The Milwaukee men’s soccer team is set to take a brief hiatus from Horizon League play as they embark on a two-game road trip. The Panthers will first travel to DeKalb, Illinois, for their annual match against Northern Illinois University (NIU) on Tuesday. This encounter will feature the “LeWang Cup” and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with streaming available via NIU All-Access.
Following this, Milwaukee will head east to face Robert Morris on Saturday, with the game kicking off at 11 a.m. CT. Fans can watch this match on ESPN+. Both games will have live statistics accessible through links posted on the Milwaukee website.
Historically, the Panthers lead the series against Northern Illinois with a record of 24-20-5. The teams have battled for the John LeWang Cup since 1981, named in honor of former NIU coach John LeWang who tragically passed away in a car accident before the 1981 season. Last year, Milwaukee reclaimed the cup with a 3-2 victory after NIU had held it for four consecutive years.
Against Robert Morris, Milwaukee has been dominant since their opponents joined the Horizon League. Before losing to RMU in 2022, MKE maintained an unbeaten streak against them.
Northern Illinois returns five starters from last season but has struggled early this year with a 2-6 record. They are led by Kevin Kelly and Jose Gomez in offense while Caleb Pearson guards the net. Meanwhile, Robert Morris is under its second-year head coach Jonathan Potter and holds a current record of 3-2-2.
Milwaukee began their season strongly with a 2-0-2 start and aims to continue their success on this road trip before returning home for matches in October.
