The 3rd Man In

Rodriguez leads the Panthers to victory

Junior midfielder Declan Rodriguez scored his first two goals of the season to lead the Milwaukee Panthers to a 2-1 victory over their Horizon League rival UIC Flames on Saturday night, in a game the Panthers desperately needed to win.

After falling behind in the 59th minute, Rodriguez took control of the match, finding the back of the net less than two minutes later to push the score to 1-1. He then recorded the game-winner in the 73rd minute, giving Milwaukee (5-8-2, 2-3-1) only their second conference win of the season.

This victory now moves the Panthers into a dead tie with the Flames for sixth place in the conference standings with seven points.

The victory also gives Milwaukee their first win at Flames Field since the 2002 season.

Rodriguez netted his first goal of the season in the 61st minute, when he headed the ball in after a scramble in front of the net.

The Canadian then added his second goal in the 73rd minute, off of a corner kick by Aaron Horvat, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

Besides allowing one goal, sophomore goalkeeper Liam Anderson did an excellent job, making six saves on the night.

UIC held a slight advantage in shots, 17-13, but Milwaukee was able to tally three more shots on goal. Laurie Bell and Rodriguez each recorded four shots.

This was a game the Panthers needed to win to keep them in the hunt for a conference tournament seed. Hopefully, this win will generate some momentum for Milwaukee, as they still need to win their final two conference matches to have a chance at making the conference tournament.

Up next, the Panthers will take a one game break from conference play, traveling to Madison to face the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night.

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