Important game for Milwaukee against Valparaiso

With only two regular season Horizon League matches left, the Milwaukee Panthers will need to be at the top of their game, as they attempt to make the conference tournament. The Panthers (5-9-2, 2-3-1) first test will come on Saturday night against the third place Valparaiso Crusaders (8-3-3, 3-2-0) on the road.

Currently, the Panthers sit just percentage points behind the UIC Flames (6-6-2, 2-2-1) for sixth place, while being tied with the Flames with seven points. With only the top six teams making the conference tournament, this game against the Crusaders is a must win situation.

However, it will not be easy as the Crusaders have put together a solid season, playing well in all phases of the game.

Offensively, Valparaiso has scored an average of 1.76 goals per contest, while their defense has done an excellent job, allowing opposing offensive attacks to score on average only 0.79 goals per game.

Leading the Crusaders offensive attack is midfielder Jordan Aidoud, who has netted a team-high four goals to go along with four assists on the season. Besides Aidoud, eight other Valparaiso players have recorded at least a goal this season.

Nico Campbell has played all but one game in goal for the Crusaders this year, recording a 0.72 goals against average, while tallying five shutouts

Milwaukee controls their own destiny, and a win against Valparaiso would help their cause of making the conference tournament. It will not be easy, but the Panthers’ offense will be the key in this game if they want to win. The Panthers have struggled to execute on their scoring opportunities this season, and they will need to find the back of the net at least a couple times against the challenging Crusaders’ defense in order to have a chance at winning.

This is going to be an extremely competitive match, and hopefully the Panthers can step up and put together a complete performance to hopefully generate some momentum and make the Horizon League tournament.

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