BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Playing its first home match in three decades, the Chicago State men's soccer squad took down the South Suburban Bulldogs, 2-0, in an exhibition Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium.
"For me, this is special," head coach Trevor Banks said. "And to do it at SeatGeek is even better. The, even when we were up 2-0, we continued to fight. We created opportunities in the attacking third. Our guys showed some of that today, and it was awesome to have success."
In the 36th minute, Chicago State senior forward Olesson Cesalien, who doubles as a track and field star, set up freshman forward Kevin Vargas in the offensive zone. Vargas, a Central Falls, Rhode Island native, struck home his first goal of the season to lift the Cougars ahead, 1-0.
"All the credit to Olesson," Vargas said. "He could have scored, but he unselfishly passed it to me."
Seven minutes later, Chicago native Aaron Moreno launched in Chicago State's second goal of the afternoon on a well-timed assist from freshman Kaleb Greene.
"I wasn't going to go for it at first, but I sprinted to the ball and went through the middle," Greene said. "I saw Aaron, and he finished it clinically."
The Cougars led, 2-0, at halftime, behind a well-balanced attack and efficient goalkeeping from the duo of Jacob Huber and Sebastian Montoya.
In the second half, South Suburban countered with a few heart-stopping offensive chances, including a near-goal in the 20th minute. But Montoya, a freshman goalkeeper from Berwyn, Illinois, stifled the opportunity with a sprawling save.
The Cougars continued to hold strong and secured a 2-0 win.
Chicago State's next match is slated for April 3 at Marquette.
