The Concordia University Chicago men's soccer team squeezed their way into the NACC South tournament after a 2-0 win over Rockford last week. Today, April 22, they played in the semifinal match as they took on Division Street rival Dominican University.
 
The two teams battled throughout the contest as they hit the pitch in River Forest. The Stars of Dominican grabbed the lead early in the game as they scored in the 12th minute. This meant the Cougars would have to put in work throughout the entire match to come back in.
 
Well, they did just that.
 
Every member of the CUC squad fought for a comeback in the game. They kept up with a strong Dominican offense and found many opportunities of their own to put pressure on the Stars' defense. It paid off in the final 10 minutes when Gerardo Medina (Cicero, Ill.) scored the team's only goal off a pass from Joel Diaz (Chicago, Ill.) to push the match into overtime.
 
Although they continued to put their all on the field, the Stars finished the game off in the first three minutes of overtime as the game ended in a 2-1 loss for CUC.
 
The offensive pressure from the Cougars came heavily from Medina, who put three shots on goal throughout the game. Freshman Julian Granzetto (Evanston, Ill.) also added to the team's efforts, registering two shots. On defense, Nicholas Pasut (New Boston, Mich.) played in goal, tallying six saves. The rest of the Cougars' defensive line stopped numerous attempts by the Stars as they searched for opportunities to find the back of the net.
 
Although this game would have sent the Cougars to the NACC South finals, their season is not done yet. They still have one more home game as they host Elmhurst College. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 12 p.m. on April 29.