RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- The Cougars (1-8) took on Central College (6-2-1) in their match on Sunday, September 23 at Concordia Stadium.
 
The Dutch of Central College came out aggressive in the early minutes of play. Central almost struck first with a near breakaway, but the attempt was stopped by a clutch defensive effort from senior Krista Pojero. It was a defense-heavy start to the match for CUC, with little offense from either team through the majority of the first.
 
Central's Olivia Denham finally broke through the Cougar defense and scored in the 20th minute of play off a pass from fellow Dutch, Olivia Stoops. Denham's goal held off the Cougars long enough to give her team the 1-0 advantage heading into the halftime break. Through the first 45 minutes of play, the Cougars trailed just 6-8 in shots. 

CUC's offense began to challenge the Dutch defense, come the second half. Putting together plays and creating space, the Cougars had two opportunities where a shot traveled bar-down but was ruled no-goal. 

Central remained relentless, however, and scored its second goal of the day with 26 minutes to go in regulation. Elise Askelsen dodged several Concordia-Chicago defenders and scored unassisted. The Dutch would strike once more before time expired and solidify the 3-0 win over CUC.
 
The next game for the Cougars is Wednesday, September 26 at 4 p.m. against Alverno College.