RIVER FOREST, Ill. – It's homecoming week for Concordia University Chicago (CUC) and athletics has a busy schedule. Be sure to check out all the action below and come out to support this week!
 
Women's Soccer (5-9-1, 4-4-1)
The Cougars continued Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play with two games this week.
 
The Cougars first took on Benedictine University. CUC kept the pressure on the Eagles the full 90 minutes, and came out on top, 1-0. This was the first time since 2012 CUC has defeated Benedictine on the road. Stacey Maskery (Alfreton, England) lofted the ball into the box off a corner kick and found Cadence Hamby (Cumming, Ga.) who headed it into the net. Defensively, Naomi Gonzales (Santa Rosa, Calif.) collected three saves in net.
 
CUC then traveled up north to face Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC). The squad never gave up but ultimately lost 2-0. Gonzales and  Katelyn Wagner (Lagrange, Ky.) split time in goal. Wagner picked up three saves while Gonzales had four. Mia Hirayama (Mililani, Hawaii) had one shot on goal while Hamby and Natalie Flores (Placentia, Calif.) each took one shot.
 
This week, the Cougars play two NACC games at home. On Wednesday, October 21, the team welcomes Edgewood University to Concordia Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm. Then on Sunday, October 25, Marian University comes to River Forest for a 12:00 pm start.
 
Men's Soccer (2-9-2, 1-7-1)
CUC men's soccer also played Benedictine and WLC.
 
Against Benedictine, the Cougars rallied in the second half but fell 2-1.  Alexander Barrera (Chicago, Ill.) scored the Cougars' lone goal, assisted by Ronald Bardales (Zion, Ill.). Bardales also contributed two shots on goal. Nethan Gudiel (Chicago, Ill.) and Chase Zizak (Muskegon, Mich.) split time in net. Gudiel made four saves while Zizak made three.
 
The Cougars then traveled up to Wisconsin to take on WLC where they fell 2-0. Gudiel was a strong presence in net, collecting seven saves. Matthew Laboy (Chicago, Ill.), Matthew Laboy (Chicago, Ill.), Adrian Adame (Cicero, Ill.), and Barrera each took two shots with one on frame.
 
This week the Cougars start on the road, taking on Edgewood on Wednesday, October 21, at 7:00 pm. Then on Saturday, October 25, CUC returns to Concordia Stadium to face Marian. Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm.
 
Women's Volleyball (7-13, 3-3)
Women's volleyball competed in one non-conference and two conference matches this week.
 
On Tuesday, the Cougars played Elmhurst University, falling 3-0. Jessalyne Perkins (Chicago, Ill.) led the Cougars with five kills, three digs, two blocks, and two service aces. Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) also added five kills along with one block. Rosemary Brenner (Frankenmuth, Mich.) contributed nine digs and one assist.
 
The Cougars then came back home to Geiseman Gymnasium for the next two matches. CUC first hosted Benedictine and won the five-set thriller, 3-2. Day led the squad with 20 kills and two service aces. Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) recorded 10 kills and four blocks. Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) shined with 27 digs and four assists. Beatriz Goncalves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) added 17 assists and 18 digs.
 
On Saturday, WLC came to town and defeated the Cougars, 3-1. Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas) led CUC with 10 kills and one service ace. Day added six kills, one service ace, eight digs, and one block. Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also totaled six kills while being a strong presence at the net with five blocks. Brenner led defensively with 24 digs while Malainna Adler (Fenton, Mo.) added 12 digs and 17 assists.
 
This week, the Cougars have two matches on the road. On Thursday, October 22, the team travels up to Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) for a 7:00 pm match. Then on Saturday, CUC heads up to Marian. First serve is at 12:00 pm.
 
Cross Country
CUC ran at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, hosted by Augustana College. 
 
The men's team finished 30^th of 35 teams. Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) with a personal best time of 26:35.7. Following behind was Nathaniel Boksa (Norridge, Ill.) with a time of 28:01.1, 42 seconds faster than his previous best time.  Dominic Carlson (Loves Park, Ill.)  was next to cross the finish line with a time of 29:42.5. The fourth to reach the finish was Camari Edwards (Milwaukee, Wis.) with a recorded time of 31:08.2. Edward's time was 44 seconds faster than his previous best. Law Sholten (Frankenmuth, Mich.) secured the fifth spot with a personal best time of 31:34.7. Sholten's time was nearly 56 seconds faster than his previous best 8k time.
 
The women's team also saw multiple personal records. Danielle Giovenco (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) set the pace for the Cougars, finishing with a time of 25:44.0, which is 20 seconds faster than her previous best time. Not far behind, Gabrielle Vitto (Chicago, Ill.) reached the finish line with a time of 29:20.1, setting a new personal record which is over two minutes faster than her previous personal best. The final runner to cross the line for the Cougars was Mia Butler (Norridge, Ill.). She ran a new personal best of 36:17.0, which is 58 seconds faster than her previous best time.
 
The Cougars will be back in action on Saturday, October 31 when they compete at the NACC Championships in Batavia, Ill. The women race at 11:00 am while the men's race will begin at 12:00 pm.
 
