Megan Mann
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Panthers Finish Regular Season Against Big Ten
Wisconsin and Northwestern will close out UW-Milwaukee's regular season
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Oct. 28, 2003 MILWAUKEE -
Champions Again
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team clinched its fourth-straight Horizon League regular season league championship. UWM clinched the title with a 1-0 victory over Youngstown State in front of its home crowd on Sunday afternoon. The victory also sealed a first-round bye in the post season league tournament. The Panthers began their title streak in 2000 after clinching their first league title in 1997. The title is also the fifth in the seven-year tenure of head coach Michael Moynihan.
Two Straight Against the Big Ten
After facing Iowa on Friday, October 25, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came home to face conference opponent Youngstown State Sunday afternoon. UWM will turn their attention back to the Big Ten to finish off the 2003 season. The Panthers will take on in-state rival Wisconsin in Madison and then will return home to Engelmann Field to close the regular season against Northwestern.
Pulling Ahead of The Pack
After starting the 2003 season with a record of 0-5-1, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team made tremendous strides to turn the season into a positive one. Following the victory over Youngstown State Sunday afternoon, UWM pushed itself above .500 for the second time this season. The Panthers have also rebounded to win eight of their last ten games. The dramatic turnaround was a springboard towards the capture of another league title.
A Clearing Picture
While things sit pretty clearly at the top and bottom, the fog has started to lift on the middle of the Horizon League pack. The current league standings look like this: UWM is alone in first place with a 5-1 record. Youngstown State is alone in last at 0-5. Loyola sits next to last at 1-4. However, its spots two through five where it gets tricky. Currently, two teams (Butler and UW-Green Bay) are tied for second at 4-2. The first round of the Horizon League Tournament will feature a bye for UWM. It will then pit Wright State against Detroit, Butler against Youngstown State and Green Bay facing Loyola.
Curtain Call
Sunday's game against Northwestern will be the final regular season game for the 2003 seniors. Stepping onto Engelmann for the final time will be Evann Franklin, Erin Shaughnessy, Megan Mann, Jeney Walter, Sommer Rouse, Jamie Goller, Alexa Torres and Lisa Bengtsson. The 2003 senior class has the distinction of having won the conference championship all four years.
"The senior class really impacted the program in that they came through together and stayed together, "Panther coach Mike Moynihan said. "They worked through the hard times and adopted a team mentality during tough times."
Way To Help The RPI
No one can accuse UWM head women's soccer coach Michael Moynihan of seeking out easy wins. Before the season started, it appeared as if the seven-year head man had put together one of the nation's toughest schedules. Well, looking back on it now, the assumption was right on. Here is a quick look at how a few of UWM's non-conference opponents have fared: UCLA: No. 3 in the nation, enough said. Oakland: 11-3-1, nine game winning streak and No. 5 in the region. Illinois State: 8-4-2 and undefeated in the Missouri Valley. Dayton: No. 6 in the region, 9-5-1 overall. Loyola Marymount: 7-4-3 overall and No. 20 in the country. Marquette: 9-6-1, 2nd in Conference USA.
Defense Tightens in Second Half
After a slow start to the season, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team tightened down the defensive screws. After Allowing 10 goals in the first six games and countering with none, UWM came through to post a record of 8-2 in the last 10 games. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 16-9 during the ten- game stretch.
Panthers Team Up In Between The Pipes
With much of the emphasis on the play of the UWM offense during the team's 8-2 stretch, it can be easy to forget just how solid UWM's goal-keeping duo of Kerri St. Aubin and Molly Schneider has been. Since the first win of the season, a 1-0 blanking of Butler on Sept. 21, the UWM goalkeeping tandem has allowed just nine goals in the last eight games, good for a 1.02 goals against average. St. Aubin, who has played 934:21 minutes, has allowed just nine goals to go with 48 saves while Schneider has allowed 10 tallies with 22 saves in her 558:18 minutes.
UWM Expected To Wear Crown Again In 2003
The Milwaukee women's soccer team will look to make it four in a row in 2003 as the three-time defending regular season champions were once again picked to win the Horizon League title. The Panthers were the unanimous choice to claim the league title in a vote of head coaches. Following is a breakdown of the preseason voting by the league coaches (first place votes in parentheses):
School 2002 Record Points
1 Milwaukee (6) 11-6-5 36
2 Butler (1) 15-6 30
3 Detroit 7-8-5 23
4 Loyola 7-9-3 22
5 Wright State 6-10-4 22
6 UW-Green Bay 4-11-2 19
7 Youngstown State 1-19 6
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