September 23, 2017- The Cougars came into today's match playing their second straight road Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game. Concordia-Chicago looked to rebound after their tough conference loss to Benedictine University this past Wednesday. The Cougars came out the aggressor in the match, which led to domination on the offensive end and steady ball possession resulting in a 4-0 victory for CUC.
Much of the beginning of the first half was played in the midfield with neither team really taking control of the game. The first real scoring chance came from the Cougars in the 22nd minute when Gabriella Wagoner had a clear net, but a Muskies defender blocked her shot. In the 28th minute, the Cougars got on the scoreboard with a Sarah LaCost goal from about 25 yards out and give CUC a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, Concordia-Chicago put another goal on the scoreboard when Janette Moreno found the back of the net when she found her way out of a scrum in the middle of the field from 15 yards out. With a two goal lead, things started getting chippy with many fouls from both teams, but the Cougars controlled their emotions enough to settle for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half started slowly for both teams, but Concordia-Chicago continued to possess the ball and have more offensive chances. However, in the 63rd minute the Cougars finally found the back of the net in the second half. LaCost fed Katie Biga on a great through ball that left her one v one with the Muskies goalkeeper and an easy goal for Biga to put the Cougars up 3-0. Concordia-Chicago added another goal late in the 76th minute to close out the match winning by the final score of 4-0.
Interim Head Coach Kayla Braffet had this to say about the win against Lakeland, "I'm super proud of all the girls tonight. Every player, whether they started or came off the bench played a high energy game. The whole team did a great job finding the net, and we are excited for the next part of our season and conference play."
The Cougars (2-5-2, 1-1 NACC) return to action tomorrow in Kenosha, WI to take on Carthage College. Kick-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
