Engelmann Excitement

Laurie Bell, a sophomore on the 2012 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his third entry of the year.

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Our team is quickly developing a reputation for producing excitement, going from being beaten at the buzzer last weekend to winning in the final second against IUPUI on Friday at Engelmann. A victory on Sunday made it three wins in three at our own venue and that strong home form has set us up well for our month on the road, beginning this coming weekend.

Friday’s last gasp winner was bundled home by our boy from Barcelona, Pol Narbona. If that pleased the spectators, they were even more entertained by his post-game interview. With a cheesy smile, in stuttered English and his charming hybrid accent, the lanky Spaniard just about managed to tell the world (or at least those checking our team’s website) that his “long legs” were the reason for his debut goal. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d recommend searching for the video online!

A big factor in both wins this weekend was the great turnout by the crowds who willed us to win throughout both games. Beating EIU on Sunday was especially sweet, as it was in front of great numbers of spectators who turned out on a day that had a carnival-type atmosphere with tailgating and rock climbing going on in the pitch-side parking lot. Some new chants and some Mikey Poll inspired cheering helped us through a tiring game and our victory ensured us as overall winners of the 38th Panther Invitational.

The wins were even sweeter for me personally, as the games fell either side of my birthday. To be honest, turning 20 and leaving my teenage years behind me had been something I was dreading. But two wins, two goals, some team-based fun and a lot of ice cream made it a weekend to remember. The earliest moments of my twenties were made even sweeter by being named in the team of the tournament too, alongside other goal scorers, Aaron Hoorvat and Jamie Bladen as well as James Ashcroft. Horvat’s day went from success to failure though, when he found out the toes of his favorite socks had been cut by an unknown locker room culprit.

What a Weekend...

Laurie Bell, a sophomore on the 2012 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his second entry of the year.

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This weekend left the Panthers with mixed emotions and a 1-1-0 record following the first two matches of competitive play. Being beaten 3-2 by Marquette, with a goal literally at the buzzer, saw the whole team leave Valley Fields feeling as bad as the nearby slaughterhouse smelled. The build up for Friday’s showdown rivalry had been exciting to be involved in and, for some, emotional. Lifelong Panther Luke Davey, starting his first Milwaukee Cup game, secured over 100 likes on Facebook for his heartfelt pre-match status – a testament to both the scale of the event and the cheesy word choices by our popular left back!

It was a game in which we showed moments of real quality with two great goals by Cody Banks and Declan Rodriguez. We also showed some naivety as a team though, making some mistakes and not completing the job when we got ourselves in a winning position.

The match’s scoring pattern was reminiscent of the Manchester City vs. QPR game on the final day of premier league last season. From a losing position, City managed to come back to win 3-2 in the final minute that day. As a Mancunian and City fan, the way that game worked out left me elated, whereas Friday’s defeat left us all gutted and in disbelief. But that is the beauty of soccer. It continually produces excitement and stirs emotions and that is the reason it is so keenly watched all around the globe.

It was our turn to provide a comeback on Sunday though, albeit slightly less dramatic but just as valuable, recording our first win of the season in our opening home fixture against Northern Kentucky. It is important for us to make Engelmann Stadium a venue that oppositions will dread coming to this fall. We took steps towards achieving that goal with a very strong second half performance, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 with another goal from Declan and a PK for myself. On top of the two goals we scored, we outshot the opponents and had numerous attempts saved or crashing back off the woodwork. This is encouraging and suggests that when we polish our finishing we can go on to score many more goals in the future.

Following a deserved day off, we will go on begin preparations for the 38th Panther Invitational. With pre-season over, the rhythm of the fall schedule will now take over as we also look to enjoy our final week of summer before the school semester starts up again.

Rise of the Manthers

Laurie Bell, a sophomore on the 2012 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his first entry of the year.

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Welcome to Bell’s Blog, where I’ll be keeping readers in the loop with the goings on of the Milwaukee Panthers men’s soccer team throughout the upcoming season.

As pre-season draws to a close, we look back on what has been a successful first month for a program that has undertaken so much recent change. This summer has seen new staff, new players and a healthy new atmosphere come to Engelmann Stadium. We now hope to continue the group’s positive start into competitive action as our season gets underway with the defense of the Milwaukee Cup tonight at Marquette’s Valley Fields.

There has been a great mood around the locker room since arriving back at UWM following a refreshing summer. Almost half our roster is made up of new guys who have all mixed in well with the returning squad members to create some great team chemistry throughout an intense time of the year. Pre-season has consisted of two sessions per day in which the coaches have introduced us to some fresh tactics and new styles of play. Alongside training, we have been provided with daily team lunches and dinner and completed all other necessary preparations for the coming fall. This has meant an enjoyable period of meeting new Panthers, competitive practicing and a whole lot of pizza!

