MILWAUKEE, WIS. ? The Drake men's soccer team powered back from an early deficit to earn a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the opening round of the Panther Invitational Friday night.

“This is a great environment for college soccer,” said Drake head coach Sean Holmes. “The crowd is right on top of you and the players fed off of that energy.”

Sophomore Kevin Shrout (Lee's Summit, Mo.) scored the winning goal for the Bulldogs in the 44th minute (43:38) when he took a free kick from 25 yards out and snuck it past the fingertips of Panthers goalkeeper Ryan Germann.

“Kevin Shrout and Luke Frieberg were exceptional tonight,” said Holmes. “Shrout was creative in his attack and Frieberg held the defense together. We were resolute in our defending and Kurt Larson (Olathe, Kan.) played like a warrior tonight”

Freshman Nick Foster (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) scored Drake's tying goal on a 25-yard blast to the far post in the 24th minute (23:59).

The Drake defense staved off a solid Wisconsin-Milwaukee attack through the final half of play. The Panthers took eight shots in the second half alone, out shooting the Bulldogs 15-10 in the match.

Senior goalkeeper Phillip Breuer (Port Washington, Wis.) saved a season-high six shots for the Bulldogs, earning his third win of the season.

Drake, which improved to 3-2, will face Wisconsin at noon on Sunday.