Sept. 17, 2007

For the third time in four weeks, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team will participate in an in-season tournament. This time, it's off to the east coast, as the team is heading to New Hampshire for a stop at the Dartmouth Classic, taking on host Dartmouth Friday before a match with Yale Sunday.

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Both all-time match-ups are brief ones, as Milwaukee leads the series with Dartmouth by a 1-0-0 count The only other time the Panthers have met the Big Green on the soccer pitch was during the 1991 season, when UWM posted a 4-1 victory in September of that year. The two teams will play at 6 p.m. CST Friday.

The Panthers lead Yale by a 2-0-0 ledger, last beating the Bulldogs, 3-2, in the 2000 campaign. They do have ties to Yale in another spot, as Yale head coach Brian Tompkins played a big role in building UWM into a national soccer power while serving as the head coach. In seven seasons at UWM, he put together a 90-41-11 record, helping the Panthers to a Big Central Soccer Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 1990 and a Mid-Continent Conference title in 1993. His teams were ranked in the top 25 in four of his final six seasons. Tompkins also helped get the UWM women's soccer program off the ground in 1987 and then led the Panthers to 10 wins and a national ranking in 1988. He succeeded Bob Gansler as the men's coach in 1989 and was voted into the UWM Hall of Fame last spring.

2007 Dartmouth Classic--Schedule of Games (Note: EST)
Friday, Sept. 21, 2007
Yale vs. St. Francis (Pa.), 4:30 p.m.
Milwaukee vs. Dartmouth, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007
Milwaukee vs. Yale, 12 noon
Dartmouth vs. St. Francis (Pa.), 2:30 p.m.

Note: Stats and video for all Dartmouth Classic matches will be available on www.dartmouthsports.com.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
DARTMOUTH: Dartmouth brings back seven starters and 16 letterwinners from the 2006 squad that finished 6-8-3 overall, including 3-3-1 in the Ivy League. Ten newcomers also dot the roster for seventh-year head coach Jeff Cook and the Big Green.

After a 2-1 loss in the season opener versus Massachusetts Sept. 3, the team has went through four games without a loss (3-0-1), claiming the Stihl Classic Title at Old Dominion last weekend. They beat host OD, 1-0, Friday before topping William and Mary, 2-1, Sunday.

Craig Henderson paces the offense with three goals and six points, with Andrew Olsen also chipping in six points on two goals and a team-best two assists. Sean Milligan has played every minute in goal, posting a save percentage of .833 and a 0.57 GAA.

YALE: The Bulldogs are off to an 0-3 start, dropping their season opener to then-No. 10 Northwestern, 3-1, before dropping two 1-0 decisions to Sacred Heart Sept. 9 and Fairfield Sept. 15. The team went 7-9-1 overall a year ago.

The 2007 team is one of the youngest in Brian Tompkins' 11-year tenure as head coach, with only four seniors on the roster. The biggest obstacle facing Tompkins' squad is replacing three seniors who accounted for 15 of the team's 23 goals last year.

Liam Leonard is the only player with a point so far, netting the lone goal through three games, while Brad Rose leads with seven shots. In the nets, Erik Geiger has played all 270 minutes, recording a 1.67 GAA and .688 save percentage.

PANTHER INVITATIONAL RECAP
The Panthers went 0-2 during their home-opening weekend, dropping 2-1 decisions to Drake and No. 20 Gonzaga at Engelmann Field at the Panther Invitational. The team took 1-0 leads in both games, but was unable to break into the win column.

Drake earned the Panther Invitational title as a result of its 2-0 record, with Wisconsin (1-1) taking second courtesy of its head-to-head win over Gonzaga. GU was third (1-1), with the Panthers in fourth. The all-tournament team was headed by four Drake Bulldogs, with Tournament MVP Garrett Webb leading the way. He was joined by teammates Kevin Shrout, Luke Freiberg and Calvin Clark. Wisconsin had three players: Nick Coronna, Alex Horwath and Brandon Miller. Gonzaga was represented by George Josten and Daniel Scott and UWM by Zeke Dombrowski and Tenzin Rampa.

