The 3rd Man In

Horvat leads Panthers to victory

Horizon League Conference action got underway for the Milwaukee Panthers today, and it was nothing like any of their previous games this season. The Panthers beat the Detroit Titans 5-3, after trailing early in the second half, with the help of sophomore, Aaron Horvat, who found the back of the net four times.

Horvat got the Panthers (7-0-1) on the board in the 13th minute when he scored on a pass from Austin Toth for his first goal of the season. It did not take the Titans long to respond as they scored in the 17th minute to tie it up at one apiece. The score remained tied going into halftime even though Milwaukee controlled the possession through the entire first half.

The Titans started the second half off strong. Two minutes and twenty-three seconds into the half, the Titans scored to give themselves a 2-1 lead. This was the first time the Panthers had trailed all season, but it did not last long.

Just 32 seconds later, Horvat scored his second goal of the game on assists from Robbie Boyd and Rami Younes. The Panthers offense continued to dominate as Laurie Bell scored off of a header in the 51st minute for his fifth goal of the season, on another assist from Boyd. Although the Panthers regained the lead, the offense did not slow down one bit.

With the Panthers up 3-2, Horvat received a pass from Luke Goodnetter, and connected for his third goal of the game in the 54th minute. This goal turned out to be huge for the Panthers, as Detroit cut the lead to one in the 63rd minute off of a corner kick.

The Panthers received an insurance goal in the 73rd minute, as Horvat scored his fourth and final goal of the game. This goal tied Horvat with the Horizon League and school record for goals scored in a single game.

This was a surprising game, as both team were known for their exceptional defense. Milwaukee had just allowed three goals all season, while Detroit had never allowed more than two goals in a game.

Milwaukee had the advantage in shots (19-11) and shots on goal (12-8), as they controlled the possession in both halves. This was a fun and competitive game, while both teams did an exceptional job executing on offense, their defenses will need to be better if they want to be a force throughout conference play.

Up next, the Panthers will travel to Omaha to take on the Mavericks in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday.

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