Without schoolwork to concentrate on yet the busy days have been offset by some team socializing too. This has included group trips, the team’s new longboarding craze and even some of our male panthers (widely known as Manthers) producing some, let’s say interesting, music videos.

But now is the time to concentrate on the serious business, as our new season commences with a mouth-watering curtain raiser against cross-city rivals Marquette Eagles. We go into the game as holders of the Milwaukee Cup after winning the corresponding fixture last year. With more fall victories over Green Bay and NIU we are currently in possession of the LeWang Trophy and the Chancellor’s Cup too. It’s the first time we have held all three since 2005 and the trio of successes was definitely the program’s highlight last year. We are now hungry to keep our hands on all the silverware this season and our defense begins with the most coveted of all the trophies in tonight’s derby game being played at Marquette’s Valley Fields, kicking off at 6:30PM.

As always, we are hoping for some great Panther support and willing all our fans to make the short journey across town, showing their colors and cheering on the team.

Welcome to: Bell's Blog

With the start of the 2012 season right around the corner, it's time to introduce you to the men's soccer blogger for the new season...

And the new must-read will come from ... sophomore Laurie Bell.

Look for the first installment to come Sunday at the latest. Given the timing, he may be able to give us some thoughts heading in to the "Milwaukee Cup" matchup, but I will take the blame if he does not...

Pivotal Times

Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his ninth entry of the year.

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Though the past couple of weeks haven’t exactly gone as planned, with a current dry spell of scoring and a lack of wins on the schedule, we still have much to play for. As the season dwindles down, each game becomes more important, making each training session revolving around the opponent ahead.

Now placed fifth in the Horizon League, our last game is pivotal for our season's life. With a win, we most likely clinch a spot in the Horizon League tournament, where anything can happen. But, with a loss, we most likely will not go onto the postseason.

Our upcoming and last home match against Northern Illinois will act as an important test in preparation for our last conference match against UIC. Northern Illinois is currently ranked 32nd in the nation and has had a very successful year. A result against this type of opponent is exactly what we need to gain momentum and carry it into Saturday.

This season has not exactly been ideal for the players, coaches and the seniors, but with a result against UIC on Saturday, we have the opportunity to change everything. During the past week the team has truly come together and have all got our eyes on one thing, making sure that everything we do is in the best interest of the team.

After all, they say the conference tournament is the start of a new season, why not start ours a week early?

Hope to see all of you at Engelmann Stadium this Wednesday November 2nd for the last Milwaukee men’s soccer home game and for senior night!

-Aaron #8

Coming Down the Stretch

Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his eighth entry of the year.

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Following our tie to Detroit, this week’s practice was intense in preparation for the upcoming match, where we would face Wright State - a match that was pivotal in the leagues standings. Saturday night at Engelman Stadium we sat at the top of the league, tied with our opponents.

In front of a packed Engelman Stadium, the match proved to be a fast-paced and full of highlights. The first half was not our best performance, as we went into halftime down. Rejuvenated after a mental check, we quickly got onto the scoreboard in the second half. Senior Robert Refai tallied his 7th goal on the season, continuing his scoring form on the year. Freshman Laurie Bell also tallied his second goal of the year.

The tie was not our preferred result, but coming back in the second half and scoring two vital goals really showed some character. As we get deeper into conference each game becomes more and more important as we strive to reach our ultimate goal of winning conference and making it to the NCAA tournament.

Our next opponent is yet another conference match facing Valparaiso on October 22nd. Hopefully we will be able to come out with another conference win and return home with an important three points.

Mid-Conference Action

Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his seventh entry of the year.

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The last few weeks have been productive for the Panthers, as we are now into mid-conference play. There have been a few valleys to go along with some key peaks on the season that left us at the top of the tables in Horizon League standings.

Our victory over Green Bay was one of the most exciting wins the program has ever witnessed, as junior Cody Banks scored with seven seconds left in double overtime to give us the win over our in-state rivals Green Bay.

The win was only the second of my career against Green Bay and was a fantastic way to regain the Chancellor’s Cup. Now with two cup wins under our belts and two instate victories, leaves only Wisconsin left on the schedule before we are crowned the state’s best.

As conference play moved along we did take a step backwards, as we lost to Cleveland state 3-to-2. The game was not our best performance, as we went down three to zero late in the match. Some positives did come with the loss though, as we fought hard and scored two late goals that lead to an extremely exciting ending.

The next match against Michigan State ended in similar form with a decent performance that just could not get the job done. Senior Robert Refai scored the lone goal of the match for the Panthers.

His sixth goal on the season came in our most recent match facing Detroit. With this sixth goal he solidified himself as the team’s top scorer as well as one of the league leaders.

The road to the conference tournament has begun for the Panthers, as we are now sitting in second place. We will look to continue our success into the season when we face Wright State on November 15th this upcoming Saturday at Engelmann Stadium.

Hope to see you all there!