Wisconsin Soccer Central

Playing with just one substitute for the second straight day, the visiting Milwaukee Bavarians knocked off 10-man Eau Claire Aris 2-1 in National Premier Soccer League play Sunday afternoon at Bollinger Field.

The Bavarians' fourth straight win also moved them within four points of the Quad City Eagles (7-0-1) in the Midwest Region Central Conference standings with four matches left.

"We're pleased," Bavarians coach Craig Peltonen said of taking all six points on the weekend while shorthanded. "We're in the mix."

UW-Green Bay's Sam Krenzien (Wauwatosa West) scored his fourth goal of the weekend to open the scoring in the 17th minute for Milwaukee (6-2-0), while UW-Milwaukee's Robbie Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette) netted the winner in the 62nd.

"I'm relieved," Peltonen said. "We should have put them away in the first half. We had opportunity after opportunity, either we put right at the goalie or took an extra touch or put over the goal or the goalie made a save – you name the possibility, and it happened.

"I thought it could have been 4-0 in the first half. And then in the second half, we could have had just as many."

Marquette midfielder Sebastian Jansson played a role in both goals.

He found Milwaukee School of Engineering midfielder Logan Andryk (Milwaukee Marquette) to start the sequence that led to the opener. Andryk gave a quick fake inward, then let the throw-in run down the left sideline and beat a defender to the end line. Andryk then played a cross on the ground that Krenzien finished first-time for his team-best fifth goal of the year.

Aris (1-6-1) equalized in the 42nd with a fine strike past Milwaukee goalkeeper Jacob Bye (Whitnall), but were reduced to 10 men about 10 minutes into the second half.

Krenzien touched the ball around an Aris player and looked to be in alone on goal, but was taken down by the last defender. Peltonen said the referee initially gave the Aris player a yellow card, then reconsidered and made it a red.

Seven minutes later, the visitors went ahead for good.

Jansson served a cross to the far post where Marquette's Andrew Krynski, Milwaukee's lone sub who had just come on in place of Dennis Holowaty, took the ball out of the air and dropped it back to Boyd in one motion. Boyd lashed home a full volley from the top of the box for his second goal of the season and a 2-1 lead.

"A very nice goal," Peltonen said.

While Milwaukee used its numerical advantage to dominate possession and work the flanks, especially bringing its outside backs up into the attack, Peltonen said Aris had some opportunities. Bye came up with a big save in the final 10 minutes, punching away a well-struck shot with both fists to preserve the slim advantage.

"The game ended up opening up quite a bit," Peltonen said, pointing out that Aris was pressing for an equalizer and his team started to tire. "We got stretched a little bit and we'd have our attacks, but we didn't score and boom, they're coming right back at us. And they were dangerous on the counter."

From the touchline

In the Bavarians' past five matches, opponents have been issued six red cards. ... Peltonen will miss Friday's match at the third-place Madison 56ers, as he is headed to Spain with the Wisconsin International Under-14 girls team. He'll miss just that one game, though, as the Bavarians don't play again until they play host to the 56ers on July 10 in Glendale.

MILWAUKEE BAVARIANS: Jacob Bye; Luke Davey, Dustin Page, James Ashcroft, Adam Hermsen; Sebastian Jansson, Sam Dorf, Logan Andryk, Robbie Boyd; Sam Krenzien, Dennis Holowaty (Andrew Krynski 60).