Getting to Know Us

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his sixth entry of the year.

Note: Due to an issue beyond anyone's control, this blog was not posted until Saturday after the win over Detroit instead of on Friday.

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After our convincing 2-0 win against Western Michigan last Sunday, we have had an abnormally long six day break between fixtures. This has given us time to recover, train hard and prepare properly for our first conference game - tomorrow at Detroit. It also means that things have been a little quiet on the team front. Therefore, the blog this week takes a different form. On the bus to the “Motor City”, I asked every player for a comment or fun fact about a teammate so readers can get to know their Panthers a little better. Some are routine, some strange and some just plain wrong. Enjoy!

“Goodnetter loves 7-11 slushies,” said Aaron Cranfill.

Ashy said, “Richard Johnson takes girls to Culvers on a first date.” Kid’s got game.

Junior told me, “Agustin snores like a wild animal.” I have been told the same thing about myself. Don’t worry, brother!

Agustin said, “Me, Rami and Junior have a secret language. I’m a tick-tock-tack; they’re both tacks.” Ha, tacks! I have no idea what that means but he walked away laughing, so I guess that’s funny to the three of them.

According to Beau, “Kostas has a code-red stalker.” Not bad after just a couple of months in Milwaukee.

Declan said, “Patrick Ruhland and I started as roommates, became friends and are now brothers.” Cute.

“Laurie’s favorite birthday present was the rabbit,” said Zach, trying to cause trouble.

Riley revealed, “Luke (Davey) is the biggest Brewers fan and he has aspirations to get married on the field.”

When Jonny Stahr’s having a tough day, Horvat gives him a lift. “His constant swearing at video games provides comedic relief.” Very well put.

Liam said, “Beau thinks he’s the biggest bad-ass.” I believe it but he really, really isn’t. Really.

Cranfill gave us the revelation of the day. “A.To (Toth) still plays with his lego bricks in his basement,” he said. I guess that’s why he commutes to campus.

Luke G said, “Ferron loves his snacks.”

All Ferron had to say was, “To all those naysayers; I say nay.” OK, Kev.

“Riley really loves salads,” Nuemann said, “an abnormal amount.”

Austin got back at Cranfill saying, “He is so afraid of styrofoam. He can’t even be close to it.”

Stone confessed, “I like cheese and jelly on my toast. At the same time.” I’d make fun of him for it, but we’re all just a bit afraid of Andrew.

“I watch all the Star Wars movies at least once every other year,” Robbie said, without anybody asking. He’s proud of it so we’ll let him be.

Rami said, “Agustin loves my PSP more than I do,” or something similar in his strong Swedish accent.

Luke Davey said, “Nuemann loves to make vines when he gets out of the shower.” Knowing Kyle, that’s unsurprising. But still strange.

Dustin said about Zach, “He drives a Jeep from Jurassic Park and loves to cuddle with a girl and watch his favorite movie – Country Strong.” Questionable from Stevenson.

What didn’t you know about Dustin? He sleeps more than a pack of sloths. I genuinely think he needs to be prescribed pills.

Kostas said, “Whenever Liam’s in our dorm room he doesn’t wear a lot of clothes.” Yup, that’s wrong.

Jonno wanted to share a message passed on to him by the wisest of Panama City taxi drivers. He said, “Love is the most powerful force in the universe.” Richie is eagerly waiting to find out and is racking up the Culvers dates. Good luck, pal.

Finally, a line from our long-serving trainer, Jon Ochsenwald: “It’s great to see the Panthers back to their winning ways.”

We all agree. Let’s keep that going in Detroit.

Punching Above our Weight?

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his fifth entry of the year.

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One thing Floyd Mayweather and the Panther soccer team has in common is that we’re both undefeated. The second is we’re both big Justin Bieber fans. No, that second one is definitely a joke. On Saturday night, members of our team huddled together in hotel rooms to watch Mayweather defeat Canelo Alvarez in his boxing fight. On the days either side, we recorded wins of our own.

The boxing took points to decide the outcome; Friday’s game against DePaul took overtime. Throughout the ninety minutes we threw punch after punch (not literally) but only landed one. We went ahead through Robbie Boyd, with one of two goals the new Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week scored this weekend. After that, we missed chance after chance, myself guiltier than anyone, and failed put the contest out of sight. DePaul equalized in the final stages of normal time – we weren’t quite saved by the bell - and it took a hundredth minute goal from centre back Andrew Stone to finally land the knockout blow.

