RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play began this past week for Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics, and the Cougars showed out. Check out all the impressive scorelines below.
 
Women's Soccer (2-5-1, 1-0-1)
The Cougars began conference play with an opening victory and a tie.
 
On Wednesday, the Cougars had a dominant performance against Rockford University, winning 4-0. Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.), Mia Hirayama (Mililani, Hawaii), Alexa Martinez (Downey, Calif.), and Presley Alvarado (Oxnard, Calif.) each put their name on the scoresheet. Quetzalli Arteaga-Vazquez (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Sofia Cazares (Rockford, Ill.) each tallied one assist while Reagan Espinoza (Ventura, Calif.) added two assists in the victory. Naomi Gonzales (Santa Rosa, Calif.) picked up the second shutout of the season, registering the lone save of the day.
 
Then on Saturday, CUC headed north to face Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). The Cougars knew it would be a tough battle but held their own and ended the game with a 0-0 tie. Gonzales recorded three saves for another shutout while N. Flores, Hirayama, Espinoza, and Alvarado each took a shot.
 
This week, the Cougars continue NACC play. On Wednesday, September 23, CUC plays at Illinois Tech at 7:00 pm. Then, on Saturday, September 26, the Cougars come back to Concordia Stadium to face Lakeland University. Kickoff will be at 1:00 pm.
 
Men's Soccer (2-3-1, 1-1)
CUC men's soccer also opened conference play.
 
On Wednesday, the Cougars welcomed Rockford to Concordia Stadium. The Cougars' perseverance triumphed, as a late goal by Damian Navas (Chicago, Ill.) was the difference between the teams. Ronald Bardales (Zion, Ill.) tallied the assist in the 1-0 victory. Nethan Gudiel (Chicago, Ill.) made three saves to preserve the shutout.
 
Three days later, the team traveled up to MSOE. It was a hard-fought game, but the Raiders went up in the first half and held the lead, as CUC fell 3-1. Bardales scored the Cougars' lone goal while Gudiel picked up a season-high nine saves in net.
 
This week the Cougars compete in two NACC games. They host Illinois Tech on Wednesday, September 23, at 2:00 pm. Then on Saturday, September 26, Lakeland comes to River Forest for a 3:30 pm kickoff.
 
Women's Volleyball (4-7, 0-0)
Women's volleyball had another busy week competing in five matches on the road.
 
On Wednesday, CUC faced Lake Forest College and fell 3-0. Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) co-led the squad with eight kills and recorded 10 digs, an ace, an assist, and a block. Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas) also picked up eight kills and a block. Defensively, Beatriz Goncalves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) led the Cougars with 12 digs.
 
CUC then competed in the Marilyn Scribner Invitational over the weekend, hosted by Wheaton College. On day one, the Cougars played Saint Mary's College (Ind.) (SMU) and Wheaton. Against SMU, the team fell 3-0. Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) led the offense with six kills. Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) followed with four kills while Day and Weronika Kurnat (Burbank, Ill.) each tallied three. Malainna Adler (Fenton, Mo.) and Goncalves recorded a combined 17 assists. The night ended in a five-set battle against Wheaton. The Cougars won the first set before the Thunder took sets two and three. CUC roared back to take set four, but fell in the final set, losing 3-2. Foster continued to have an impressive night on the court, recording a team-leading 13 kills while also notching three blocks. Day followed with 10 kills and three blocks while Brynn Icenogle (Brentwood, Calif.) picked up seven kills and four blocks. Adler recorded 22 assists while Goncalves had 16. Rosemary Brenner (Frankenmuth, Mich.) led the defense with 11 digs.
 
On day two, the Cougars were swept 3-0 by both Central College and Alma College. Against Central, Rachel Livesay (Medinah, Ill.) and Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) co-led the team with seven kills apiece. Livesay also tacked on four digs. Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis) was strong in the backcourt with 16 digs. Icenogle and Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) each had four kills and three blocks. In match two, Day le with 11 kills, two digs, and one block. Kurnat and Cooper each had six blocks while Kurnat recorded six kills and Cooper totaled four kills. Brenner tallied 13 digs while Moreno had five kills and three digs.
 
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.
 
This week the Cougars will begin NACC action. They will travel to Rockford on Wednesday, September 23. First serve will be at 6:00 pm.
 
Cross Country
The Cougars raced at the Gil Dodds Invite, hosted by Wheaton College.
 
On the women's team, Danielle Giovenco (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) paced all Cougars with a time of 26:13.1. Lydia Becker (Valparaiso, Ind.) followed with a time of 27:17.7.  Rose Losey (Royal Oak, Mich.) and Sarah Redhage (Lowden, Iowa) came in next, separated by just 0.3 seconds with times of 27.34.5 and 27:34.8, respectively. Addi McKee (Knoxville, III.) set a new personal best of 29:12.3 to round out the top five for the Cougars.
 
