MONTGOMERY, ILL. -- The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's soccer team battled through a physical back-and-forth contest against Aurora University with both teams trading chances and momentum. After a tight battle of a first half ended with a 1-1 game, the Cougars continued to press in the second half, ultimately falling short as the Spartans netted a late goal to win the game.
INSIDE THE BOX
- The lone Cougar goal scorer came at the foot of Angelina Barreno (Chicago, Ill.) who picked up one goal off two shots on goal while seeing 70 minutes on the field.
- Brooke Sheriff (Simi Valley, Calif.) spent the full 90 minutes in net for CUC, picking up four saves on the day.
- The Cougars and Spartans stayed fairly even throughout the game with both teams taking eight shots on the night, coming of the foot of Mia Hirayama (Mililani, Hawaii), Alexa Martinez (Downey, Calif.), Grace Chavez (Morgan Hill, Calif.), Erika Flores (Oxnard, Calif.), Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.) and Barreno.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
The Spartans struck first in the 11th minute when they were able to sneak an early goal past Sheriff. The Cougars wasted little time in responding as Barreno delivered the equalizer just a few minutes later with a deep rocket that left the Spartans' keeper no choice but to watch the ball find its way into the net.
A few minutes later, Hirayama nearly gave CUC the lead with a shot that rattled off the woodwork. She stayed active in the midfield, playing aggressive as the game progressed. Sheriff would be put to work in the first half, coming up with two big saves to close the half.
SECOND HALF
Both teams were making the attempt to push ahead, coming into the half with a new fire lit beneath them. Despite some promising runs, neither team would be able to take control. After trading fouls and a multitude of substitutions, the game would continue to be a physical battle. The Cougars generated some quality chances midway through the half with Chavez and N. Flores finding some opportunities, but the Spartan keeper stayed hot defensively. With fresh legs coming back on the field for the Cougars, Barreno and E. Flores helped to spark the Cougar offense. Despite the back-and-forth battle, the Spartans would force Sheriff into a crucial save late in the game before they would be able to sneak the go-ahead goal in during the 86th minute to close the game with the 2-1 lead over the Cougars.
Cougar women's soccer will be back in action on Sunday for a homecoming matchup against St. Norbert College. Kickoff is slated for 1:00pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
