Pioneers break through vs. Raiders

UW-Platteville scored on its first three shots on goal and went on to beat Milwaukee School of Engineering 8-0 Wednesday night.

"It was a huge lift," said B.J. Gottschlich, who reached a career milestone. "We had been struggling lately, trying to get some goals and team camaraderie-wise. It was nice to get a couple of early ones. It made us a little more relaxed and made it a little easier to play."

Gottschlich scored three goals and became the seventh player in UW-Platteville's 46-year soccer history to surpass 100 career points.

"I wasn't aware of it," he said. "So that was pretty cool when they announced my name."

Gottschlich, on a re-direct kick by Brandon Chmiel, scored at 10:57, and then assisted Zach Wall at the 14:18 mark for Wall's first goal of the year. Ryan McElmeel scored unassisted three and one-half minutes later for the quick 3-0 lead.

McElmeel, on a Chris Brown assist, found the net 2:51 into the second half. Less than two minutes later Gottschlich struck again for and then added one more in the 62nd minute.

Masees Mesdjian and Jake Williams both netted their first Pioneer goals later in the half to complete the scoring. UW-Platteville improved to 4-4-1 after stopping a three-game losing streak, while the Raiders fell to 2-5.

"This is huge for us," Gottschlich said. "We were in this slump, and now we came out with this win. Everyone got a little boost of energy."