RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's soccer team hosted the Spartans of Aurora University this afternoon in a hard-fought Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) matchup. The Cougars never gave up but fell 3-0.
 
Inside the Box

• Nethan Gudiel (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a career-high 16 saves while also coming up big in the box with other defensive plays.
• Giovanni Velasquez (Cicero, Ill.), Michael Senese (Naperville, Ill.), and Isaac Hernandez (Crystal Lake, Ill.) each had a shot on frame.

 
First Half

• From the first whistle, Aurora took control and kept the ball in the Cougars' defensive zone. Gudiel had to make a diving save just three minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Gudiel used his entire body to close down the angle and block the Spartans' shot.
• Gudiel made another diving save in the 15^th minute, giving the Spartans a corner kick. Aurora took a quick corner and capitalized on it, taking a 1-0 lead.
• Just after the goal, the Cougars found a way to breakthrough up top. A nice ball up to Senese gave CUC a 1-on-1 opportunity against the Spartans' goalkeeper, but Aurora was able to block Senese's shot.
• The teams battled back-and-forth, as Gudiel continued to come up big for the Cougars, but the Spartans were able to double their lead in the 39^th minute.
• Gudiel came out to challenge for the ball and denied Aurora another goal in the 41st minute, keeping the scoreline 2-0 at the half.

 
Second Half

• The Spartans picked up where they left off and extended their lead to 3-0 in the 48^th minute.
• Off the restart, Gudiel quickly had to pounce on a low, hard shot and then block another shot to keep the damage to a minimum.
• The Cougars struggled to get going offensively, as Gudiel continued to stand strong in net.
• In the 73rd minute, Hernandez tried his luck from inside the box, but a diving saving by Aurora's goalkeeper kept the Cougars scoreless.
• Six minutes later, Velasquez had the last opportunity for CUC, but his header was collected by Aurora's goalkeeper.
• Gudiel would make four more important saves and as the final whistle blew, CUC lost 3-0.

 
What's Next
The Cougars will play Sunday, October 5, at Concordia Stadium. CUC will host St. Norbert College at 3:30 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's soccer can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.