In sports there is a mantra that says something to the effect of: “you can’t score if you don’t shoot.”

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men’s soccer team must have forgotten this simple, yet important phrase on Oct. 26, as the team mustered just one shot on goal en route to a 1-0 loss in overtime to the UW-Green Bay Phoenix at Santaga Stadium in Green Bay.

The loss eliminates UWM’s chances of earning its fifth straight Horizon League Championship and also ends the recent domination of UWGB by UWM. UWM had gone 6-0-2 in the last eight matches dating back to 1998.

Neither team mounted many threatening attacks in the other’s penalty area, but Green Bay managed to capitalize from a spot further than that in the 97th minute. Jamari Brinson collected a pass from 35 yards out and shot a rocket past UWM goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum.

The game resembled a 17-round boxing match, with 45 total fouls called, 29 on UWGB.

UWM coach Louis Bennett believes that the physical nature of the match correlated with the futility of his offense.

“Our offense couldn’t break free from the man-handling we were getting,” he said. “Green Bay played a very competitive and extremely intense game. It was a match of contrasting styles and tonight, Green Bay’s style won out.”

The game featured a back-and-forth tempo and few nail-biting moments. UWGB was unable to redirect any of their four second half corner kicks into shots on goal, as UWM cleared each one out.

Fernstrum had five saves for UWM while his counterpart Adam Stikl needed just one to post a shutout in his first career start in the net.

With the first round of the Horizon League playoffs looming, the defeat at the hands of a league rival is especially deflating. But Bennett has been in this spot several times.

“We are going to have to take a deep breath and see where to go in the next couple of days,” he said.

The win for UWGB boosts its record to 8-7 overall, and 3-4-0 in Horizon League play. The loss drops UWM’s overall record to 9-4-4, and 4-2-1 in league play.

UWM will conclude its regular season play with an intra-city match-up with Marquette at Valley Fields for the Milwaukee Cup.

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