Nov. 3, 2018 – The Concordia-Chicago football team traveled to Milwaukee today for its final road game of the 2018 season. The Cougars hoped to win for the second consecutive week, going up against a 1-7 Wisconsin Lutheran team, but the Warriors were the better team at the start of the game and put the Cougars on their heels. The Cougars would improve in the second half, even taking the lead twice, but there were too many mistakes in the end to overcome, and WLC celebrated its Senior Day by taking down the Cougars 30-27.

The home team grabbed the early momentum as Jordan Sepulveda's pass intended for Eric Hoff about 20 yards downfield was tipped and intercepted. A penalty at the end of the play moved the ball to the Cougars' 15, and WLC needed just three plays to cash in. A nine-yard pass from Patrick Mathieson to Chrystyan Woyak in the left corner of the end zone was good for a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

The Cougars continued to struggle over their next few possessions, picking up just one first down on a 11-yard run by Lance Moise. The Warriors continued to get good field position, and a late first-quarter drive resulted in a 24-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
 
Concordia-Chicago responded promptly, however. The Cougars advanced the ball to midfield on a couple of short passes. Then on first down from the WLC 48, Moise slipped through the line and won the race to the end zone, and the Cougars were within 10-7.

The second quarter saw CUC unable to build upon any momentum, and mistakes kept most of the game within one end of the field. The Cougars had a fumble and later a bad snap on a punt, keeping the defense playing in a "backs against the wall" mode. Wisconsin Lutheran could not capitalize fully, however, as they missed on field goals of 44 and 40 yards. The Warriors were stopped on a drive in the final minute, and this time their third field goal attempt was the charm, as Sasha Bornschlegel made good from 36 yards out for a 13-7 halftime lead.

Halftime stats showed CUC held to 112 yards, with Moise totaling 103 yards on 13 carries. The passing game was held to just 31 yards on seven completions. Defensively, Thaddous Daniel Jr. had a big effort  with nine first-half tackles (eight solo).

With a chance to "hit the reset button" at halftime, CUC got back into the game on WLC's first possession, as a fumble was recovered by Randall Klaage at midfield. The Cougars put together a solid drive, much of it on Moise's steady running. A pass to Da'Nas Pinellas allowed the Cougars to reach the red zone for the first time, and a 10-yard run by Sepulveda gave CUC a first-and-goal at the five. From there, Moise scored his second touchdown of the day from five yards out. The extra point by Orlando Hayes gave CUC its first lead of the day at 14-13.

The Cougars' score touched off a seesaw third quarter. Mathieson led the Warriors down the field, with a big 25-yard completion key to the drive. The 65-yard drive was capped by a 10-yard pass from Mathieson to Javion Morgan, but the Warriors missed a two-point conversion attempt, and the home team's lead was 19-14.

Concordia-Chicago made it two successful drives in a row as Moise ran for two first downs and caught a 16-yard pass from Sepulveda for another. Alejandro Alvarez would get the six points as he hauled in a 21-yard pass from Sepulveda, but the Cougars' try at a two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 20-19.

A big 57-yard kick return off a pooch kick would lead to WLC retaking the lead at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors needed just two plays, with Joshua Cason's two-yard run giving the home team the lead for good. This time, the two-point conversion was good, and WLC led 27-20 at the end of three quarters.

A 46-yard return by Hoff set up CUC in Warriors' territory, and a 19-yard pass to Alvarez looked to have the Cougars rolling. However, on fourth down from the 16, Sepulveda scrambled and was stopped three yards short of the marker.

The Cougars' next possession was a three-and-out, forcing a punt. The Warriors converted this into the deciding three points of the game. The Warriors were at the five, but a penalty and a sack pushed them back to the 26. However, Bornschlegel's third field goal of the game was good from 44 yards out.

Not giving up, the Cougars got the ball back with 3:31 left and drove to a score. Sepulveda threw to Hoff for 25 yards to the 30. Two plays later, Sepulveda found Alvarez for the freshman's second touchdown of the game, and Hayes' kick made the score 30-27. With one timeout left, the Cougars were forced to try an onside kick. The high hop gave CUC a good crack at the ball, but a WLC player made a nice leap and came down with the ball. The Warriors then ran out the clock to put an end to a frustrating loss for the Cougars.

Concordia-Chicago outgained Wisconsin Lutheran for the day, 333 yards to 285. Moise finished with 159 yards on 27 carries, the two touchdowns giving him 14 for the year. Sepulveda was 17 of 26 passing for 177 yards. Daniel Jr. was CUC's leading tackler with eight solo tackles among his 12 total.

The Cougars (2-7, 1-5 NACC) will play their season finale next Saturday, Nov. 10 when they host Benedictine University. Kickoff will be an hour earlier than usual at 12 noon.