RIVER FOREST, ILL. — As summer ends and fall starts, another season of Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's soccer begins. So before the season kicks off, take a look at what the team accomplished last season and what is in store for this season.
Last Season
The 2023 season opened at home on Sept. 1 with a visit from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. CUC was not able to muster up much offense, dropping the season opener 3-0. The team then hit the road for a pair of games at Coe College on Sept. 3 and Ripon College on Sept. 6. While the Cougars's defense still stood tall, allowing just three total goals in those two games, the offense still could not find the back of the net as the Cougars dropped both games.
Sept. 9 featured one more non-conference game, a home game versus Augustana College (IL), before Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play began. Yet again, Concordia's offense was stifled, being shutout 2-0.
Conference play began on Sept. 13 with a home contest against Rockford University. At last, Concordia's offense was able to break through, scoring two goals to win 2-1. The second goal, courtesy of Julianna Paulsen, came with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to seal the victory.
Another home conference game on Sept. 16 featured even more CUC offense. With the Lakeland University Muskies in town, the Cougars netted four goals while allowing zero for a 4-0 win. The following day, Concordia welcomed Lake Forest College to campus for a non-conference game. Neither team produced any offense and the match ended in a 0-0 tie.
Standing at 2-0 in conference play, CUC hit a rough patch between Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, which featured three road games at Aurora University, Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC), and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The Cougars dropped all three of those games while being outscored 6-1 in total.
Returning home did not do much to stop the skid. Oct. 1 saw St. Norbert College (SNC) shutout Concordia 1-0 in River Forest, and then Marian University came to town on Oct. 4 where they beat CUC 2-1. Hitting the road again, the Cougars fell to the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Oct. 7 by a score of 2-0.
Concordia ended the losing streak on Oct. 11 when Benedictine University visited the Cougars. Paulsen once again proved clutch for the Cougars, scoring an equalizing goal with less than 20 second on the clock to secure a 1-1 tie. Then, the team got their first win in nearly a month on Oct. 14 with a Senior Day, 1-0 win over Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW). To little surprise, it was Paulsen who scored the game-winning goal with less than three minutes to play in regulation.
CUC saw their second scoreless tie of the season on Oct. 18 when neither them nor Edgewood College were able to score. And another win befell the team on Oct. 21, when a scheduled game at Alverno College was forfeited.
A final non-conference game was hosted by the Cougars on Oct. 22 when Elmhurst University defeated Concordia 1-0 in what would also be the last home game of the year. The season finale took place down Division Street at Dominican University (Ill.) on Oct. 25. With their playoff hopes still alive, the Cougars were not able to overcome their cross-town rivals, losing 1-0.
With no playoffs in the cards, Concordia ended the season with a 3-12-3 record while going 4-7-2 in conference; the extra conference win was due to Alverno's forfeit.
During award season, sophomore goalkeeper Auloni Burnell earned herself an All-NACC Honorable Mention slot. The Riverside, California, native had a propensity for making saves, finishing number one in the conference in total saves while taking silver medal in the saves-per-game category thanks to 120 saves across the season. Her .863 save percentage and 1.52 goal-against-average mark were also impressive, especially for a second year player.
"Last season we improved our style of play but more importantly our culture," says Eddie Garza, head coach of the women's soccer team. "I believe we got stronger and that will help us this year. We didn't get the results at times but we had control of our conference tournament berth which is where we want to be."
Coach Garza
Preparing for his third season at the helm is Coach Garza. After joining the program in January of 2022, Coach Garza has compiled a total record of 6-20-8 while going 7-14-5 in conference play.
Prior to joining CUC, Coach Garza spent five seasons on Northern Illinois University women's soccer team's staff, serving as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator in 2021. His collegiate coaching career began at Ashford University in 2010, when he was an assistant coach for the men's team, a role he occupied until 2015. He then took the head job for the women's team, leading the team to a successful 2015 campaign where he was named Association of Independent Institutions Coach of the Year.
Returning Players
Helping Coach Garza reach his goals this season is a group of key returners from last year's squad.
"The returners that have played three years for me are the foundational players that will lead us closer to our goals," says Coach Garza. "They have invested a lot of time and continue to trust the process."
Coach Garza specifically shouts out Melica Kenworthy, Valeria Fernandez, and Allie Brown. Those three played the most minutes last year out of the returning group, and provide valuable leadership at the midfield and defender position. Fernandez also is tied for most goals scored among the returners last year with one, sharing the title with Pamela Saldivar.
On the backend, last year's goalie tandem of Burnell and Brooke Sheriff return for their junior years. Burnell was CUC's only All-Conference honoree last year, earning an Honorable Mention, thanks in large part to her 1.52 goals-against-average and .863 save percentage across 1125 minutes. As for Sheriff, she held opponents to just 0.73 goal-on-average while posting a .900 save percentage in 495 minutes of action.
New Faces
Joining the key returners is a large group of players wearing the maroon and gold for the first time. This year's roster features 14 names, including 13 freshmen.
"We have a very talented class," says Coach Garza. "The freshmen are here to make an immediate impact and to provide the depth needed in collegiate soccer. All of them will play a big role this year."
A Look Ahead
Following preseason scrimmages versus Clarke University and North Park University, the 2024 season begins at Augustana College (IL) on Aug. 30. Two days later comes the home opener versus Spalding University (Ky.).
Senior Day will occur on Sept. 7 during a home contest against Coe College. The Cougars then hit the road for a pair of games at Elmhurst University and the University of Dubuque on Sept. 8 and Sept. 11, respectively. The final non-conference game takes place on Sept. 14 at home against Great Lakes Christian College. There will be a reserve game the following day versus Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) hosted by CUC.
NACC play starts Sept. 18 with a road trip to Rockford. Concordia stays on the road to travel to Lakeland on Sept. 21. Three straight home games take place from Sept. 25-Oct. 2 against Aurora, WLC, and IIT, with another reserve game against Saint Ambrose thrown in on Sept. 29.
A pair of road games hit on Oct. 5 and Oct. 9 at SNC and Marian, respectively, before the Cougars return home on Oct. 13 to host MSOE. Oct. 16-23 might be the toughest stretch of the season, as it features three straight home games at Benedictine, CUW, and Edgewood.
The season wraps up with a two game stint at home. Alverno College visits campus on Oct. 26, and then a reserve game against Clarke takes place the following day. The regular season concludes with Dominican and the Division Street Rivalry at CUC on Oct. 30.
"My expectation is to compete," says Coach Garza. "The plan has always been to compete for the regular season title along with qualifying to the conference tournament."
2023 Stats Leaders
Offense
Goalkeeping
* - Indicates player is no longer on team
Women's soccer begins their 2024 campaign on Aug. 30 with a trip to Augustana College. Coverage for the season opener, as well as everything CUC women's soccer related, can be found at cucougars.com.
