RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- In a season full of firsts, the Concordia-Chicago men's soccer team will eagerly prepare for its last regular season game of the year tomorrow, as the Cougars' first NACC playoff game awaits them Saturday afternoon.
The Tilt... Concordia-Chicago will welcome MSOE to Concordia Stadium for a 2 p.m. meeting tomorrow. Like the Cougars, the Raiders have also secured a spot in the playoffs as MSOE currently sits in fifth place among the standings. Beginning at 1:45 p.m., complete coverage can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
Last Time Out... Picking up their fourth road win of the season, CUC routed Edgewood College last Saturday when the stakes were high. Needing a win to clinch a playoff berth, the Cougars exploded to a 3-0 victory led by sophomore
Ryan Kuhlman. While Kuhlman had two goals,
Alexis Gallegos scored the ultimate game-winner in just the seventh minute of play off a header from a corner kick.
Jose Retana had seven saves to pick up his seventh win this season and become CUC's winningest goalie in a single season in program history. CUC's win over Edgewood also marked the first time the team has ever defeated the Eagles in program history.
Walking the Plank... With two playoff teams meeting in the final game of the regular season, CUC will look to defeat MSOE for just the second time in program history. With an 8-6-2 overall record, and 6-3-1 stance in conference play, the Raiders average 1.94 goals per game while holding their opponents to just 1.22 goals per match. Joey Schauer is MSOE's biggest threat to the Cougars, as he has 13 goals on the season and single-handedly accounts for 37.5 percent of the Raiders' total offense.
Shake it Out... While the top six teams in the conference are already determined, there is still much to be determined in order of seeding for the 2019 NACC tournament. After tomorrow's games around the conference the field will be set, but until then CUC has three different potential outcomes. With a win tomorrow and a CUW loss or draw, the Cougars will finish fourth and have the opportunity to host a home playoff game on Saturday. If the Cougars take down MSOE and the Falcons of CUW also win their match against Lakeland, CUC will finish fifth and travel for their quarterfinal matchup. Lastly, if Concordia drops its contest tomorrow they will be the sixth-seeded team in the playoff bracket and be forced to travel for the first round of the playoffs.