For the men, Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) crossed the finish line first for the squad, finishing 39^th overall and setting a new personal best time of 26:51.5, just over two minutes faster than his previous best time.  Nathaniel Boksa (Norridge, Ill.) came in next with a time of 28:45.6. The next two Cougars over the finish line were Julien Saltos (Chicago, Ill.) and Dominic Carlson (Loves Park, Ill.). Saltos set a personal best of 29:39.7 while Carlson ran a 29:54.9. Rounding out the top five was Cosby Lux (Landgrove, Vt.) with a personal best time of 31.44.9. Two more Cougars also picked up personal bests. Camari Edwards (Milwaukee, Wis.) ran a 31:52.8 and Cameron Mitchell (Racine, Wis.) ran a 33:18.7.
 
CUC races again on Saturday, October 3. The Cougars head to West Allis, Wis. for the Steve Travis Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC).
 
Women's Tennis (0-5, 0-2)
The team played two matches this week.
 
On Friday, CUC took on Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) and fell 7-0. Amelia Engelman (McKinney, Texas) picked up points in both sets at No. 1 singles but ultimately fell 6-2, 6-1. Hannah Upole (Hinkley, Ohio) and Aura Cortez-Cali (Berwyn, Ill.) each stole a point in their second set in their respective singles matches but both dropped their matches 6-0, 6-1. Duos of Upole and Cortez-Cali and Sarah Gustafson (Merrill, Wis.) and Abigail Krueger (Brookfield, Ill.) each lost their respective doubles matches, 6-1.
 
The following day, CUC resumed NACC play and hosted Edgewood University. The Eagles took the match, 7-0. Amirah Shakir (Dekalb, Ill.) paired with Upole at No. 3 doubles, and while they battled hard and picked up two points, they fell 6-2. Gustafson and Krueger stayed paired together at No. 2 doubles and dropped the match 6-1. At No. 1 singles, Engelman traded points with her opponent in set one before falling 6-3. She was then unable to convert the next set and fell 6-1. Brianna Bentz (Whitehall, Mich.) held the closest singles match at the No. 3 spot, falling 6-1, 6-4. Every Cougar put up points in their singles matches.
 
This week, the Cougars play one match. They will take a trip over to Illinois Tech on Tuesday, September 22. First serve will be at 12:30 pm.
 
Men's Tennis (0-1, 0-0)
The men's tennis team's competed against ONU on Friday. The Cougars gave it their best but ultimately fell 6-1.  August Barnes (Sodus, Mich.) earned the Cougars' lone point, winning his match at No. 4 singles. He took the first set 6-4 before dropping set two, 6-0. Barnes came back in set three, winning 10-7. Sam Smith (Dyer, Ind.) picked up points in both sets of his No. 2 singles match, 6-1, 6-2. Salvatore Davis (Berwyn, Ill.) fell in two 6-1 sets in the No. 5 spot. Adrian Acosta (East Chicago, Ind.) picked up points in the second set at No. 6 singles, falling 6-0, 6-2.
 
The Cougars will be back in action on Thursday, October 1. They take on Elmhurst University on the road at 3:00 pm.
 
Football (3-0, 1-0)
The Cougars picked up their third straight victory this weekend, defeating Rockford 46-20. This is the first time since 2017 CUC has gotten out to a 3-0 start to the season.
 
Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich) led the Cougars' offense, throwing for 282 yards and four touchdowns while also completing 13 passes. Bosch's favorite target of the day was Kevon Lawson (Pompano Beach, Fla.), who recorded 154 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Lawson's longest reception of 54 yards. Phoenyx Clark (South Bend, Ind.) made his name known on the field, rushing for 98 yards on two attempts, including a 63-yard touchdown. Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.) added to the running game with 48 rushing yards and a touchdown. Wesley Jackson (Robinson, Ill.) made four catches for a total of 106 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Kadin Stroer (Warrenton, Mo.) recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including five solo tackles. Following Stroer was Hagan Wascher (Frankenmuth, Mich) and  Brandon Shipp (Bolingbrook, Ill.). Wascher added 11 tackles while Shipped contributed 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
 
CUC is on a bye week this week but will be back in action on Saturday, October 3. They will head up to Mequon, Wis. to face Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) at 2:00 pm.
 
Esports
The Smash team gears up for the placement tournament this week. The Cougars are in Group I and will play the University of Southern Mississippi in the first round on Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 pm. In the following round, CUC will either play Arkansas Tech University or Carroll University.
 
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.