RIVER FOREST, ILL. — Celebrating the first home game of Homecoming Week, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's soccer team played host to the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Scarlet Hawks this afternoon. The Cougars were able to connect on two incredible plays, but the Scarlet Hawks would end up taking the win 3-2.
Inside the Box Score:
-
Brandon Arias (Bensenville, Ill.) had a lights out day on offense, as he shot in his first two goals of the season
-
Garrett Poynter (Noblesville, Ind.) and Joseph Perez (Crystal Lake, Ill.) both helped Arias score these goals
The first half of play for the Cougars and Scarlet Hawks was entirely matched. IIT would be the first to strike towards the goal, but goalkeeper Kyle Schultz (Pingree Grove, Ill.) stayed resilient in net. As CUC tried to push the offense in their favor, Julian Yanez (Cicero, Ill.) would try to find a spot, but would just miss out right. Following Yanez's attempt, Alexander Lechowicz (Chicago, Ill.) and Andrew Lechuga (El Monte, Calif.) both made attempts of their own, but just could not find the back of the net.
Two yellow cards were given out after an IIT corner kick, but CUC was unable to make a goal out of this opportunity. The Scarlet Hawks made two more shots on goal, but Schultz was able to hold them off from scoring. Going into the half, these two opponents were tied 0-0.
Opening up the second period, the Scarlet Hawks were immediately jumping on the offensive. They scored back-to-back goals and made a quick lead of 2-0. Poynter would make his way down field for a shot on goal of his own, before Arias finally connected in his first goal of the season. The junior defender took the pass from J.Perez and connected in goal at 2-1.
After two Cougar corner kicks, Arias made another shot into the net with a Poynter assist. This finally tied the game back up at 2-2. Locked in battle, the Scarlet Hawks made some substitutions to get fresh legs into the game. Two more yellow cards were given out and IIT took advantage of the situation to score 3-2. Lechowicz would attempt one more shot on goal, but it would be too late for the Cougars. CUC fell to IIT with a final score of 3-2.
The Cougars stay at home to close out Homecoming Week with a Sunday afternoon game against St. Norbert College at 3:30 p.m. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
