RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics wrapped up another busy week of action. Take a look at what all our teams have been up to.
 
Women's Soccer (1-5, 0-0)
The Cougars rounded out their non-conference slate with three more games.
 
On Tuesday, the Cougars hit the road for the first time this season to face University of St. Francis. Despite going into the second half with a 3-0 lead, CUC ended up falling 4-3. Erika Flores (Oxnard, Calif.) scored twice while Cadence Hamby (Cumming, Ga.) recorded her first career goal for the maroon and gold.
 
Two days later, CUC competed against Lake Forest College. Katelyn Wagner (Lagrange, Ky.) stepped up in net, registering nine saves on the day, but a second half push from the Foresters saw the Cougars fall, 2-0.  Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.), Alexa Martinez (Downey, Calif.), and Sofia Cazares (Rockford, Ill.) each recorded a shot on goal.
 
The Cougars rounded out the weekend hosting Kalamazoo on Sunday. The Hornets scored late in the first half and then carried that momentum into the second half, as CUC dropped the game, 4-0. Naomi Gonzales (Santa Rosa, Calif.) recorded a season-high 10 saves while N. Flores and E. Flores each put a shot on target.
 
This week, the Cougars open up Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play. On Wednesday, September 16, CUC plays at Rockford University. Kickoff will be at 2:00 pm. Then on Saturday, September 19, the Cougars take on Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) on the road at 1:00 pm.
 
Men's Soccer (1-2-1, 0-0)
CUC men's soccer also finished their non-conference schedule.
 
On Tuesday, CUC headed to Rock Island, Ill. to take on Augustana. The Cougars went down early in the game but pushed for an equalizer. They were rewarded in the 77^th minute off a free kick outside the box. Pierre Balderas (Tlaxcala, Mexico) led the offense with one shot on goal off of two shots. Nethan Gudiel (Chicago, Ill.) picked up four saves in net.
 
The Cougars then welcomed the Jaguars of Governors State University on Friday. While the Cougars were able to create chances, they couldn't find the back of the net and narrowly fell 1-0.  Leonardo Pedraza (Waukegan, Ill.), Damian Navas (Chicago, Ill), and Adrian Adame (Cicero, Ill) each took a shot on goal. Gudiel made three saves.
 
This week the Cougars compete in two NACC games. They host Rockford on Wednesday, September 16, at 2:00 pm. Then they travel to MSOE on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff will be at 4:00 pm.
 
Women's Volleyball (4-2, 0-0)
The Cougars competed in one match this week.
 
In a five-set thriller on Wednesday, the Cougars came out on top against Eureka College, 3-2. Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the squad with nine kills and eight blocks while also picking up three digs. Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.), Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas), and Weronika Kurnat (Burbank, Ill.) each totaled seven kills. Beatriz Goncalves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) was the playmaker, recording 27 assists. Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) led defensively with 24 digs.
 
The Cougars will play a match on Wednesday, September 16, against Lake Forest at 7:00 pm. The squad will then travel to Wheaton, Ill. for the Marilyn Scribner Invitational. On Friday, September 18, CUC will face Saint Mary's (Ind.) at 4:00 pm and Wheaton College at 6:30 pm. The following day, the Cougars will play Central College at 10:00 am and Alma College at 12:30 pm.
 
Cross Country
The Cougars will race on Saturday, September 19^th, when they travel to Warrenville, Ill. for the Gil Dodds Invite. The men's race will be at 10:00 am and the women's race will be at 10:45 am.
 
Women's Tennis (0-3, 0-1)
The team played to home matches this week.
 
On Wednesday, they played Ripon College. Despite multiple close sets, the Cougars fell 7-0. At No. 3 doubles, Sarah Gustafson (Merrill, Wis.) and Abigail Krueger (Brookfield, Ill.) played their opponents tightly, narrowly falling 7-6 with a 8-6 tiebreak. Krueger also had an intense match at No. 5 singles. She won the first set, 7-5 before falling in the second set 6-3. In the final set, she was narrowly defeated, 10-8. Amirah Shakir (Dekalb, Ill.) had her first set at No. 3 singles go to a tiebreaker, but her opponent won out and took the point.
 
The Cougars then began NACC play on Saturday as the Falcons of Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) came to CUC Courts. CUC battled the whole match but was shutout, 7-0. Duos of Aura Cortez-Cali (Berwyn, Ill.) and Hannah Upole (Hinkley, Ohio) and Sarah Gustafson (Merrill, Wis.) and Kreuger were each able to win a game in their respective doubles matches, but both fell 6-1 to their opponents. Amelia Engelman (McKinney, Texas) picked up a game in each of her two sets at No. 1 singles but dropped the match, 6-1, 6-1.
 
This week, the Cougars play three matches. On Friday, September 18, the Cougars take on Olivet Nazarene University at 3:00 pm in Bourbonnais, Ill. The following day, CUC will host Edgewood University for a 10:00 am NACC matchup. The team rounds out the weekend with a non-conference match against Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill. at 10:30 am.
 
Men's Tennis (0-0, 0-0)
The men's tennis team's match against Indiana University East on Sunday sadly got postponed due to weather. The team will be back in action on Friday, September 18, when they face Olivet Nazarene at 3:00 pm on the road. The Cougars will then face Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Ill. on Sunday, September 20.
 
Football (2-0, 0-0)
The Cougars held their home opener and dominated against Grinnell College, winning 42-7.
 
Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) completed 11 passes for a total of 196 yards with one interception and three passing touchdowns. Phoenyx Clark (South Bend, Ind.) made his mark, scoring his first collegiate touchdown and rushing for a total of 70 yards. Dominick Jolley (South Bend, Ind.) scored his first collegiate touchdown to open the game. Joron Brown (St.Joseph, Mich.) had a three-yard rushing touchdown while finishing with 62 rushing yards. Korey Randle (East Moline, Ill.) picked up the longest touchdown of the game, for 88 yards, contributing to his team leading 122 receiving yards. Wesley Jackson (Robinson, Ill.) and Kevon Lawson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) each added a touchdown to the Cougars' offense. Defensively, Kadin Stroer (Warrenton, Mo.) led the team with 12 tackles, two of which were solo. Adam Lambaz (Elgin, Ill.) and Brandon Shipp (Bolingbrook, Ill.) combined for a sack while Cayden Brown (Kalamazoo, Mich.) went a perfect six-for-six in kick attempts.
 
This week, the Cougars will welcome Rockford to Concordia Stadium to kick off NACC play. The game will start at 1:00 pm.
 
You can keep up with all things CUC Athletics on X @CUChicagoSports, watch all the action at cucougars.com/coverage, and view all photos from the seasons here.