Three second-half goals propelled the Milwaukee men’s soccer team to a 3-1 victory over IU Indianapolis on Friday at Engelmann Stadium. This match marked “Senior Night” and helped the Panthers (8-4-4, 4-3-1 Horizon League) secure an unbeaten home season and a spot in the Horizon League Tournament.
“We had a couple of goals in mind coming into this game, and one was staying undefeated at home and we did that tonight,” said head coach Kris Kelderman. He emphasized the importance of momentum: “All we needed was that first goal. I think you could tell … the energy rose, the crowd got into it a little more, and we kept getting chances.”
Milwaukee trailed 1-0 after a first-half goal by IU Indianapolis but maintained focus after halftime. Kelderman commented on their persistence: “I thought we were playing pretty well in the first half but didn’t have anything to show for it on the scoreboard… We regrouped, and just said ‘stay the course’ and believed in ourselves because we were playing well.”
The breakthrough came when Alejandro Martinez scored his ninth goal of the season in the 58th minute, leveling the score at 1-1. The Panthers continued to press forward, with Bienvenu Djunga scoring in the 75th minute to give Milwaukee a 2-1 lead. Mesfin Roda secured victory with an insurance goal in the final minute.
Despite being outshot by IU Indianapolis 19-14 overall, Milwaukee led in shots on goal with a 10-8 advantage. Goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra recorded seven saves during the match.
The night also celebrated nine seniors from Milwaukee’s squad: Colin Mullen, Matthew Toolan, Stu Sain, Bienvenu Djunga, Daiki Kumakawa, Alan Lopez, Raul Medina, David Cox, and Daniel Ibarra.
“We have nine seniors and had a great showing and representation from the families,” Kelderman noted. “We had people coming from Japan, from Ireland, from Spain … it’s pretty cool to see and it means a lot to these guys.”
Milwaukee will conclude their regular-season schedule against Green Bay next Tuesday for the “Chancellor’s Cup.”
