men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Robert Morris Saturday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex.
On a day when the defenses made it tough to allow shot attempts either way, the Panthers (5-4-3, 3-1-1 Horizon League) found the back of the net in the first half to get past the Colonials (4-4-3, 1-1-2 Horizon League) and keep moving up in the Horizon League standings.
The first half was a defensive battle both ways, with neither team taking a shot attempt of any kind until
Dominic Zuniga forced a save in the 13
th minute.
Even the goal for the Panthers came against the run of play. It was started when
AJ Wild won a header off an RMU throw near midfield. The ball then found the head of Zuniga, then to
Ben Bausch. Bretzmann took one touch from there and then bombed one from distance, beating the keeper just under the bar from over 30 yards away at the 32:01 mark.
The MKE team defense stepped up to get the 1-0 edge to the break, stopping plenty of runs and passing connections. The best chance by the home side came on a 30-yard free kick, but Pridie was there at the far post to make the save in the 44
th minute to keep the advantage into intermission.
The second half was a challenging one to navigate, as a lengthy injury delay for an RMU player held up the game for over 30 minutes just 10 minutes into the period.
With the backline having another strong performance, Pridie wasn't called upon often for saves – officially recording just a pair of stops – but came up big when needed to record his fourth shutout of the season. One of those came in the 60
th minute, going to the ground to make a crucial stop on a header. He also came up big in the closing minutes, corralling a long throw-in that looked to be a very threatening opportunity if it developed.
Milwaukee's best look at an insurance goal came in the 68
th minute, when an endline free kick found Zuniga racing on to it in the box. He got a solid touch on it, but the close-range effort was blocked before getting to the goal line.
On the day, MKE grabbed advantages of 8-5 in total shots (2-2 in shots on goal), as well as 5-2 in corner kicks. Bretzmann and Zuniga paced the offense with two shots each.
Up next, the Panthers will have just one game next week, welcoming Oakland to Engelmann Stadium Saturday. Game time against the Golden Grizzlies is set for 1 p.m.