TOUGH OPPONENTS
The 0-6 start looks bad on paper, but a closer look reveals that three of UWM's 2007 opponents are ranked in the NSCAA Top 25. In addition to Gonzaga at No. 20, UC Santa Barbara comes in at 14th and Tulsa is 23rd this week.

IT'S DOG EAT DOG OUT THERE
In an unusual scheduling quirk, the Panthers will match-up with a team that has the mascot of a Bulldog for the third time in four games when they battle Yale Sunday. Both of UWM's opponents last weekend in the Panther Invitational - Gonzaga and Drake - have the Bulldog as a mascot.

SO CLOSE, SO FAR
If it feels like the Panthers have been in every match but cannot catch a few necessary breaks here and there, it would be an accurate and correct statement. After two more 2-1 defeats on the weekend, the trend is sounding familiar: 13 of the last 15 UWM losses have been by just one goal.

Last year, the Panthers overall record consisted of nine losses, but eight of them were one-goal setbacks. Three of them came at the hands of Top 25 teams: 1-0 to No. 2 SMU Aug. 27, 2-1 to No. 6 Washington in overtime Sept. 10 and 1-0 to No. 12 UIC Oct. 3.

SLOW START NO WORRY
The Panthers are 0-6 for the first time ever, but a slow start is no indication of how the season will go at UWM. The team started 1-2-2 in 2004, only to finish the season at 14-5-3 overall. A 3-3 start in 2003 led to a 16-6-1 campaign, while a 2-3 start in 2000 led to a record of 11-9-1.

Also, in 2002, UWM did not have a victory after two games (0-1-1) but went on to produce a program-best record of 19-2-1.

WINNING THE STAT SHEET
Despite an 0-6 record, the Panthers have outshot their opponents by a count of 70-to-63 on the season. Additionally, they have more corner kicks as well, holding the 29-to-19 edge.

Sunday's loss to No. 20 Gonzaga marked the fourth time this year Milwaukee has outshot its opponent and the fifth time this season it had more corner kicks.

FRESH FACES
The Panthers newcomers continue to make an impression on the line-up, as nine have already seen time on the field in 2007, including five who have made starts. That was never more evident than on Friday versus No. 9 UCSB, when Greg Rosenthal, Raphael Martinez and Calvin Mai were all in the starting line-up against the defending College Cup champions.

NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR MARTINEZ
Speaking of the newcomers, Raphael Martinez has been given some national recognition recently when College Soccer News tabbed him as one of its "100 Freshman To Keep An Eye On In 2007" earlier this fall. The website noted his playing for the club team Chicago Magic, his 17 goals and seven assists as a senior and that he was an NSCAA Youth All-American.

OVERTIME JINX CONTINUES
In finding itself on the wrong end of a 2-1 decision with Tulsa Sept. 2, UWM saw a streak get extended once again that they would like to see end: the team is now 0-7-7 in its past 14 overtime matches. They were 0-2-2 in 2006, 0-3-5 in 2005 and lost in extra time in the final match of the 2004 season (2-1 at UCSB in the NCAA Tournament). The Panthers last OT win came on Oct. 31, 2004, a 1-0 win over Cleveland State.

HOME COOKING
When it comes to home-field advantage, the Panthers rank right up there with the best in the country. And in 2006, that was no different, as the Panthers posted back-to-back shutouts to open the home slate and finished 7-2-1. Since the start of the 2001 season, UWM has turned Engelmann Field into a place visiting teams do not want to see on their schedule. They have gone 52-8-3 on their home pitch in that time, including a 13-2 mark in postseason play and a perfect 2-0 mark in NCAA Tournament action.

HOME COOKING: PART 2
Taking that a step further, just look at the UWM goalkeepers during the 2006 home season. Grant Fernstrum made five starts at Engelmann, going 3-1-1 with a 0.57 GAA and a save percentage of .850. Ryan Germann made four starts on the home pitch, going 3-1 with a .905 save percentage and 0.50 GAA. They combined for five shutouts and gave up just five goals in nine games.

