MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #5

Hello all ... thanks for joining us on this trip to Northern Ireland.

We did play our final game as well today ... a tough loss to a very good Stephen F. Austin squad.

In case you missed it, you can read about it HERE.

With a 1 PM local time start, that meant a later breakfast than usual. For some of us, that meant a walking tour of the Belfast City Hall.

In all honesty, one could have spent a few hours there. It is located in Donegall Square, which is also home to the Christmas Market. It was pretty incredible and hard to soak in all of the information. But, a neat stop nonetheless.

Back to the hotel and then off to SSE Arena for the game.

With it being the final night, the evening schedule was wide-open for all.

We hope you enjoyed following along. We certainly enjoyed sharing it with you. It's off to bed sooner than later tonight, as the bus leaves the hotel at 6 AM for the long trek home. Take care and see you at UWM Panther Arena soon enough.

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #4

And on Day No. 4 ... we got to play a game.

I am sure you have all seen how that went. The Panthers hung tough with the #20-ranked Bulls, trailing by just 4 points with less then 9 minutes left in the game before a key Buffalo scoring run provided the difference. The crowd and atmosphere was great and, as you can see, we picked up quite a few new fans today!

In case you did miss it, you can read the RECAP HERE.

With the game at 10:30 AM local time, it got us back to the hotel before 2 PM. After a lunch at the hotel, the players had some free time to walk around and enjoy the area around the Europa Hotel. One of the more interesting places within walking distance is the Belfast Christmas Market. The popular market offers an authentic feast of international cuisine - YES I MEAN A LOT OF FOOD - alongside a mix of handcrafted goods and artisan products. Needless to say, I may have picked up some Christmas present for my family members.

Back to the hotel for a film session to prepare for tomorrow's opponent - Stephen F. Austin - and a team dinner at NANDO'S - home of the legendary flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken. Delicious, trust me. See you tomorrow!

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #3

Hello again everyone:

First things first ... we wanted to share a GREAT article with you that appeared on ESPN.com and gives some amazing background into the creation and running of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

That link is HERE. Please take a few minutes, it's worth it.

Today was a slower day for the team, consisting mainly of breakfast, study tables, shootaround, film and dinner.

However, today allowed many in the group to see some of the amazing sights of Northern Ireland. A bus trip up the coast, with fans from all participating teams, led to some beautiful views.

All of the driving led us to the Giants Causeway, an amazing site that pictures do not do it justice and one of one the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland. The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. We enjoyed the Irish legend much more, one that involves the remains of a causeway being built by a giant - named Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), from the Fenian Cycle of Gaelic mythology.

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog #2

Hello everyone:

Your day at work may just have ended, but with the 6-hour time change, we are ready to call it a night here in Belfast.

It was another busy day, starting with a community service event to kick things off. The entire coaching staff and all players jumped on the bus at 10 AM and we headed to St. Clare's Primary School, where we were joined by students from Springfield Primary School.

The event consisted of Coach Baldwin playing emcee, with the players and students taking time to get to know each other and learn about how sport can change life. A very interesting Q-and-A session followed - funny what kids want to know some times - who can jump the highest? who has the biggest hands? who has the best hair? - you name it, the players took the time to answer them all. Apparently kids all across the world want to do 2 things - dab and Fortnite dances.

The event closed with a ball-skill session where the players would demonstrate a skill and the kids would try and copy it. Fun stuff.

Shortly after leaving the school, our bus driver gave us an education on the area, it's history and then took us to the "Peace Wall". This was something you had to see in person to fully understand what it was. According to wikipedia, the Peace Wall is a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate predominantly Republican and Nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly Loyalist and Unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface areas in Belfast, Derry, Portadown and elsewhere.

We returned to the hotel, ate lunch and the team headed back to the arena for practice. Night time brought a group meal at Fratelli's, a great place within walking distance of the hotel.

MKE BBB: Belfast Basketball Blog

Hello all:

We thought it would be fun to share what the team gets to do on a daily basis here in Northern Ireland.

On that note, we have started the MKE BBB - otherwise known as the "Belfast Basketball Blog".

The adventure actually started Monday afternoon, with the team leaving campus around 3:30 PM, taking a bus down to O'Hare for the international flight.

The flight left Chicago around 8:45 PM ... throw in a 7-hour flight and a 6-hour time change, and the travel party landed in Dublin around 10 AM by the time all was said and done. Through customs we went ... a long wait for bags ... and onto our bus.

