The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fell short in the National Championship Tournament of Club Soccer this weekend in Pensacola, Florida.

Playing in the Championship Flight, the Panthers lost in the Sweet 16 round to the University of Indiana (2- 0) on Friday afternoon.

The University of West Florida and Brosnaham Sports Complex in Pensacola, Florida hosted the NIRSA Collegiate Soccer Sport Club Championships. Twenty-four men’s and 16 women’s teams entered in the Championship division and 20 men’s and women’s teams entered in the open division, for a total of 80 teams competing.

All teams played two games on Thursday and at least one on Friday. The top qualifiers in each pool advanced to the evening rounds and those winners moved on to the semi- finals and final rounds. Milwaukee gained momentum in the early pools but fell short on Friday.

Penn State, Georgia, and UWM played in the same pool. Milwaukee defeated Georgia on Thursday (2-0) before losing to Penn State (2-1) late Thursday night, which put them in the bracket to play against Indiana, who later defeated them Friday night (2-0), ending their road trip.

With winds reaching nearly 20-30 mph, Milwaukee defeated the University of Georgia in their first pool game on Thursday. The winds caused both teams to adapt and change their traditional style of play. Ending the first half with a 22-yard perfect free kick, Kyle Ingold aimed for the high right corner of the goal.

During a physical second half, UWM’s second and final goal was scored by Andrew Kolokowski. Winning the first pool game allowed Milwaukee to secure their Sweet 16 spot and permitted them to place at least second out of their pool.

Playing a fast-paced and hardcore game against Penn State University late Thursday night, the Panthers proved their skill by scoring the first goal within the first 15 minutes of the match. Quickness and skill allowed PSU to tie up the game in the first half. The Panthers stayed strong with four opportunities to score, but the Nittany Lions’ goalie turned out to be the team’s savior with four stops. Putting up a great fight, UWM lost to Penn State 2-1, but still advanced to the winners bracket because of a previous win to Georgia.

Friday afternoon Indiana shocked UWM by scoring two early goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. Milwaukee dominated in the last 65 minutes, but it proved too late, losing 2-0. UWM placed second within their pool, but that was not enough to advance them into the semi-finals of the National Championship Tournament of Club Soccer.

The Panthers ended their season with a 15-3-1 record, also claiming championship status in the Great Lakes Division 11-0-1. Declaring the number one seed in the toughest division in the country, Milwaukee finished second to the University of Michigan, securing their bid for nationals.

“This was the first national appearance for the UWM Club team and the first team to represent Wisconsin in this national tournament,” said Luke Wakefield. “We advanced to the Sweet 16 and I am very proud of everything that we have accomplished this year.”

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