By AJ Schlott
As the 2019 NACC fall season nears its conclusion, the fans of the Concordia University Chicago Cougars have not one, but two reasons to be excited. For the first time in school history, TWO of their teams will be competing in the NACC tournament! This historic accomplishment was achieved thanks to the talents of both the women’s volleyball and soccer teams.
The first team to secure a tournament spot was the volleyball team. In order to punch their ticket, they needed to overcome the always threatening opponent Marian University. It was definitely a fight to the finish, as Marian struck first, stealing the first set from the Cougars. This would not seem to frighten them; however, as Concordia’s women battled through the next three sets, winning all three of them by two points, and sealing away any doubts of their success. This huge feat also helped to erase the drought they had, with their first playoff berth since 2011. The Cougars are looking at either a fifth or sixth seed in the NACC Tournament, which begins Tuesday, October 30th, although they do have one last regular season tournament, as they head to the Benedictine Invitational this Saturday.
The second team in this historic playoff duo is definitely a fan of drama, as they slipped into the NACC Tournament after a win in the last game of the regular season. Faced with the task of needing to either beat or draw with the powerhouse Aurora University, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars came out with their claws sharpened. In their entire history as a team, the women had never beaten Aurora in a match, but as their entire season depended upon it, it was as if the Cougars had been given new life. The first half was explosive, with the Cougars pouncing within the first twenty five minutes, due to a rocket off the foot of junior midfielder Samantha Wozniak. They would not be satisfied with just the one goal, as with time expiring in the first half, sophomore midfielder Cecilia Kochanek, danced a shot right past the Aurora goaltender, sending the Cougars into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Hoping to secure the playoff spot as well as the victory, Wozniak was not done yet. Within the first fifteen minutes of the second half, she managed to place another shot, putting the Cougars up by three. Aurora would not go silently; however, as they did manage to score once in the final minutes, but it would be all for naught as the CUC Cougars won the game, locking down a playoff seed for the second time in three years. The Cougars are seeded at fourth, and will be facing off against Concordia University Wisconsin this Saturday in Mequon, Wisconsin.
Both the volleyball team and the soccer team will need all the support they can get in this upcoming tournament, and it would definitely be a historic season if they both can not only go to the tourney but finish on top as well. All the games will be streamed on cucougars.com, so even if you cannot make it out to the games, you can tune in a support the CUC Cougars!