First stop was lunch: a place called "Madigans", a traditional Irish Pub serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and Irish drinks. Despite the long wait, everyone enjoyed the food.

From there it was on to Belfast, a trip of over 100 miles where lots of us tried to catch up on sleep after the long night of travel.

Once in Belfast, we checked into the Europa Hotel. The Europa Hotel is a four-star hotel, opened in 1971, that has hosted presidents, prime ministers and celebrities. On a side note, it is also known as the "most bombed hotel in Europe" and the "most bombed hotel in the world" after having suffered 36 bomb attacks during the late 20th century.

The team closed the night with practice at The SSE Arena (where we will play the games as well), Northern Ireland's premier entertainment venue and home to the Belfast Giants hockey team.

The 2018 Lanther Diaries: Entry No. 3

Hi everyone, it’s Sara again!!

I am writing to you from the bus on our way home from Detroit after our 1-0 victory over the Titans of Detroit Mercy, but I’ll save the details for later. Anyway, school and soccer has taken up most of your Lady Panther’s lives. Many of us have been spending all of are free time at study tables, the library, or our favorite coffee shops around town preparing for midterms. I prefer Starbucks myself, but many will argue Stone Creek is better. (Starbucks until the end!!!) But, when we are not studying we are of course on the field doing what we do best… winning!

Since last time we have talked, the team now has a 5-0 record in the Horizon League. Wednesday, September 26th we traveled to Green Bay for our third conference game, and we ended with a 4-0 victory. Goals came from Jelena, Schill, Phillpotts, and an own goal that you can give credit to Lolo for her dangerous cross in the box. This game also gave the opportunity for large majority of the Panther squad to see the field.

Later that week on Saturday, we were back home to take on Wright State. The visitors would put up a good fight, but nothing would stand in our way of getting another win. We went into halftime at an even score of 1-1, and after the break we found new energy to put two more in the back of the net and hold wright state to two goals. The final score ended 3-2 with goals from Haley Johnson, Jelena, and Lolo.

Now 4-0 in conference at the top of the table, we worked hard at practice to take on our next opponents of Detroit Mercy. We hit the road Friday morning, and after 8 hours of riding in the bus, we finally made it to the Motor City. Some of you are probably wondering what we possibly do to pass all that time on the bus, but don’t worry your Lanthers know how to pass the time. You might see some sleeping, watching movies, checking every and all social media, of course studying and doing homework, and some write blogs.

A team favorite is always a good game of Old Maid. This has led to many arguments, laughs, and the occasional accusation of cheating. (Gaby Z, it’s not my fault if someone is flashing their cards in my direction!) But finally, after all the time we have together, we finally make it to our destination ready to play some soccer.

So, Saturday morning we woke up to gloomy skies and stormy weather forecasts, but we did not let that stop us from getting pumped up for the afternoon’s game… Well, after hours of waiting in the Detroit visitors’ locker room, a decision was made that the game would be postponed until the next day. What would we do now? Taking advantage of the little bit of good weather left, we headed out on the field for a little training session. Training ended with a small game of Dutch Shooting Game. Those who are not familiar with this, it is a shooting drill that challenges your shooting and goalkeeping skills. What felt like the longest round we have ever played; Allie N came out victorious over Brooke, who had quite the comeback! The fun continued throughout the night (Sara says with sarcasm), we spent the rest of our night at TGI Friday’s. A miscommunication with the kitchen led to teammates waiting an extra hour for their dinner, but Marissa said the steak was worth the wait! Finally, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for game the next day.

Game day came, and your Lady Panthers were ready to play! The bus ride from the hotel to the field was accompanied by the regular game day playlists thanks to the musical genius of Gaby Z. Pumped up from the bus and with a good warm up, we were ready to play. First half ended tied at zero, but with high energy from the bench to the field, Lolo was able to score the only goal of the game off a beautiful service from Erin in the 56th minute. With only four games left in the season, we Lanthers have our minds set to continue our unbeaten league record as we take on Oakland on October 13th!!

I hope to see you all back at home next Saturday, and as always come back for another shot… with Petrone!

P.S.

I just wanted to add a little extra to the blog this week. I know it might seem like most of us have it all together and live such wonderful lives, but that is not always true. We all go through tough times and struggle with our own lives outside of soccer. It’s hard on the whole team when we see a teammate go through hard times. I ask you to please keep in your mind and hearts the Lady Panthers who are going through hard times, and I hope we all find strength to prosper not only as a team, but a family.

