Milwaukee's Saavedra Collects Men's Soccer Player of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS -- Milwaukee freshman midfielder Gerardo Saavedra (Milwaukee, Wis.) has been named Horizon League Men’s Soccer Player of the Week, for the week of Sept. 19-25.  The accolade is the first of the freshman’s career.

Saavedra led Milwaukee (4-4-0, 1-0-0 Horizon) to a key 3-1 victory in its Horizon League opener at Butler, recording two assists in the match. The victory snapped Butler’s 15-match League home unbeaten streak as the Panthers handed the Bulldogs their first home defeat since 2007.

The freshman got the Panthers rolling in the fourth minute, sending a corner kick to the box, where teammate James Ashcroft converted to give Milwaukee the early 1-0 advantage. Leading 2-1, Saavedra helped UWM pick up a valuable insurance goal, again sending the ball into the box, with Nick Langford heading in the third Panther goal of the afternoon.

Saavedra’s 12 points lead the Panthers and are tied for second in the League. With four goals and four assists, the Milwaukee native ranks second in the conference in both categories.

Milwaukee will continue with Horizon League play this week, hosting Green Bay on Wednesday, Sept. 28, for Chancellor’s Cup bragging rights. The match will begin at 8 p.m. ET. with the Horizon League Network providing live coverage. HLN will also have the Panthers’ second game of the week, as Cleveland State visits Engelmann Stadium at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Top Performers for the Week:

• Zach Steinberger, Butler (Fr., M) - Steinberger notched points in both of Butler’s matches this week, collecting his team-leading fourth assist of the year on Butler’s first goal in an eventual 3-1 victory at IPFW. On Saturday, the freshman recorded the Bulldogs’ lone goal.  
• Brad Stuver, Cleveland State (Jr., GK) - The 2010 Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year recorded seven saves - three in overtime - as Cleveland State collected a point with a 0-0 draw against Valparaiso on Saturday. 
• Alonso Flores, Green Bay (Jr., F) - Flores came off the bench to net the game-winning goal as Green Bay opened the Horizon League season with a 2-1 win over visiting Loyola.  
• Peter McKeown, Loyola (Sr., GK) - McKeown turned aside 10 Green Bay shots on goal in Loyola’s 2-1 setback, setting a new career-best for saves.  
• Eric Frazier, UIC (Sr., F) - Returning from injury to play for the first time in two weeks, Frazier collected both UIC goals in a 2-1 triumph at Dayton. Frazier’s second goal of the match came with just over one minute remaining in regulation, giving him a League-best six goals in 2011. 
• Kyle Zobeck, Valparaiso (Jr., GK) - Zobeck helped Valparaiso collect a road point in its Horizon League opener, turning in his fourth shutout of the year in a 0-0 draw at Cleveland State. The junior has three shutouts in his last four matches. 
• Bryce Rockwell-Ashton, Wright State (So., F) - Rockwell-Ashton made the most of his lone shot on goal on Saturday, converting from 17 yards out to send Wright State past Detroit, 2-1, in overtime. The League victory was the first for the Raiders since Oct. 17, 2009. 

Men’s Soccer Players of the Week:
August 22: Anthony Shepherd, Detroit
August 29: Eric Frazier, UIC
September 5: Austin Oldham, Butler
September 12: Ivan Stanisavljevic, UIC
September 19: Gerardo Saavedra, Milwaukee