Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer team will begin its 53rd NCAA Division I season with a home game against Northern Illinois University (NIU) on Thursday at Engelmann Stadium. The match is set to start at 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

This opening contest also features the John LeWang Cup, a trophy named in honor of former NIU coach John LeWang, who was killed in a car accident prior to the 1981 season after serving as an assistant at Milwaukee and then head coach at NIU. Since 1981, the two teams have played for this cup each time they meet.

Milwaukee leads the all-time series against Northern Illinois 25-20-5. In recent years, the cup has changed hands several times, but Milwaukee reclaimed it in 2023 with a 3-2 win and retained it last fall with a 2-0 victory.

Northern Illinois enters the match following a challenging season with a record of 3-12-1 and finished 1-6-1 in conference play last year. Ryan Swan begins his ninth season as head coach for NIU. Jose Gomez was recognized on the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team after recording three goals and five assists last year.

For Milwaukee, this season brings changes to their offensive lineup as their top scorers from last year have either graduated or transferred. Bienvenu Djunga is now the top returning scorer after tallying nine points in the previous campaign. Overall, returning players accounted for about one-third of last year's total points, goals, and assists.

The Panthers' defense remains largely intact from last season when they allowed just 1.16 goals per game—the best mark in the Horizon League. Key returners include Daiki Kumakawa, Jack Wagner, Ryan Berghauer, Mitch Goodman, and Breon Jarvis.

In goal, Nic Diana joins Milwaukee as a transfer from Purdue Fort Wayne where he led the Horizon League with a 0.92 goals-against average and six shutouts last season.

Milwaukee's history in home openers stands at 27-19-6 overall after drawing Lindenwood to start last year’s campaign. Head coach Kris Kelderman has compiled a record of 10-3-1 in his previous season openers at NCAA Division I level schools.

Engelmann Stadium continues to be an advantage for Milwaukee; they went unbeaten at home last season (6-0-3). Their best recent home record was set by the 2019 squad (6-1-1), while their only perfect home slate came in 2002 (13-0).

The current roster features players from eight countries or territories outside of the United States: Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, and Wales.

Looking ahead this season includes notable rivalry matches such as those for the Milwaukee Cup against Marquette—a series that College Soccer News once ranked among college soccer’s greatest rivalries—and for the Chancellor’s Cup versus Green Bay.

After Thursday's opener against NIU, Milwaukee will play two road games: first against Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri on Tuesday and then Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois next Thursday.

Fans can watch six of nine home games via ESPN+, which offers live streams under an agreement between ESPN and the Horizon League.