HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Carson Pridie recorded the shutout and
Roy Nozawa netted an impressive goal early in the second half to send the Milwaukee men's soccer team past Northern Kentucky by a final score of 1-0 Saturday afternoon from NKU Soccer Stadium
The Panthers (2-3-2, 1-1-0 Horizon League) played solid team defense down the stretch to make the goal stand up as the winner against the Norse (0-5-1, 0-2-0 Horizon League), marking the third year in a row the team has won the matchup in conference play.
"It was an exciting win for us today," head coach
Kris Kelderman said. "Second conference game, first conference win on the road and Northern Kentucky has always been a tough place to play. It was a warm and humid day today, guys started dropping like flies at the end of the match but took a huge effort from everybody on the entire squad today."
After a scoreless first half, the Panthers came up with the play of the day on offense just after intermission.
Jack Wagner started the opportunity, stepping up to break up an NKU rush, sending the ball well downfield to Nozawa.
He did the rest, making his first goal as a Panther a brilliant one, taking a few touches to the inside of the field before unleashing a right-footed blast that snuck inside the left post from about 25 yards out at the 47:18 mark.
"Roy scored a spectacular goal … picture perfect," Kelderman said. "And we had a couple other opportunities that I thought would have really made the game a lot easier for ourselves if we get the second goal. But, only having a one-goal lead obviously energizes the other team to start pushing forward. And we hung in there and did what we had to do defensively as the game went on later. So, yeah, get our first conference win and we're in the mix of things. It's very early, but the guys are excited – which makes the trip a lot easier on the way home. "
Pridie wasn't called upon frequently but made the impressive stops he needed for his first shutout of the year. He finished the afternoon with three saves, including a big pair down the stretch. One came in the 63
rd minute off a close-range one-timer and the second one was just as impactful, scrambling to make a solid save of a free kick from the wing in the 72
nd minute.
"I thought everybody individually had a pretty good performance, which ultimately makes the team performance that much better," Kelderman said. "Very pleasing, the guys are excited. To have a shutout is always very pleasing on the defensive side of things. That was a great defensive effort from everybody. First line of defense is the forwards up front and all the way back to our goalkeeper, everybody defended very well and got the W today."
An even battle in the first half in terms of quality chances (MKE did own the 7-3 edge in total shots at the break), the only shot on goal in the opening 45 came from Nozawa as well, as he tried to sneak one in at the post in the closing seconds but was turned away. Outside of that,
Ben Bausch pushed a loose ball in the box just wide in the 42
nd minute and Wagner had a half-chance blocked in front of the goalkeeper in the 40
th.
Second-half the team kept up the pressure, with
Riley Stevens forcing a tough save on a long free kick in the 60
th minute while Nozawa created a near-second goal as well. He went at a back pass to the NKU goalkeeper and forced a loose ball, where
Max Salas was nearly able to send it home in the 62
nd minute but another quality save was made.
The team closed down the game well, with Pridie grabbing a few loose balls on corner kicks before trouble arrived, in front of some big clearances from the rest of the defense that helped run down the clock and secure the road win.
For the game, the teams were both credited with 12 total shots apiece, with MKE the 4-3 edge in shots on goal. The home side had six of the nine corner kicks and were whistled for 11 of the 19 fouls. Nozawa led the offense with a game-high three shots.
Up next, the Panthers are back home next week Tuesday, hosting Bowling Green at Engelmann Stadium with a gametime of 5 p.m.
