The Panthers have nine games scheduled for the spring season, which began on April 3. Already 3-0-1 through the first four games, assistant coach
Ben Shepherd has taken the time to catch us up on the happenings from the first four matches.
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With our spring season off and running, I thought it appropriate to send out an update to let you know how things are progressing.
We kicked off the spring down at Northwestern April 3rd, where we played two back-to-back matches of 60 minutes against the Wildcats and Lewis.
In the first game against Northwestern, the match started off very scrappy for both teams and our play was, at times, a little rusty which we had expected with this being our first spring date. But, as the game wore on, our play greatly improved and although it ended a goalless draw, I think it is safe to say that after hitting the cross bar twice in the second half, that we had the better of the game and should have come out of it with a win. But, never the less, a clean sheet against a good Northwestern team was a pleasing result.
We then had a short 15-minute break before turning around to play NCAA Division-II opponent Lewis, who a year ago went to the NCAA Final Four. In the first half we looked a little tired and our play was not as fluent as we would have liked and we squandered possession far too easily. As a result, we trailed at the break 1-0 to a scrappy goal from a set-piece.
In the second half, the boys came out and really played well and our fitness levels really told as the game went on, as we began to break them down at will. We ended up winning the game, 3-1, with two good goals from Cody Banks and one from and Andrew Wiedabach, which was a well worked move. All in all, it was a very productive weekend and with a few players missing through injury, it gave everyone an opportunity to play and show what they can (and can't) do which for the coaching staff was good to see.
We returned to Engelmann Field, where we took on Concordia University and Cardinal Stritch in two 70-minute games April 9th. We beat Concordia 3-0, with two goals from Cody Banks and another from Robbie Refai and all three were very well-taken goals and all came within the first 25 minutes of the game.
In truth, we played some very good soccer at times, and really should have scored a lot more goals. The only disappointing aspect of our play was that we weren't more ruthless enough with our finishing; however, again at times we played some very good soccer which was pleasing to see.
In the second game we turned around and beat Cardinal Stritch, 3-1, in another decent performance with two goals from Robbie Refai and another from Cody Banks. We really were down to the bare bones with us having quite a few injuries, so many players had to play in different positions to what they are normally accustomed to. It was a good learning experience for them and the team as a whole.
Again, this was a productive weekend for the team and it was pleasing to see our forwards on the day in Robbie Refai and Cody Banks get three goals a piece and it was also pleasing to see U.S National Team Player, Gerardo Saavedra, make his debut in a UWM uniform after missing the entirety of last season through tearing his ACL in pre-season.
All of the squad has now played good minutes in our first two spring dates. We will head down to Lewis this Saturday for a one-off match slated for a noon kickoff, where we can hopefully continue to build on the momentum from our previous two matches.
I should also mention that this week the boys were able to take some time out from their schedules to help out at St. Vincent High School with the 'Special Olympics' where they helped to teach the kids basic soccer skills to help them have a fun and enjoyable experience. It was very rewarding for our guys to see how happy the kids were to have them there and we plan to do similar activities throughout the spring to continue to promote the program within the local community.
Don't forget that we will be back in Engelmann Field on Thursday, April 21st, where we will take on Whitewater at 6 p.m. and then the Bavarian Majors at around 8 p.m., and I hope to see as many of you there as possible.
