MILWAUKEE – Evan Conway scored a pair of goals and Freddy Lorenzen recorded his league-leading fourth shutout of the season as the Milwaukee men's soccer team blanked Valparaiso, 2-0, Saturday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (7-6-1) found the back of the net in each half against the Crusaders (2-9-1), as Conway posted his third career game with two goals.
 
"It was a really good team performance defensively and that starts with the guys up front," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "Working really hard with our pressure and forcing them where we want to go. Midfielders were very tight, winning second balls and the guys in the back did a really good job with some big blocks and preventing service. It was a really good defensive effort."
 
Conway's first came in the 15^th minute and was spectacular. He played a give-and-go with Joshua Kidder down the left wing, with Conway blasting in a header off a perfect serve for his fourth goal of the season.
 
"It sure takes the pressure off," Kelderman said about the early Conway goal. "Evan got rewarded, not only with one goal, but with two goals tonight. He's been working hard and plugging away. It was good to see him score two nice goals tonight."
 
The Panthers nearly opened the scoring a few minutes earlier, but Ben Krolczyk had his shot from long-range punched just over the cross bar in the 11^th minute.
 
Josh Kaye also had a decent look on a header off a Kidder free kick, with a nice save made in the 14^th minute.
 
Conway's brace came just after halftime, with Kidder again involved. He started the play with a corner kick, finding Vuk Latinovich far post. Latinovich had his shot blocked, but Conway was lurking and buried the rebound at the 46:08 mark for the 2-0 lead.
 
Latinovich just missed his own goal in the 65^th minute, sending his 20-yard free kick blasting off the left post and back into play.
 
Lorenzen was on-point for his 17^th career shutout, finishing the night with five saves, which included a brilliant stop to push a Valpo shot just over the crossbar in the 80^th minute. He also had a little help from Shawn Azcueta, who cleared a goal off the line following a Crusader corner kick on the ensuing corner.
 
Valpo actually finished the night with a slim 15-to-13 advantage in overall shots, with MKE the 7-to-6 edge in shots on goal. The guests also had eight of the 12 corner kicks on the evening.
 
Conway led the way with six shots (5 on goal), giving him 203 for his career – just the sixth player in program history to accomplish the feat. Kidder's two assists give him a team-high six, good for second place in the conference.
 
Up next, a pivotal game awaits in Horizon League play, as the Panthers welcome Northern Kentucky to Engelmann Stadium Saturday. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.