RIVER FOREST, Ill. – On a brisk, sunny afternoon, the Concordia Chicago men's soccer team hosted the Benedictine Eagles (5-6-2, 3-4-1 NACC). The Cougars took the lead and never looked back, claiming victory over the Eagles 3-2. Concordia is now 4-9 (3-6 NACC).
Inside the Box
- Michael Senese (Naperville, Ill.) scored in the 19th minute, assisted by Xavier Avila (Berwyn, Ill.).
- Avila scored his own goal in the 23rd minute.
- Garrett Poynter (Noblesville, Ind.) picked off the Eagles' defense and scored in the 55th minute.
- Senese and Poynter co-led the team with three shots on goal each.
How it Happened
The Cougars maintained a strong amount of the possession to begin the game. Concordia pressed forward and was rewarded in the 19
th minute. Avila laid the ball into the path of Senese tipped the ball passed the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner for a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later,
Elias De Santiago (Chicago, Ill.) took a hard shot that the Eagles' goalkeeper couldn't grab. Avila pounced on the loose ball, following it all the way into the back of the net to double the lead.
The Eagles were able to snag a goal back in the 30
th minute and the teams went into halftime with a 2-1 scoreline in favor of the Cougars.
In the second half, the Cougars remained calm and quickly increased their lead back to two. Poynter picked off the ball from Benedictine's defense, took it down to the goal line, and snuck it past the goalkeeper to the far post.
Multiple Cougars created chances up front for themselves including,
Justin Ocampo (Melrose Park, Ill.), who almost added his name to the scoresheet, with his strong header just pushed away by the Eagles' goalkeeper. Benedictine was able to grab a second goal in the 88
th minute, but the Cougars kept their composure and secured the win, 3-2.
The Cougars next game will be Saturday October 19 at 1:00 pm. Concordia travels to Mequon, Wis. to face Concordia University Wisconsin. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.Â
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