Panthers split weekend games

As the dark clouds rolled in and the rain started to fall, the Milwaukee Panthers took Laura Moynihan Field to face the Oregon State Beavers in their first contest of the 40th Panther Invitational. Unfortunately, the Panthers came up on the wrong side of the battle, getting defeated 2-0 Friday evening for their first loss of the season.

For nearly the first 20 minutes of play, the Panthers and Beavers went back and forth. The momentum swung in the Panthers favor in the 20th minute when senior defender Luke Goodnetter made an incredible save.

After the ball rolled passed goalie Liam Anderson, Goodnetter raced back and slide to clear the ball right before it crossed the goal line.

However, the momentum quickly went into the Beavers favor after Jordan Jones was able to find the back of the net to put his visiting squad ahead 1-0 in the 24th minute.

Only five minutes later the Beavers were able to tack on, extending their lead to 2-0. Devontae Small launched the ball from over 30 yards out, and was able to sneak it under the cross bar for an amazing goal in the 29th minute.

Milwaukee came out in the second half with more urgency and aggression, but they were unable to find the back of the net. The Panthers held the possession in the second half, outshooting Oregon State 9-to-5.

Oregon State ended up finishing the match with 14 out of the 27 shots, while earning four of the seven corner kicks. This was the first time all season Milwaukee had been outshot.

This was a chipping match that saw a lot of pushing and shoving. Three players, all Panthers, were whistled for yellow card.

Oregon State was a talented team, but it was a tough way for the Panthers to lose after they were arguably the better team for the majority of the game. With this loss, the Panthers failed to win their own tournament for the second consecutive season.

The Panthers took the field on Sunday early afternoon for their final game in the Panther Invitational against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. It was an exciting game that went back and forth the entire 90 minutes of action, with the Panthers walking away victorious.

Once again the freshmen led the way as Milwaukee knocked off Gonzaga 2-1. Junior goalkeeper Agustin Rey made his Panther debut in net for Milwaukee recording six saves on the day.

Nick Moon recorded his second game-winner of the season in the 66th minute, finishing a pass from Laurie Bell who found him on the left wing.

The Panthers jumped out to the early lead in the 18th minute when Reid Stevenson headed in a serve from Goodnetter.

Milwaukee held the slight edge in shots 16-14, while Gonzaga record seven of the 12 corner kicks.

Although it was a tough start to the weekend with the loss to Oregon State, the Panthers were able to cap it off with a nice win against Gonzaga. Head coach Kris Kelderman stated at the beginning of the season that he needed his freshmen to play at a high level right away, and so far they have. While the Panthers still have some room to grow, they are quickly developing into a dangerous team.

Up next, the Panthers will hit the road to take part in the Capital Cup in Washington D.C. They will go up against two difficult teams next weekend – George Mason and American.

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