Sept. 7, 2016 - Today's third game of the Concordia-Chicago women's soccer season saw the Cougars take another step forward to where head coach Chris Brown would have them be when conference season comes around. Following a loss and a draw to open the 2016 campaign, the Cougars notched win number one as Elizabeth Sanders (St. Louis, MO/Parkway South) scored in the 83rd minute for a 2-1 win over visiting North Central College.

"We continued our progress today, and this was a nice step to take," said Brown. "It was good to see us overcome not capitalizing on some chances earlier in the game, but we continued to work hard, and I think the result was well-deserved based on our overall performance."

Much of the first half went back and forth with each team generating a few chances. North Central had the 10-9 advantage in shots, but Concordia arguably had the better opportunities. Two of the best came when Sarah LaCost (Mount Prospect, IL/Prospect) angled in from the right side, only to see her shot go wide left, and Natalie Weinhold (St. Peters, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) had a close-in chance, only to see her shot carom off the post.

For North Central, their most dangerous player in the half was Yasmin Chavez. She had two opportunities against CUC keeper Maddie Kroll (Geneva, IL/H.S.) but saw one shot go high and a second one get blocked. However, Chavez received a third chance in the 37th minute when she found herself with free space about 40 yards out in the middle of the pitch. Chavez broke in on goal and rolled a shot past a charging Kroll for the opening goal of the match.

The Cardinals were unable to celebrate for very long, however. The ball was played into CUC's offensive zone, and a pass was deflected off a defender, spinning off to the left side of the goal from about 15 yards. Showing lightning-fast instincts, Allison Kruk (Elgin, IL/St. Edward) volleyed the ball low and inside the right post for the tying goal just 30 seconds after NCC's goal. The goal was Kruk's first of the season, and it sent the two teams to the break tied 1-1.

In the second half, North Central had the better of play for a while but were unable to make good on four corner kicks. As the half progressed, Concordia began to move the play to the north end of the field. The Cougars' persistence finally paid off in the 83rd minute as Weinhold ripped a shot from the right side that struck the crossbar. The ball bounced directly in front of the goal with the NCC keeper unable to corral it. However, Sanders was perched on the doorstep and she headed it in fron point-blank range for her first goal of 2016 and the 2-1 lead. 

The Cougar defense locked it up over the final seven minutes. The Cardinals had a couple of minor chances, but a shot wide of goal and another saved by Kroll was all the visitors could muster, and CUC was able to bring home the victory. North Central outshot CUC 17-13, but Kroll finished with six saves to record the win.

Concordia-Chicago will continue the home stand on Saturday when they host the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 3:30.