Box Score Oct. 4, 2013 – Concordia University Chicago men's soccer team opened CUC's Homecoming weekend festivities on Friday afternoon in River Forest. The game against the visiting Marian Sabres was a five-goal thriller with a 58-yard free kick goal in the final minutes. Senior
Dylan Pavlisin (Villa Park, CA/Orange Lutheran) took the direct free kick from just inside the halfway line with under three minutes to play in the match. It went directly into the top left corner of the goal, which led to raucous celebrations as the Cougars played out the final minute of play to establish a 3-2 victory
.
Head Coach
Micah Middendorf said, "Marian really provided a test for us today. They were tough competitors and made us fight for everything. The resilience and fighting spirit that my guys showed was tremendous. The Sabres had us down a goal and we gave it everything we had, and our effort and belief was rewarded with the victory in the end."
The game started off quickly as the Sabres scored on Michael Ekstron's header off a free kick in the 13
th minute. Two minutes later, captain
Brendan Mullane (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) buried a free kick from just outside the box to draw the Cougars level at one goal apiece.
It was a wide open game as both teams raced up and down the field totaling 21 shots and six corner kicks between the two competitors. Unfortunately, the Sabres struck again three minutes later with a good individual effort by Nate Peltonen placed in the upper left hand corner of the north goal from 25 yards out.
Down 2-1 at the half, the resilient Cougars rallied to control the run of play in the second half. Their irrepressible spirit and verve carried the day. Two excellent chances went wanting to start the half, but the pressure the Cougars exerted with possession paid off in the 18
th minute of the second half.
Daniel Ortiz (Cicero, IL/Morton East) drove a low cross through the six-yard box that the Sabres defense pushed into the net for an own goal as they tried to prevent the Cougars from reaching it.
The next 24 minutes had a slight edge to Concordia as the two teams battled at two goals apiece. However, it was the Cougars that prevailed as the half-field free kick found the upper left corner of the north goal. The collective team effort in defense finished the game off.
Goalkeeper
Roberto Aragon (Cicero, IL/Morton East) had 11 saves in the match. Marian's keeper Bryce Woldt had five saves.
The Cougars will be home on Wednesday hosting North Central in a nonconference matchup at 3:00.