The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's soccer team kicked the season off with an outstanding seven-goal performance against Webster University. The Warhawks were firing on all cylinders to kick off their season. Despite having seven goals, the Warhawks only put nine shots on goal. Senior Cooper Re (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) also highlighted the night with his first career hat trick.

From the first kick-off, the Warhawks were capitalizing on what the Gorloks were giving them, setting up multiple offensive counterattacks after the Gorloks overextended into their attacking zone. 

The Warhawks scored their first goal of the season after one such counterattack resulted in a close throw-in. A Gorlock defender made a diving save off the initial attempt, but didn't get the clear as James Kiraly (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) tapped it in to give UWW the early 1-0 lead.

The Warhawks tacked on two more goals within a minute of each other. The first came after Mason Diercks (Oregon, Wis./Oregon) gave a long through-pass up to Cooper Re (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly). Re beat the defender & the goalie to the ball, chipping the shot in from 17 yards out. The next goal came from a picture-perfect set play off a corner-kick. Matt White (Bangor, Northern Ireland/Bangor Grammar) sent it from the right corner to the left side of the box. Without letting the ball touch the ground, Luka Breslin (Dublin, Ireland/Terenure College) quickly headed it over to Cooper Re (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly), who headed in his second goal.

The last match-up between these two teams was in 2022, with the Warhawks winning 2-0. Cooper Re (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) had both goals in that game, and only 30 minutes into the 2025 match-up, had already replicated the feat.

UW-Whitewater tacked on another goal before the end of the half, this time by Matt White (Bangor, Northern Ireland/Bangor Grammar). White intercepted a clearance from Webster, took two touches and placed a laser into the top right corner of the net to give the Warhawks a 4-0 lead.

The Warhawk offense didn't slow down after the half, looking to tack on a few more goals in the season opener. Cooper Re (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) found the hat trick with another counterattack push from UWW. Re connected on a shot from 18 yards out to add his first career hat-trick to his resume. 

A few minutes later, the Warhawks added their 6th goal of the night off a header from Mitchel Tackney. A well-placed cross from Owen Winegar (Arlington Heights, Ill./Fremd) set up Tackney for the redirection to give the Warhawks a comfortable lead heading into the last 30 minutes of the game. 

A trio of freshmen helped put the final touches on the game. Liam Smeir (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South) made an athletic play to keep the ball in the Warhawks' attacking zone, before passing it off to Tanner Mandalinci (Woodlands, Tex./John Cooper). Mandalinci found the perfect through pass to set up Franklin Kunfera (West Bend, Wis./West Bend West) for the seventh goal of the night as time expired on the first game of the season. 

Holding down the defensive end in the shutout, Austin Waite (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Andres Comp (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) combined for the shutout. Both made one save in their respective half. 

The Warhawks continue their St. Louis area trip, heading a few hours east to Greenville University. UWW will take on the Panthers Friday, September 5th at 7 PM. They then head back west to Westminster on Sunday, September 8th to wrap up their three-game road trip.