Engelmann Stadium | Milwaukee Athletics
Engelmann Stadium | Milwaukee Athletics
Milwaukee's men's soccer team secured a 1-0 win over Cleveland State at Engelmann Stadium. Mesfin Roda scored in the 70th minute, while Daniel Ibarra recorded his fourth shutout of the season.
The Panthers (6-3-4, 2-3-1 Horizon League) dominated offensively against the Vikings (4-6-3, 1-4-1 Horizon League), eventually scoring to gain three crucial points in the standings. Head coach Kris Kelderman praised his team's performance: "From start to finish, I think that is the best soccer we have played this season – definitely the best football I have seen our guys play."
The victory places Milwaukee just four points behind the league leaders and maintains their unbeaten home record at 4-0-3. Kelderman noted, "There was some pressure on everybody – conference game and we needed three points... The effort, the work ethic, the quality of soccer … I couldn't have asked for anything more."
Roda's goal came from an individual effort as he dribbled through traffic before scoring at 69:54. Ibarra made a critical save in the 87th minute to secure the win.
Milwaukee controlled nearly two-thirds of possession in the first half but missed several opportunities to score. Ryan Berghauer almost scored early on, but Cleveland State's Ryan Poling made a key save. Poling ended with nine saves, including a notable stop against Jack Wagner's volley.
Overall, Milwaukee had advantages in total shots (19-10) and shots on goal (10-3), while both teams had three corner kicks each. Daiki Kumakawa led with five shot attempts.
Next up for Milwaukee is a non-league match against Louisville on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.
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