River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's soccer team opened up their official season on their home field, hosting the Red Devils of Eureka College as their first opponent. The Cougars showed out defensively, grabbing a victory 1-0. This marks the first win under new head coach Graham Brennan and the first time the Cougars opened the season with a win since 2021.
Inside the Box:
- The Cougars got in eight shots with two shots on goal.
- Sergio Barragan Jr. (Cicero, Ill.) began his freshman season with making the Cougars' sole goal on the matchup.
- Nethan Gudiel (Chicago, Ill.) manned the goal, stinging up three saves for the Cougars.
First Half
- From the first whistle, Concordia came in strong, a diving block from Gudiel prevented an early goal from the Red Devils.
- Following up on Gudiel's earlier block, newcomer Barragan Jr. scored the first goal of the afternoon for the Cougars, a clean shot into the top center of the goal in the 7th minute.
- Pierre Balderas (Tlaxcala, Mexico) tried to hit back with a second goal, but the shot was off target.
- There was a lot of back-and-forth throughout the half, the Cougar goal being the only goal on the scoreboard to finish off the half, 1-0.
Second Half
- As the second half kicked off, the Cougars continued to keep their defensive efforts in check, keeping the Red Devils away from their net.
- The Red Devils began to stack up on their offense, attempting to get in shots against the Cougars, but the team was able to hold them off indefinitely, being quick on their feet.
- The Cougars would hold out and take in their first victory of the season, 1-0.
What's Next
The Cougars will be back at Concordia Stadium on Saturday, September 5 where they will host Hope College at 4:30 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's soccer can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
