Looking for their first win of the season, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s soccer team hosted the annual Panther Invitational with an opening game against Drake University followed by a match-up with No. 20 Gonzaga University but could not get the win.

In the first game, the Panthers (0-6-0) came up just short with a 2-1 loss to Drake (4-2-0), who won the invitational title, after senior Tenzin Rampa sent a last second shot off the cross bar that would have sent the match into overtime.

UWM started out early getting their first goal of the game in the 10th minute. Junior Colin Baker scored his first goal of the season when Rampa sent a pass to the front of the goal from the end line allowing Baker to put it in the back of the net. Freshmen Robert Refai also earned an assist on the play and ended the game with a team high two shots on goal.

The Bulldogs answered with a goal of their own in the 24th minute when a turnover in the backfield allowed Nick Foster to beat Panther goalkeeper Ryan Germann to tie the game at one.

In the 44th minute the Bulldogs earned a free kick after a Panther foul. Drake took full advantage of the opportunity scoring a goal when Kevin Shrout sent the shot to the top-right corner putting the Bulldogs ahead 2-1 at the end of the first.

"We're going to have to start scoring at least two goals because we keep giving up two goals every game,” said head coach Jon Coleman. “It's unfortunate, but until we keep a clean sheet, we are not going to win games. We're scoring a goal, and then allowing two."

The Panthers were unable to get the tying goal in the second half but won the numbers battle by out-shooting the Bulldogs 15-to-10 and getting four corners to Drake’s one.

For the Panthers second game of the invitational they were set up against No. 20 Gonzaga (3-2-0). Gonzaga had previously beaten then No.1 UC Santa Barbara and No. 15 Washington coming into the tournament but a loss to Wisconsin put them out of contention to win the Panther Invitational.

UWM finished off the first half with a stellar goal in the 45th minute when a free kick by Martin Castro was put in the back of the net by senior Chris Lins after being deflected. The Panthers went into halftime with a 1-0 lead and looking to capture their first win of the season.

Gonzaga fought back in the second half with two goals of their own just five minutes apart. In minute 55 a free kick was sent to the back of the net after a Panthers penalty, and in minute 60 Nick Barclay beat Germann to give Gonzaga their first lead of the game, 2-1.

The second half goals were too much for the Panthers to overcome as they lost their sixth in a row. The Panthers did win the numbers battle, though, out-shooting the Bulldogs 10-to-nine and lead with four corners to Gonzaga’s two. Each goalkeeper earned three saves.

In the first game of the tournament Wisconsin (4-2-0) defeated Gonzaga in a 1-0 battle. The win marked head coach Jeff Rohrman’s 50th career win at Wisconsin and continued the Badgers four-game shutout streak after starting the season 0-1-0.

In the third game of the tournament Drake pulled out a 3-1 win over the Badgers earning them the tournament title.

The Panthers will visit New Hampshire next weekend for the Dartmouth Classic and will face off against Dartmouth on Sept. 21 and will end the tournament against Yale on Sept. 23.

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