RIVER FOREST, ILL. —  It was a big week in the world of Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics. Multiple teams on campus opened up Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, Esports began their season, and many personal records were shattered by several cross country runners. 

Women's Soccer (5-3-1, 1-0-1)

Conference play opened up this week for women's soccer, who played in two games. 

On Wednesday, CUC won 1-0 at Rockford University. Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.) scored the lone goal for the Cougars, and was assisted by Elle Wheelock (Holland, Mich.). In goal, Brooke Sheriff (Simi Valley, Calif.) made four saves to earn her fifth shutout of the year. 

Then, on Saturday, Concordia took a trip to Lakeland University to face the Muskies; the two teams ended up in a 1-1 tie. Freshman Mia Hirayama (Mililani, Hawaii) potted her first collegiate goal, assisted by Quetzalli Arteaga-Vazquez (Harrisonburg, Va.). Sheriff added another three saves to her season total. 

Women's soccer returns home this Wednesday, Sept. 25, to host Aurora University in another NACC game at 2 p.m.. The squad is home again on Saturday, Sept. 28, when Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) visits River Forest for a 3:30 p.m. game. Finally, Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) comes to CUC on Sunday, Sept. 29, for a reserves game slated for 2 p.m. 

Men's Soccer (1-5, 0-2)

The conference schedule opened with a pair of shutout losses for men's soccer.

First was a 3-0 loss versus Rockford at home on Tuesday. Freshman Chase Zizak (Muskegon, Mich.) made three saves in the 63:40 he played.

Another shutout was suffered on Saturday in the form of a 1-0 loss at the hands of Lakeland. Kyle Schultz (Pingree Grove, Ill.) compiled four saves in net for the Cougars.

Two more NACC games are on the horizon this week. First, the team travels to Aurora on Wednesday, Sept. 25, for a 7 p.m. match. Then, on Saturday, Sept. 28, men's soccer is back home to host WLC; kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

Cross Country

The cross country squads could be found at the Gil Dodds Invitational this past Saturday. 

Nathaniel Hernandez (Harwood Heights,Ill.) paced the men's squad, finishing first among CUC runners and adding another personal record (PR) to his name. Three other Cougars established new personal bests, including Miguel Sanchez (San Antonio, Texas), who broke his previous PR by over three minutes. 

Women's cross country was also in competition, and placed 15th of the 19 teams running. Ariel Martinez (Berwyn, Ill.) crossed the finish line first amongst CUC runners with her time of 25:27.7. Right behind her was Tegan Oas (Shingle Springs, Calif.), whose 25:29.2 run was a new PR for the senior. Five more Cougars ended up setting new career bests during the race. 

Cross country is back in action this Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island. The women's squad races at 12 p.m., while the men begin at 12:45 p.m.

Women's Volleyball (5-5, 0-1)

Only one game was on the schedule this past week for women's volleyball, who took action at WLC on Wednesday for the NACC opener. 

Unfortunately, CUC was unable to secure a set against WLC and lost 3-0. Lili Hunt (Greenfield, Ind.) was the kill-leader for the Cougars, collecting seven; Rachel Livesay (Medinah, Ill.) was right behind her with six of her own. Malainna Adler (Fenton, Mo.) dished out 16 assists in the three sets, while Janelle White (Morton Grove, Ill.) snagged nine digs. 

Conference play continues this week for women's volleyball with a match at Rockford on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. The Cougars then take a break from conference play on Saturday, Sept. 28, when they host the CUC Triangular and Lawrence College and Central College come to CUC. Concordia takes on Lawrence at 12 p.m. before Lawrence and Central face off at 2 p.m. The day closes with the Cougars taking on Central at 4 p.m. 

Women's Tennis (2-5, 2-2)

It was a tough week for women's tennis, who dropped three straight matches.

The first loss came on Tuesday in the form of a 5-2 defeat at the Illinois Institute of Technology. CUC's two points came courtesy of Jessica Parker (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) and Demi Presto-Martin (Brookfield, Ill.)'s doubles win and Parker's win in solo play. 

Concordia was then shut out twice in row to end the week, losing 7-0 versus Illinois College on Saturday and then 7-0 on Sunday to Saint Mary's College (IN). 

Conference play resumes on Tuesday, Sept. 24, when women's tennis travels to Alverno College at 5 p.m. Then, CUC faces off with our sister school from Michigan, Concordia University (Mich.). That Battle of the Concordias is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Concordia-Michigan.

Football (1-2, 0-1)

Football played in another thrilling match this past Saturday, barely falling to Lakeland University in an absolute shootout, 66-61. 

CUC quarterback Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) compiled over 400 yards of total offense while scoring seven total touchdowns. Troy Pratley (St. Joseph, Mich.) added a rushing touchdown, and Jayce Levy (Davenport, Iowa) and Henry Jones IV (Atlanta, Ga.) both had multiple receiving touchdowns. Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.) was Concordia's leading rusher with 86 net yards, and he also received a touchdown. Despite the loss, this was the Cougars's highest scoring game since 2012 when CUC beat Maranatha Baptist University 62-26 on November 10. 

Concordia now prepares for one of the toughest matchups of the year, as they will travel to face the number 22 team in the country, Aurora University, on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Esports (2-1)

The 2024 Esports season kicked off last Monday with a three-game placement tournament. 

CUC dropped the first game of the year to Florida Polytechnic University, 13-3. But the Cougars rebounded nicely, picking up a 13-8 win over St. Bonaventure University and then a 13-10 victory against Pace University to go 2-1 in the placement tournament. 

With the placement tournament behind, the Cougars now enter the regular season tonight, Monday, Sept. 23, with an 8 p.m. match versus Southern Illinois University - Black.