On Saturday we went on the road and headed for Indianapolis. Last year we didn’t win a single game when we stayed in a hotel the night before. Soccer players can be a superstitious bunch and our trip’s beginning did nothing to ease our suspicions of some voodoo away from Engelmann. The bus driver, on his first day of the job, didn’t even know how to put his vehicle in reverse. And by hour four of the journey, his eyes were looking very heavy. But who could blame him – we were in Indiana!

We arrived at the hotel safely and were assigned our rooms. Two hours later, pockets of players crowded around laptop computers and watched the big fight. I’m not sure what it was about watching the largely uneventful 36 minutes of ring-dancing, but it set us up for a convincing performance the next day.

We won 3-0 against IUPUI with goals from Boyd, Bell and a fine individual effort from Weiner. It has been a while since he scored, but Riley was saving himself for a good one. He carried the ball through the midfield, weaved, jinked, twisted and turned before striking the ball left-footed into the goal. By the time he was done with them, the two defenders he beat were left looking like they’d been through twelve rounds with Mr. Mayweather himself.

Come to Engelmann tonight to watch your Midwestern Middleweights against Western Illinois as we attempt to keep up the best start to a Panther soccer season since 1996.

Panthers and Other Animals

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his fourth entry of the year.

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Being 2-0-1 after three games is a nice position to be in. Even the first assignments of the school year and the sense of summer heat being on the way out can’t cool our mood. We had a good weekend and our start to the season has set us up nicely for our pursuit of a fulfilling fall.

Both games went well. We felt we should have beaten Drake but we remained undefeated. Sunday, we won convincingly, scoring two and keeping our first clean sheet of the season thanks to solid defensive work. I scored a penalty for which I must thank Robbie Boyd. Somewhat unfairly, you aren’t awarded assists for winning PKs so I hope Robbie feels compensated by a blog mention instead. His performances in each game were exciting and he created multiple chances for teammates in both.

Other notable performances at the weekend came from new men Junior Juarez and Rami Younes. Junior started both matches, the first of his career and performed solidly in each. Defending well and getting forward effectively from his right back berth, he was a solid presence throughout and looked comfortable in the role. Rami managed to follow up his game-winning assist against Marquette with a goal of his own on Sunday. He carried the ball thirty yards, beat two defenders and shot from distance into the top corner to pierce Bowling Green’s resolute defense. Congratulations go out to both guys for making impacts so early.

Off the field, two pets have made their way into the college lives and houses of certain players. Ideally, our choice of animals would show school spirit, but domesticated panthers are a little hard to come by. Instead, my house has a bunny and Kevin Ferron’s has a cat. We named the rabbit 'Gosling' after favorite movie star Ryan Gosling. Both are easy on the eyes, but that’s about where the similarities end; unless the Canadian actor also leaves his droppings all around the house. Inkeeping with the Canadian theme, I put a flannel shirt that our own man from Vancouver, Declan Rodriguez, left at our house into Gosling’s cage for extra comfort. Sorry Decs, I don’t think you’re getting that one back.

I haven’t yet seen Ferron’s furry feline Puma, but I have it on good authority that she is the size of your hand, terribly clumsy and insanely cute. And although Puma constantly begs for food, Kevin told me that his roommate Aaron Cranfill still meows more often than the kitty does. I’d like to offer an explanation, but that’s just Cranfill.

We’ll all have to find pet minders this weekend as we go on the road for the first time this regular season. Starting with the short trip to DePaul on Friday and followed by a longer trek to Indiana to face IUPUI on Sunday, the double header will be a good test for us away from the familiarity of Engelmann. Regardless, we are preparing for two positive results to further out impressive start to the season.

Panther Stampede

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his third entry of the year.

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It's been a few days since our victory over Marquette and I have just stopped celebrating. Shortly after the win came my birthday and all the revelry surrounding such an occasion. On Friday, I stated through social media that all I wanted for my birthday was the Milwaukee Cup. We got it and, my teammates will all agree, it feels so, so sweet. I actually got a lot more thanks to the generosity of jubilant Panthers, friends and family (via airmail). It was the perfect weekend.

Our start to the game was perfect, too. As goalscorer Declan Rodriguez ran to the crowd, who cheered and yelled in giddy disbelief at the earliness of our opening goal, I turned to look at the clock - frozen dead on the one minute mark. It was a relief to go ahead and settled everybody's nerves. However, having lost in the final second last year, we knew the contest was still young at that point and indeed Marquette got back into it soon after, levelling the score. Ultimately, there was no last-gasp drama though, as our game-winner was scored in the 27th minute by senior debutant Austin Toth.

