September 26, 2010

MEQUON, WIS. -- Junior Matt Hedges broke a scoreless deadlock just over 50 minutes into the match and Butler went on to post a 2-0 victory over host Milwaukee in a Horizon League match played at Concordia University on Sunday, Sept. 26.  The win gave the #17-ranked Bulldogs a sweep of two weekend matches in Wisconsin and kept Butler’s slate unblemished.

The game-winner by Hedges, his second of the weekend, followed a Butler free kick.  The Butler defender gathered the ball on the right side and fired a shot past Milwaukee goalkeeper Bryce Boyd from eight yards out.  Senior Brett Heinz and sophomore Julian Cardona each picked up an assist on the decisive goal.

The goal was the fourth of the season for Hedges and his third game-winner.  He scored the eventual game-winner in Butler’s 2-1 victory at Green Bay just two nights earlier.

Butler (7-0-0, 2-0 HL) picked up an insurance goal six minutes later on a penalty kick by senior Ben Sippola, his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

The two teams battled through a scoreless first half in the match, which was moved to Concordia because of construction at Milwaukee’s home field.  The Bulldogs had four shots on goal in the initial period, but Boyd stopped all four.

Milwaukee (2-4-2, 1-1 HL) picked up the attack in the second half, and out-shot the Bulldogs, 10-5.  The Panthers had two shots on goal, both stopped by Butler senior Fabian Knopfler.  Butler had three shots on goal in the final stanza, one stopped by Boyd.

Knopfler, who improved to 7-0 on the season, finished with three saves, while recording his fourth shutout of the year.  He boosted his career total for shutouts to 14, second-most in Butler men’s soccer history.

The Bulldogs will begin a four-match homestand on Friday, Oct. 1, with a league match against Valparaiso.  That contest at the Butler Bowl will start at 4 p.m. (ET).