FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bill Boppre, Sports Media Assistant
 
SOMERS, Wis. (Sept. 2, 2016)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's soccer program kicked off their 2016 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Upper Iowa University on a beautiful day at Wood Road Field.
 
UW-Parkside (1-0) played a strong first half and kept the pressure on the Upper Iowa (0-1) defense with 3 shots including a shot on goal from Abraham Kanneh.  Both teams had quality scoring chances in the first half including three corner kicks for each team.
 
The Rangers came out firing in the second half.  Only three minutes in the period, Leki Prpa ripped a shot off the crossbar, and that was followed minute later by Kanneh, who had a header picked off by the Peacock goalkeeper.
 
Nine minutes into the half, Ryan Shogren took a pass from Leki Prpa down to the right of the goal.  Shogren dribbled up and was able to get a shot past the defense for his first goal of the season, and giving the Rangers the one goal lead.  Four minutes later, Burim Husseini sent the ball from midfield up to Abraham Kanneh.  Kanneh took the ball into the box toward the left post, and the keeper came out to challenge.  Ryan Shogren was sprinting down on the right side and Kanneh fed the ball to him, and Shogren found the back of the net for his second goal of the game.
 
Upper Iowa would not go away quietly.  The Peacocks turned the momentum their way when the Rangers couldn't clear the ball away from the left side of the goal, and an Upper Iowa cross pass found a Parkside defender and the ball was redirected into the goal.  The teams traded shots and corner kicks during the remainder of the game.  With less than thirty seconds left in the game, Parkside was called offside just past the midfield line.  Upper Iowa scrambled to take the free kick and were able to get a pass to the top of the box and the Peacock forward sent a laser shot that ricocheted off the crossbar with 3 seconds remaining.  UW-Parkside walked away with the 2-1 win.
 
Both teams played a tough match.  Upper Iowa was issued two yellow cards during the game, and Parkside led the game in fouls 14-10.
 
The Rangers return to the action this Sunday, Sept. 4 with a non-conference contest against University of Saint Francis (Ill.) at noon on campus at Wood Road Field.