Sept. 1, 2017 - The Cougars of Concordia University Chicago opened up their season at home against the Bulldogs of Concordia Nebraska. The Bulldogs came into today off of a season- opening win last week. The matchup was not only the opener for the Cougars but also the first game of the Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT). The Cougars came ready to play and showed toughness in a close hard-fought 2-0 loss to Concordia Nebraska.
From the start, the match was full of fight and grit from both teams. The Cougars showed no signs of rust, opening up against a team that already had a game under their belt. For a big part of the half, the Cougars held off the Bulldogs' surging offensive attack from scoring on numerous occasions and kept the game scoreless.
Nearly halfway through the first half was when the first score of the game came on a defensive lapse by the Cougars. Slow to get back after the referee blew the whistle, the Cougars were caught off guard and watched the Bulldogs send a speedy shot to the back left pocket of the goal. The goal was awarded to senior forward Toby Down, coming off an assist by Marcelo Hernandez.
For roughly the next 26 minutes of the first half, the Cougars fought to keep the deficit at a manageable number going into halftime. Concordia Nebraska pushed the ball into Cougar territory only to come up short.
On three separate instances, the Concordia University Chicago fan section held their breath, only to exhale in relief. Possession near the box and breakaway chances for the Bulldogs offense made it difficult for Cougar senior goalkeeper Roberto Aragon, but Aragon made three clutch saves in the 34th, 36th and 38th minutes to keep the Cougars in striking distance.
In the aecond half, neither team lost their energy. Physical play became the mantra of the game and kept the Cougars knocking at the door. Yellow cards were in full effect as the intensity was rising, and the clock was ticking down to a final. Aragon continued his excellence with plenty of acrobatic saves.
Although the Cougars' defense and goalkeeping was outstanding, they surrendered another goal when the Bulldogs sent a screaming shot into the bottom right corner in the 72nd minute to fall behind 2-0.
One minute later, the Cougars showed life, having an opportunity for a penalty kick. They missed the free kick, only to receive another one seconds after. To their dismay, the Cougars fell short once again on the P.K. and seemingly could not muster up any more momentum.
After a tough battle, the final score sat at 2-0 in favor of Concordia Nebraska. With a small sample size, CUC men's soccer gave the fans a preview of what could be a promising season. The Cougars look to learn from their close loss to the Bulldogs, and look towards the Cardinals of Concordia Ann-Arbor tomorrow at 4:30.
