Oct. 18, 2017 - There was no indication that today would bring a landmark achievement as the Concordia University Chicago men's soccer team took the pitch at Dominican University. The Cougars came in needing a win to have any chance of qualifying for the upcoming Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament. Meanwhile, Dominican was in its perennial top spot in the standings, looking to extend its winning streak over its crosstown rival since 2001 to 21 games.

Twenty-one never came. Instead, the Cougars scored in the first half and made it stand up against a fierce Stars' attack for a 1-0 CUC win. 

"I know that our current players had never experienced beating Dominican, but I don't think many of them knew that this was the first time in the program's history," said CUC head coach Michael Arango. "But they executed the game plan, and their effort was outstanding today. They out-worked their opponent, and they deserved the result."

The first quarter-hour was uneventful, but the Cougars struck suddenly in the 17th minute. Fabian Robles intercepted a Dominican clearing attempt, and had a clear go at goal. His low shot beat the DU keeper for Robles' fifth of the year and a 1-0 lead. The Stars had a 9-4 edge in shots for the half, but the score remained 1-0 up to the half.

The intensity increased greatly in the second half, as the Stars had a greater territorial edge. An 8-0 edge in corner kicks also told the story, and the CUC defense was tested many times inside the box. Roberto Aragon made five second-half saves, and the Stars were denied by the post twice and the crossbar once. Peter Kass also took a shot off the face to deny the Stars a top opportunity, Only in the final seconds, when Aymen Maman broke into the offensive end after a CUC clearance did the reality of the Cougars' achievement sink in, and the team joyously celebrated with its fans.

Aragon made a total of seven saves as CUC shut out a team that came into this match averaging four goals a game. Combined with the fact that the Cougars surrendered five versus Wisconsin Lutheran College this past Sunday, the shutout was probably the most amazing aspect of their achievement today. "We made some changes after Sunday's game," said Arango. "We emphasized supporting each other in the back, holding our positions and making sure that we wouldn't turn the ball over in the middle of the field. The team's defensive positioning was as good as it's been all year, and again, the effort was off the charts. I am very happy for our entire team, and especially our senior players who got to experience this before they wrap up their careers."

Along with the impact of the win for the program's history, the win also gave CUC athletics its first 10 points in this year's River Forest Rivalry Cup, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. The Cup competition stands at 10 points apiece, with Concordia-Chicago looking to defend its trophy from last year, the initial year of the competition.

The Cougars will return home to host Concordia University Wisconsin on Sunday at 1:00. The team will honor its seniors prior to kickoff.