Box Score Oct. 12, 2014 – The Concordia-Chicago men's soccer team returned to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference action this afternoon with a home match against Lakeland College. The cool, overcast day turned warm and sunny for Cougar fans as CUC scored with 5:54 remaining to win 1-0 over the Muskies.

 "It wasn't a pretty game, but we did what we needed to do to get the result," said CUC head coach Micah Middendorf. "It is an important step for this group to understand what they need to do to win these tight games. They did well, and I am proud of the boys."

The first half was a battle as the teams were close in shots at 7-6 Muskies in the first half and 13-12 in the game. It was Jorge Guzman (Cicero, IL/Morton East) with three saves in each half en route to his first shutout of the year that proved to be the difference. He put his body on the line and made some tremendous saves to keep the Cougars in the game.

It was a back and forth affair in the second half as both teams tried to break out with long balls and score. There were a number of good opportunities on both sides that lacked the final touch. It got a bit chippy as both teams battled for valuable conference points. 

The deadlock was broken in the 85th minute as Ricardo Aragon (Cicero, IL/Morton East) was able to elude the offsides flag and was found by Martin Vargas (Cicero, IL/Morton East) for the thru ball down the middle of the pitch. The goal was Aragon's third of the season and second game-winning goal. The Cougars were able to withstand a furious final five minutes by the Muskies.

The Cougars next game is on Wednesday against long-time rival Benedictine University. The game will be played under the lights with a scheduled kickoff of 7:00.