The struggles for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s soccer team continues to mount away from Engelmann Field after the Panthers were defeated 1-0 at Florida International down in Miami last weekend.

The loss drops Milwaukee (3-6-1) to a miserable 0-6-1 record on the road, its only good result coming against Wisconsin where they tied the Badgers 2-2. The defeat also makes the Panthers 1-5 in games decided by one goal.

“We were confident going into the game,” UWM coach Jon Coleman said. “We thought that as the game wore on, they would wear down and we would get opportunities. I thought we did that, but we just weren’t sharp enough to take advantage of some of the opportunities we had.”

UWM pushed forward in the final minutes, but was never able to create any serious opportunities.

However, the team missed a great chance in the 82nd minute, sending a close-range shot just wide on a breakaway. Senior Craig Mallace carried the ball from midfield and sent a long pass to junior Martin Castro, who was streaking down the left flank. Castro sent a cross to senior Steve Sperl who one-touched it to sophomore Adam Skalecki, whose eight-yard shot went just wide of the right post to keep the score at 1-0.

Junior Troy Spielmann nearly put one through in the 60th minute after a foul just outside the top of the box. He bent his free kick around the wall, but Kyle Thomas made a diving attempt to knock the shot wide and out of bounds.

“I think all in all, the guys are pretty disappointed even though the defensive side of things was very good,” Coleman said.

The Golden Panthers broke through in the first half which featured not many shots and the game being played mostly in the midfield. The Panthers recorded just two shots, while FIU got the games only goal at the 29:55 mark when Edgard Correa fed a streaking Chris Caportaletti who easily placed a shot in the top right corner of the net.

In the game, FIU out-shot the panthers 12 to eight, with a six-to-four advantage in shots on goal. UWM did force three corner kicks while the Golden Panthers mustered two. Sophomore goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum made four saves in defeat.

The Golden Panthers used a team effort to shutout Milwaukee as Thomas and Shawn Crowne combined for four saves.

“The defense has been phenomenal,” Coleman said. “They have been working really hard. We just need to be better at putting the ball in the back of the net. We’re doing a pretty good job keeping it out.”

Milwaukee returns to action Oct. 3, when they head back on the road to face the University of Illinois-Chicago.

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