In his previous three years playing at DePaul, A.To confessed to me, he only managed one goal. So to score in the headline fixture on our regular-season schedule was something pretty special. It was a sweet-struck finish which was celebrated by the left back wheeling away towards the bench, where he singled out Dustin Ashley. It turned out he'd borrowed Dustin's boots to play in and they had evidently brought him a goalscoring touch. It remains to be seen what footwear he'll stride out in next week!

The rest of the game was spent preserving our lead, with nobody more involved than another debutant - goalkeeper Liam Anderson. His saves, along with resolute defending from everyone out there, won us the match.

Another contibuting factor was the support from the record 3,312 spectators crammed around the field. I have heard several reports from those in the bleachers of how rowdy and crowded their viewing experiences were. Each of their suportive voices drove us on throughout the game and made the occasion something truly memorable to be a part of. I'd love to see the stands so full every week - having big numbers boosts our team's performance and the status of the program. Hopefully our victorious display will bring many of them back this weekend for the Panther Invitational.

When the final whistle eventually blew, many of the fans stormed onto the field. Us players were swallowed, lost somewhere inside the Panther stampede. What peaked out of the horde though, risen as high as Robbie Boyd's little arms could manage and glinting under the Engelmann lights was the Milwaukee Cup: Grand, shiny and ours for at least the next twelve months. Happy days.

Milwaukee Pride

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his second entry of the year.

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It is rivalry week for men's soccer in Milwaukee. This Friday we take on Marquette at our home field. The 'Milwaukee Cup' and bragging rights in the city are at stake. A year ago at their place, the Golden Eagles turned our 2-1 lead into a 3-2 defeat, scoring the winning goal as the end of game buzzer sounded. In spring, another last-gasp set piece gave them a victory of the same scoreline. The two games have played on my mind and my teammates' ever since and a chance to exact revenge has been a long time coming. This Friday we will attempt to do just that.

Our preseason preparations for the home opener have been good, finishing with two convincing wins over Lewis and Parkside at Engelmann. The aggregate scoreline of 7-1 over the two games has furthered the confidence we built last year whenever we play on our own turf. As it was for six of the seven games a season ago, we want to make Engelmann our fortress. Against Lewis, all three former Green Bay players - Stone, Goodnetter, Cranfill - now eligible after sitting last fall, scored their first goals for Milwaukee. Not bad for two defenders and a central midfielder! Two goals came from set pieces, an area we hope to be strong in this year with several tall, powerful players who can compete in the air. And if that results in more assists for myself as a corner and free kick taker, I won't complain. The final of our four goals was a crushing drive from Robbie Boyd from outside the penalty area. If he can find consistent scoring form this season it will be a huge asset for our team.

Against Parkside, it took conceding the opening goal to get us to raise our game. Once we did though, we looked strong. Kyle Neumann came on early as a substitute forward - a position he hasn't played for a while - and made a big impact. He scored a nice goal and held the ball up well all night. The other two goals were scored by me. One was a nice early touch-and-finish goal that I was proud of. The other, I will admit, was a bit of a fluke. A forty yard free kick into the top corner sounds spectacular until you are told it was meant as a cross. They all count.

Off the field we have been eating well. We've been supplied with breakfasts, lunches and dinners from Alterra, Via and other local eateries. With the end of preseason this will be stopping though and we'll be back fending for ourselves in our own kitchens - something I'm fearing for with Zach Stevenson as a roommate. Last year our home cooking resulted in the "Great Chicken Nugget Fire of Farwell Avenue", so we're keeping fingers crossed for better success this year.

This week a mention must go out to Jamie Bladen. One of our standout players as a senior last fall, he is now a member of the coaching staff. And since I blogged about the coaches last week without dropping his name, he hasn't been shy in letting me know how offended he was. So, to Jamie: a fine player, a teammate who I looked up to and made me feel welcome when I first arrived, and now a reassuring locker room presence for the current crop of Panthers. It's great to still have you around.

I will sign off with a plea to all Panther fans and soccer enthusiasts in the city to attend Friday's monumental match-up and cheer us on. See you there.

Exciting Times for Panthers

Laurie Bell, a junior on the 2013 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his first entry of the year.

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Over two thousand fans watched a world record get broken as the Panthers played their first exhibition game of this preseason. OK, the world record had nothing to do with soccer, but our fixture was the main feature of SIU Edwardsville’s 2013 welcome event, an exciting occasion to be a part of. New squad members got playing time and, with only two days of full training behind us, the 2-0 loss on the road was hardly demoralizing.

