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MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team begins the 2015 regular season at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee on Friday night. The match will be held at Engelmann Field and start at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
 
WHAT TO KNOW

• Evansville is looking for their first win of the season
• The Aces eye their first season opening win since 2012
• This is the first regular season matchup between UE and Milwaukee since 2004.

 
POSITIVE PRESEASON
The UE men's soccer team finished the preseason 2-1-0 including victories over Bellarmine and Mercer. Sophomore midfielder Ian McGrath and freshman forward Mikey Matic each tallied two goals each.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Evansville was defeated 3-1 at home against IUPUI on Aug. 23. There were a total of 42 fouls in the match. Matic scored the lone goal for the Aces. There were 1,757 fans in attendance at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
 
THE OPPONENT
Milwaukee finished last season 6-10-3 with a 3-3-2 mark in the Horizon League. The Panthers were 0-1-1 this preseason including a 1-1 tie at Loyola and a 2-0 defeat at SIUE.
 
THE COACHES
The Aces have a new head coach this season, Marshall Ray. A former player (1995-'99) at UE, Ray graduated from UE in 2000 and has served on the staff for nine years with the last six as Associate Head Coach. UWM is led by fourth year head coach Kris Kelderman.
 
HISTORY
Evansville is 9-4-4 all-time against Milwaukee. The last meeting was a neutral site 1-1 tie in 2004. The teams met annually from 1978 to 1993 when both teams competed in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
 
CALL FROM THE HALL
UE men's soccer player (1985-'87) Mick Lyon was announced as a 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer in August. He was the 1987 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American. Lyon was also the women's soccer head coach (1993-2001), winning nine MVC Championships.
 
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Evansville's schedule features three NCAA Tournament teams from last year (Indiana, Kentucky, St. Louis). The Aces will take on two teams that finished in the final RPI top 25 last season (Indiana 16, St. Louis 22) and seven in the top 100 (Bowling Green 64, Butler 68, Missouri St. 76, Mercer 86, and Lipscomb 97).
 
PROMO SCHEDULE
The Aces will host a Military Appreciation Night on Sept. 4 against Air Force. Homecoming will occur on Sept. 26. Indiana Youth Soccer Night is Oct. 24 and Senior Night will take place Oct. 10
 
JOIN UEFC
New this season, UEFC is the membership supporters group for the men's soccer team. UEFC has five tiers with each offering different incentives. To learn more on UEFC and how you can join, fans are encouraged to visit GoPurpleAces.com and click on the Men's Soccer Page.
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics. 

 

• DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

 

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