Women's Tennis (2-10, 2-5)
The Cougars finished out the regular season this week.
 
The Cougars first played Illinois Wesleyan University in a non-conference matchup, where they fell 7-0. In doubles play, Brianna Bentz (Whitehall, Mich.) and Hannah Upole (Hinkley, Ohio) put up one point in their match while Sarah Gustafson (Merrill, Wis.) and Abigail Krueger (Brookfield, Ill.) picked up two points. At the No. 6 singles match, Gustafson put up a strong fight, falling 6-4, 6-1. Amirah Shakir (Dekalb, Ill.) picked up some points in her match, falling in the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-2.
 
CUC then hosted Marian. The Cougars delivered an impressive performance, defeating the Sabres, 6-1. At No. 1 doubles, Amelia Engelman (McKinney, Texas) and Shakir battled but fell 6-2. At. No. 2 doubles, Bentz and Upole dominated in a 6-1 victory. With the doubles point on the line, Gustafson and Kreuger delivered in the third spot, with a 6-0 shutout to give CUC two doubles victories and a 1-0 lead heading into singles play. The Cougars continued that momentum and won five of the six singles matches. Engelman held off her opponent at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-4. At No. 3 singles, Shakir won 6-1, 6-4. Upole had a decisive win at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-3. Kreuger dominated in her match in the fifth spot, winning in two 6-1 sets. Gustafson collected the last point for the Cougars with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles. After the match, the Cougars celebrated their two seniors, Engelman and Shakir for their contributions to the program.
 
The Cougars finish out the regular season with a 2-10 overall record and 2-5 NACC record. They currently sit sixth in the standings and await official confirmation of clinching the playoffs, which is scheduled for the spring of 2027.
 
Football (4-2, 2-2)
CUC came back to Concordia Stadium to host Lakeland University. The Muskies took an early lead, but the Cougars fought back and took the game 43-34. Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) led the Cougars with 300 passing yards, completing 15 of 20 passes and throwing three touchdowns. Kevon Lawson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) led in receiving yards with five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Korey Randle (East Moline, Ill.) also added to the scoreline with a 69-yard touchdown. Defensively, Kadin Stroer (Warrenton, Mo.) collected 15 total tackles, including six solo tackles.
 
CUC hosts Benedictine on Saturday, October 24. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm.
 
Esports
Both the Smash team and Overwatch team competed this week.
 
The Smash team won against Dunwoody College of Technology, 2-0. Cameron Hall (Chicago, Ill.) got the Cougars off to a quick start with Snake, taking seven stocks in a row off Pichu, Young Link, and Chrom before losing his three. Giovanni Jaramillo (Stone Park, Ill.) entered with Samus and took the final five stocks from Chrom and Little Mac to secure a 12-5 victory in game one. In game two, Luis Cortes (Maywood, Ill.) and Ridley struggled and lost his three stocks to Dunwoody's Young Link. James Bruxvoort (Holland, Mich.) with Dark Pit picked up his teammate and took four stocks in a row before losing his three. Hall followed and took six stocks in a row off Dunwoody's Ridley, Pichu, and Chrom before losing his final stock. Entering the final matchup with a 3-2 stock lead, Jaramillo on Samus secured the victory and the Cougars took game two, 12-10. They won the match 2-0.
 
CUC currently sits in third place. The Cougars' next match will be on Tuesday, October 20 against North Park University. The match is set for 7:00 pm.
 
The Overwatch team faced Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) and lost 3-0. The first map of control on Illois was an intense back-and-forth battle. Both teams gave it their all but the Cougars narrowly dropped the first point, 100-99.  The Mustangs continued that momentum to take the second point and win the first map 2-0. Connor Bleazard (Saint Joseph, Mo.) on Tank and Ephraim Fisher (Yorkville, Ill.) on DPS both had solid games. For game two, CUC chose Push. Unfortunately, the Mustangs' coordination and focus were too precise and CUC struggled for chances to fight back. SMSU won game two, 150-56, to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Myla Arganoza (River Grove, Ill.) and Cortes worked well together to fend off the attack of the Mustangs, but the Cougars came up short. In game three, the Cougars took the Mustangs to Eichenwalde. Jaramillo had several key plays early on to help the Cougars grab two points on the attack. However, SMSU was the stronger side and took game, 3-2, and the match, 3-0.
 
CUC's next match will be Friday, October 23. The Cougars will play Hamline University at 7:00 pm.
 
Track & Field
Throws Coach, Fatima Stingily competed in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11. Hear what she had to say about the experience:
 
"The Chicago Marathon was the coolest race I could have chosen. All 26.2 miles, there were people cheering, regardless of if they knew you. The other racers were extremely positive, and we all helped each other out when the race became tough. Throughout the race, I was able to see my friends and family, and that gave me an extra boost to keep going. In my training, I only ran up to 20 miles, so once I kept passing the mile markers beyond 20, it was a reward to say I've never ran this far, this is a PR! Overall, the Chicago Marathon was the most challenging things I've done, including the training and race day BUT the most rewarding knowing I am a part of the one percent and I legit can do anything if I put my mind and body to it."


 














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.