Nights Under the Lights: Entry No. 2 for 2018

Hello Panther fans!

It’s been busy, focused, and energetic, and there’s no shortage of entertainment with this edition of ‘Nights Under the Lights,’ but what else can you expect during an NCAA soccer season? With games coming quickly and constantly, there’s almost no chance to breathe, let alone stay mentally focused with high energy during these past few weeks.

Our home-opening weekend came against Valparaiso and University of Pennsylvania, both teams with quality and were not going to lay down easily. Valparaiso deemed to be a frustrating opponent for us, and although we controlled the match and created many quality chances during it, we came out of the game with a 1-0 loss from a corner in the 88th minute. The game of football can be unbelievably cruel, and I’ve learned that during my years here at UWM, but sometimes the soccer God’s just aren’t on your side on the day.

We pulled up our socks and prepared for U-Penn on the upcoming Sunday, where again we came out strong with high intensity and created many chances. Except on this occasion we learned from our mistakes, putting away two quick goals and staying disciplined throughout the rest of the match to secure a clean sheet. It was a weekend of learning curves and major improvements from the squad, and we were looking forward to conference play the next weekend against Cleveland state at home!

Conference play is always a different type of battle compared to non-conference matches earlier in the season, so we as a squad knew we’d have to roll up our sleeves and be ready for a grueling battle. The match ended 1-1, with a goal coming from defender Jake Kelderman, but it definitely wasn’t our best performance. That being said, drawing a side in conference when we’re not at our best is a sign of better things to come; we had to improve, and we did.

The Milwaukee Cup. As a senior athlete at UWM you really grow to dislike Marquette. Each year you play them, the occasion gets more and more intense, and your desire to win that derby and host the trophy after the match only grows. It was at their ground this season, and I tell you there is nothing more I, and the team, wanted that week than to host that trophy on Valley Field, and it showed. From the first whistle to last, every guy on that pitch in a UWM uniform worked their tail off. A goal each from the Three Lions Josh Kaye and Sean Holmes was enough to get us over the line, and we earned a vital three points against our most fierce cross-town rivals.

Next up was another conference match against top 50 side Northern Kentucky, who were on a streak of good results and had some top players earning some great statistical achievements at the start of this season. With some torrid conditions including rain and a dodgy pitch, we came out of the first half knotted at nil-nil. That being said, we knew we could get better and that only encouraged us going into the second half. We came out and showed some great quality to earn us another 2-1 win, goals coming from Evan Conway and Alex ‘Whitey’ Sykes. It was a happy bus ride home, and we could go into the next week where winning two trophies was possible in the horizon.

Next up came midweek opposition in Northern-Illinois, who going into the match were ranked #13 in the nation according to RPI standings. We were excited, and with a big crowd from the tailgate prior to the match our energy levels were through the roof. We came out strong with many quality chances in the first half and went into the break up 1-0 with a goal from captain Sean Reynolds, with the only negative aspect of our performance being we hadn’t gone two or three up in the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, this came to bite us in the butt as we gave away a couple soft goals in the second half and couldn’t rebound back. It was a disappointing game, and although it wasn’t a conference game, it was still a game we could look back on as frustrating. But another learning experience for us as a team, because no less than three days later we were back on Engelmann pitch again against our second Wisconsin rivals, Green Bay.

They had snaked away with the trophy last season with a goal on our home pitch in overtime to win it, so we as an entire team were nothing but eager to recreate that script. Conference match and a heated rivalry between us, everyone knew going into the match we would have to be energetic and ready to battle. It was a massive chess match, with each team feeling the other out and it lead to a stalemate at the end of the regular 90 minutes. Into overtime we went, and with so many matches in the last couple weeks it was nothing less than taxing on the bodies. With a minute to go in the first overtime, English lad Sean Holmes came up with the goods yet again scoring a proper turn and finish, and the celebrations began. It was a great, well-deserved win, and we left the field with our heads held high having regained the Chancellors cup.

Well, like I said it’s been busy but no short of energy and entertainment. We’re on the road now for a few matches with another cross-state rivalry game against BIG 10 Wisconsin-Madison this week, with conference games also coming up! Make sure to tune into ESPN for our upcoming matches, and we’re looking forward to continuing our run of form going into the last two-thirds of conference play!

Thanks for checking in!!

-Frankie