Falcons Fall After Late Cougars Goal

RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The Concordia Wisconsin women's soccer team fell in a heartbreaker to Concordia University Chicago on Saturday, victimized by a goal in the final minutes that gave the Cougars a 1-0 victory.

Both teams entered the cloudy afternoon contest fighting to build positive momentum on the season, having combined for a 1-10-1 record in their last twelve games. The gritty affair featured exactly the level of intensity expected for such teams, as neither was able to pick up a goal until the final three minutes.

Despite the failure to replace the zeros on the scoreboard with ones, both squads came extremely close as the game developed. Both the Falcons and Cougars clipped the crossbar but were immediately met with unfriendly bounces that kept the ball out of the net.

In the 86th minute, Falcons sophomore Autumn Snow (Cedarburg, Wis.) snuck a shot just over the reach of Cougars goalie Auloni Burnell, but yet again, it did not beat the crossbar, keeping the game scoreless.

Just a minute later, the Cougars would respond with a scoring chance of their own. A net-front scramble after a corner kick created just enough chaos to threaten Falcons goalie Brooke Braga (Belgium, Wis.). After Braga's initial save on Valeria Fernandez, Julianna Paulsen was able to bury the ensuing rebound. Fittingly, the ball ricocheted off of the crossbar and into the back of the net, granting the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

Working against the scoreboard and the brand-new deficit, the Falcons were unable to counter the tally, failing to register a shot attempt in the remaining two-and-a-half minutes.

Junior Isabella Rapp (Grafton, Wis.) led the Falcons with four shots on goal, and Braga would finish with five saves.

The Falcons will hit the pitch again on Wednesday, October 18 against the 0-10 Alverno Inferno.