Milwaukee City Wire

Nico Steinweg made a significant impact in his season debut for the Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer team, scoring a late goal to secure a 1-1 draw against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday at Engelmann Stadium.

Head coach Kris Kelderman commented on Steinweg's performance, stating, "I am happy for Nico – came into the game was the hero. The one thing Nico has is a desire; he's got a hunger. He's an attacking player and the kid lives to try and score goals. You see it in practice. We were lacking a little aggression of someone going forward. I felt we needed someone to make a flash or make a play. I knew that by putting him in there, he was going to be excited and hungry. And he proved me right."

The Panthers, now holding a record of 2-4-6 overall and 1-0-3 in Horizon League play, earned important points against the Mastodons, who entered the match leading the conference with an unbeaten record.

Kelderman reflected on his team's approach: "I thought we were much better in the second half. It's been a busy time for us with the games that we have had – quick turnaround from the game Wednesday night at Virginia which took a huge effort. I knew there would be some level of fatigue, just wasn't sure how much. First half, we came out with a little more conservative approach with those things in consideration. I thought it turned into being too conservative. With the second half, we tried to pick it up a notch, put our pressure a little higher up the field, try to play forward a little more and we improved. To get a point against a good team – a team that is in first place in the conference at the moment – is nothing to sneeze at. Good effort, we are still in the mix, and have to keep going."

Purdue Fort Wayne opened scoring early in the second half when Abe Arellano converted after following up his own saved attempt by Milwaukee goalkeeper Nic Diana at 53:38.

Following this goal, Milwaukee increased its offensive pressure and created several chances throughout the second half. Jack Bretzmann tested Purdue Fort Wayne's goalkeeper twice within four minutes after receiving passes from teammates Angel Gongora and Felix Huwiler.

Steinweg nearly equalized off a free kick in the 84th minute but was denied by Purdue Fort Wayne’s defense before finally scoring at 87:29 after Ben Grimm’s shot rebounded into his path.

Milwaukee finished with advantages in total shots (19-17) and shots on goal (6-4), while Purdue Fort Wayne led corners (6-2). Both Steinweg—who played only eight minutes—and Bretzmann registered three shots each for Milwaukee; Diana made three saves during the match.

The Panthers will continue their schedule next week with matches against Wisconsin and Green Bay.