After 19 days off, the No. 12 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's soccer team returned to the field Saturday to defeat Hanover (Ind.) 2-0 to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Warhawks, 14-4-3, will face Benedictine (Ill.) on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Carthage College in Kenosha. UW-W lost to the Eagles 2-1 in their third game of the season back on September 7.
 
Justin Stanko (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) returned to the Whitewater lineup after sitting out the final seven games of the regular season due to injury, and his impact was felt immediately. Stanko scored his seventh goal of the season on a header off of a throw-in just 4:16 into the game.
 
Jack Wirth (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) had an opportunity to extend the lead to two in the 31st minute, but his header was saved by Hanover goalkeeper Rafael Di Maio.
 
On the other end, Chris Lucatorto (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) notched his first save of the game in the 32nd minute to keep the Panthers off the board.
 
Dylan Hottsmith (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) went to work to start the second half, firing three shots in the first four minutes to keep the pressure on the Panther defense. He put one shot on net in the 65th minute looking to give the Warhawks an insurance goal, but Di Maio made the save.
 
With less than 16 minutes to play in the match, UW-W earned a corner kick. Jordan Kayser (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) sent the ball into the box and 6 foot 4 inch Jake Santellano (North Brook, Ill./Glenbrook North) headed it in to give the Warhawks a 2-0 lead. The goal is the third of the season for Santellano.
 
The Panthers were unable to generate a comeback and concluded their season with a record of 16-5-0.
 
Lucatorto finished the match with three saves to earn his fourteenth win of the season.
 
This is the third consecutive season that head coach Tony Guinn and the Warhawks have advanced to the second round of NCAA play.