At half time, 1,700 spectators simultaneously opened cans of soda, becoming the largest gathering ever to do so. But, the way the game started, it was as though our opposition had guzzled the gallons of Pepsi before walking out of the tunnel. The match began frantically, with SIUE passing and pressing to the frenetic beat of whatever dance song came blaring from the speakers in the field-side parking lot. The soundtrack unfortunately lasted 90 minutes, but the home side’s dominance didn’t. We managed to get back into the game, link up better as a team and create some chances. We didn’t take any of ours though and our opponents converted two of their few opportunities, ultimately proving the difference between the sides.

We went into the game missing several players through injury. Most are short term, post-summer knocks but, unfortunately, Zach Stevenson’s torn ankle ligaments mean he’ll be crutching around campus and out of soccer action for at least six weeks. We all wish him well with his recovery. Barring Zach’s misfortune though, everything has been positive since meeting back up as a group in Milwaukee.

Before linking up with the coaches, we held five days of 'Captain’s Practice', training together, meeting the new guys and all becoming familiar with one another. This means incoming freshmen staying in team mates’ houses before they can move into the dorms. Dustin, Zach and I hosted the New Mexican pair Junior (Isaias) and Agustin, a transfer. A highlight was taking Agustin out on my new paddle board on Lake Michigan. Judging by his wobbly attempts, I don’t think water sports are all that common in New Mexico. Junior remained safely on dry land, laughing.

Those two, as well as the rest of the new guys, all look strong on the field. Kostas, Beau and Rami will all contribute to our attack, Junior to defense and Liam Anderson will fight it out with Agustin and John Stahr for the number one goalkeeping position. Adding that bunch to the wealth of returning talent from our successful last fall gives us a very strong squad for this coming year. Finally, the three guys who had to sit last fall – Luke Goodnetter, Andrew Stone and Aaron Cranfill – all pulled on Milwaukee jerseys for the first time Friday night, each looking confident on their long overdue Panther debuts and ready to play big roles this coming season.

Another welcome point this preseason has been returning to familiar faces on the staff in coaches Keldermann and Zenoni. It’s the first season I have come into knowing the coaches I’ll be working with. Former volunteer goalkeeper coach Mark Litton has joined full time which is a further plus point for the program.

So the coaches are there, the players are ready and, as I sit writing from the bleachers looking out over our sun-drenched field, our facilities look as glorious as ever. It’s fair to say I am very excited for this fall.

Over and Out

Laurie Bell, a sophomore on the 2012 Milwaukee men's soccer team, wrote the team blog all season on the UWM website. Today is his 12th and final entry of the year.

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It has been an enjoyable, progressive and encouraging season. But now, sadly, it has come to an end.

Losing in the quarter final of the conference tournament on a miserable night in Valparaiso was a regrettable way to finish. I think we all genuinely believed we were capable of extending our postseason play further. And after watching from the sidelines, suspended due to yellow card accumulation and frustrated, I, like lots of the guys, was emotional as the final whistle blew on our competitive involvement this fall. But looking back over the last few months we have reason to be happy, as there is much to celebrate about the program and much to look forward to next year.

After summer we had to settle in quickly to a new set-up brought in by coaches who were appointed not long before our initial training began. We adapted successfully to this challenge and now a stable and content environment for the team to work in has been created – one I am confident that this program will thrive under in seasons to come. And our overall record is evidence of improvement already. Finishing 8-8-2 was superior to how we have fared in the last few years and our home record of 6-1 is a real achievement that is deserving of praise.

With 14 of our 18 games being decided by just 1 goal, we provided plenty of excitement for the spectators too. Perhaps this exposes our occasional inability to kill off opponents but it also proves the never-say-die attitude we showed throughout the season. Our team’s togetherness ensured we competed and still believed up until the final minutes – or the final second as was the case with a couple of our most dramatic games this year.

Ultimately, it has been a season to look back on with satisfaction even if a feeling of ‘what might have been’ still lingers. James Ashcroft, Aaron Horvat, Declan Rodriguez and myself received individual honors which is something to be proud of, but the whole squad is worthy of recognition for our achievements and attitudes this year. We won games, impressed spectators and enjoyed ourselves as we did it. Now we must say a sad goodbye to our seniors but also welcome some new guys who will only strengthen the team. We all look forward to a promising 2013 which will hopefully be a more successful season still. Just so long as we don’t schedule any more games in Ohio!

I would like to thank everybody who followed my blog this fall. I hope you have been entertained and not too confused by my British-ness and have had as much fun reading as I did writing.

Over and out.

LB