RIVER FOREST, ILL. – For their second home game this weekend, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars hosted the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers. With both teams chasing their first win of the season, the Pointers would come away with the win despite the Cougars finding some incredible offensive bursts paired with strong defense.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Naomi Gonzales (Santa Rosa, Calif.) led the team in the net and picked up a career-high nine saves with 21 shots faced.
- Erika Flores (Oxnard, Calif.) led the offensive charge and picked up two shots on goal on the day.
- Sofia Cazares (Rockford, Ill.) followed behind with one shot on goal herself.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- The Cougars wasted no time and a cross in from Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.) to Alexa Martinez (Downey, Calif.) just missed long and robbed them of their first shot opportunity. The Pointers would retaliate quickly and march their way down the field where they would be able to record the first shot of the game and send one just wide. This would be a similar trend in the early goings of the game, but strong backside defense from Julia Urbanczyk (New Lenox, Ill.) would help ward off the Pointers.
- The Cougars' first goal scoring opportunity would come in the seventh minute when a header from Morgan Burnap (Strafford, N.H.) would send E. Flores down field where she would have a one-on-one opportunity with the Pointers' keeper with three defenders on her tail, but would put the ball right at the hands of the keeper.
- The Cougars would see yet another goal scoring opportunity in the 31st minute where a give-and-go on the nearside between E. Flores and Cazares would see a long touch get just out of reach in a one-on-one with Cazares and the keeper.
- With less than six minutes to play in the half the Pointers would once again put the pressure on the Cougars and have themselves in a one-on-one opportunity against Gonzales, but with strong pressure from the freshman keeper the shot would sail wide and keep the game at a stalemate.
- By the end of the first 45 minutes, Gonzales would see four saves with the Pointers outshooting them 11 to one.
SECOND HALF
- The second half would open with a few fast-paced opportunities for both teams, but a through ball from E. Flores to Cazares would be waived off for an offside call.
- The Pointers would retaliate right away with a rocket of shot from outside the box bouncing off the crossbar before a second-chance shot would be collected by Gonzales.
- A physical battle from the Cougar defense would hold off the Pointers as Lorenza Mendoza (Murrieta, Calif.) would play lockdown defense and not allow anybody to get past her on the near side.
- The Cougars would give up a free kick right outside the box where the Pointers would take a long shot from 25 yards out that would aim for the lower right corner, but a diving Gonzales would deflect the ball. A second-chance shot from the Pointers would bounce off Gonzales again before another free kick right outside the box would give the Pointers their first goal of the day, taking advantage of an unsettled Cougar defense.
- Officially trailing for the first time of the game, the Cougars battled back and would see Angelina Barreno (Chicago, Ill.) feed a ball on the near side for Izzy Fairless (Royal Oak, Mich.) who would send a shot off her strong foot sneaking just past the keeper, but hitting the outside of the net.
- The Pointers would put the dagger goal on the board in the 74th minute with a rocket of a shot from 35 yards out would sneak into the back of the net in the upper right corner.
- CUC wouldn't have an answer for the two UWSP goals and close the game 2-0.
The squad will continue playing at home on Wednesday, September 3
rd as they host Carthage College for a 1:00pm kickoff. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