THE DRIVE FOR 400
The Panthers will hit a significant milestone in their history this season: all-time program victory No. 400. UWM enters play in 2007 with an all-time mark of 397-222-53, a .635 winning percentage. Considering the Panthers have averaged more than 11.5 wins a season over the history of the program, it's a safe bet that the big victory No. 400 is an inevitable part of this season.

MILESTONE PROGRAM WINS:
1: Marquette, 4-1 (9/22/73)
50: UW-Green Bay, 4-0 (10/7/78)
100: Northern Illinois, 4-3 (11/6/82)
150: Cleveland State, 2-1 (10/18/87)
200: Michigan State, 4-0 (10/13/91)
250: Cleveland State, 5-0 (10/15/95)
300: Loyola (MD), 2-0 (9/17/00)
350: Detroit, 3-0 (9/28/03)
395: Cleveland State, 2-1 (10/15/06)
396: Green Bay, 1-0 (10/19/06)
397: Loyola, 1-0 (10/22/06)
400: ?

SENIOR CLASS READY TO RETURN TO FORM
The seniors on the 2007 squad will look to go out on a high note, and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament is what they have in mind. After going to the second round of the tournament in each of their first two seasons, the seniors will look to improve on their 2-1-1 NCAA ledger in four games with a return trip this fall.

PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
The Panthers were picked by league coaches to place third in the Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the preseason poll announced Aug. 23 by the league office. Milwaukee has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the past six seasons, reaching the second round in the last four it appeared (2002-05). It has compiled a league record of 34-5-3 in that time.

UIC, the regular season champion in 2006, took the top spot this year with 64 points and eight first place votes (all possible). Green Bay edged out UWM for second, compiling 53 points (and one first place vote) to the 48 that the Panthers received. This marks just the second time in the past six years that the Panthers were not chosen as the favorite. In 2006, they were tabbed for a second place finish.

1. UIC (8 first place votes) - 64 pts.
2. Green Bay (1) - 53
3. Milwaukee - 48
4. Loyola - 45
5. Butler - 31
6. Cleveland State - 27
7. Detroit - 25
8. Wright State - 23
9. Valparaiso - 8

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
The first official night game in the history of Engelmann Field was an amazing success last season (Sept. 13). The standing-room-only crowd of 3,256 smashed the old record by over 1,000 fans. It was hoped that the previous mark (2,250 against Evansville in 1990) was going to be broken, but it went above and beyond expectations. The fans were treated to a great game as well, witnessing the Panthers overcome a 2-0 deficit with three second-half goals in a huge 3-2 victory over cross-town rival Marquette.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
One look at the Panthers schedule for 2006 and one knew it was going to be a formidable task. UWM took on four opponents that spent time in the Top 10 nationally. The final one was versus UIC Oct. 3, falling to the then-No. 12 Flames, 1-0. They were just one week removed from being ranked in the Top 10 - as high as No. 7 - the week before. Creighton was ranked No. 8 in the preseason, while SMU, which knocked the Panthers off, 1-0, rose from No. 2 at the time to No. 1 for most of the regular season. Additionally, Washington was No. 6 when the teams squared off in Madison in September. The combined record of the nine teams that defeated UWM last season was an impressive tally of 77-37-16, a .654 winning percentage.

PANTHERS IN THE PROS
Former UWM player Craig Mallace signed a professional contract in April with the Minnesota Thunder, a team in the United Soccer Leagues' First Division based in St. Paul, Minn.

Mallace, who was also drafted by the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League in March, signed a one-year deal with the Thunder and continues to live his dream. Originally from Torphichen, Scotland, Mallace also played high school soccer at Henry Sibley High School (which is nearby his new home with the Thunder), where he was a four year starter.

ON TAP
Milwaukee will return to Wisconsin and to Engelmann, catching a short break in its schedule. It plays just one game next week, opening Horizon League action by hosting Valparaiso Saturday at 7 p.m.