Box Score Aug. 31, 2013 - The Cougar women's soccer team continued the 2013 season a mere 21 hours after the first game which went to two overtimes. The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference again supplied the foe as the Anderson University Ravens hosted CUC on a blustery humid day in central Indiana.

"It is a tough thing to try and rebound so quickly from a long overtime game with such a short turn around," said head coach Thomas Goines. "Young players need to learn quickly what college soccer is all about." The Cougars showed how quickly they absorbed the lesson as they defeated the Ravens 3-1 for a 1-0-1 opening weekend.

After a short delay for Parent Day introductions, the match got under way for a mere 12 minutes before the first of two consecutive lightning sightings caused weather delays for approximately 45 minutes. The delay was good for the Cougars as it allowed them to strategize. Two minutes after resuming play, senior Alyssa Soulis (Grayslake, IL/Grayslake North) sprung free down the center of the field on a superb pass from freshman Natalie Weinhold (St. Peters, MO/Lutheran St. Charles). Soulis beat the keeper for the game's opening goal.

Concordia continued to carry the attack as sophomore Alex Wilson (Round Lake, IL/Grayslake Central) and freshman Alisha Johnson (Coal City, IL/H.S.) had scoring opportunities. When Soulis left the game eventually, Weinhold became the offensive focus and created three chances in the next five minutes. The third was spilled by the keeper and junior Anne Rockert (Limestone, IL/Herscher) was inches away from a rebound, but the keeper scooped it up.

With seven minutes to go, Concordia keeper Callie Hasslebring (Houston, TX/Cypress Ridge) withstood an aggressive charge from an Anderson forward and made the save. But Anderson continued to pressure at the end of the half, and Alexandra Noppert snuck in a goal at the back post. The Cougars rallied for a final breakaway of the half as freshman Caeleigh Morton (Oswego, IL/H.S.) slotted a ball to sophomore Shawna Rembold (Rochester, MI/Stoney Creek) that the keeper saved to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

At the end of the half, another lightning delay ensued. The start of the second half was delayed by about 30 minutes. Concordia came out strong in the second half and took their rightful control of the game. In the first 15 minutes, there were a multitude of chances that just missed the Ravens' goal. In the 61st minute, a great combo between Weinhold and Johnson opened up Soulis for her second goal of the game and a 2-1 lead. The pressure continued on a 40-yard free kick from junior Haley Graner (Waukesha, WI/Waukesha West) that was just pushed wide by the Ravens' keeper.

Thirty minutes into the half, the Ravens broke out for a spell of pressure. Their most dangerous chance was a corner kick saved off the line by freshman Cortney Kugath (Belvidere, IL/H.S.). The Cougars returned the favor with freshman Megan Albregts (Romney, IN/McCutcheon) unleashing a corker that just missed to the left. With six minutes remaining, a series of passes between freshman Elizabeth Sanders (St. Louis, MO/Parkway South), Weinhold and Soulis led to Soulis scoring her third goal of the match. The hat trick pushed Soulis to 47 career goals, one behind all-time Cougars' scoring leader Kari Zielke (2005-08).

Goines said after the match, "It was a game of two halves. Anderson came out strong, played well-organized soccer and aggressive style. It was great for the freshman to learn to recover their form and not let the first half affect the second."

The Cougars dominated the stats with 25 shots to the Ravens' 10. Hasselbring made six saves while the Ravens' two keepers combined for 11 saves.

Concordia continues their season next Sunday, Sept. 8 in Wisconsin at Ripon College in another non-conference match up.