BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — To open the month of April, the Chicago State women's soccer team (0-14, 0-12 WAC) dropped a 2-0 slugfest, to Utah Valley (9-4-3, 8-2-2 WAC).
"The team had a great performance today," head coach Cristiano Costa said. "The level of concentration was on point, getting more comfortable during the game, which was shown by us when we were defending and then able to counterattack with every presented opportunity. I think the team is gaining confidence by learning that they are capable of competing with other teams."
After three minutes, the high-flying Wolverines, who rank third in the conference in scoring, struck fist. London Miller tapped in her third goal of the season on a cross from Anna Pickering.
18 minutes later, Cassidy McCormick added to the early Wolverine surge. A rebound from an errant Heather Stainbrook header left McCormick wide open for a left-footed strike, her second goal of the season, to lift Utah Valley ahead by two.
Chicago State continually managed opportunities, with Barbara Castellanos and Kelsey Medina firing shots on goal, but Utah Valley's defense squashed many of the Cougars' charges.
One of Chicago State's best chances came in the 13th minute, when Castellanos, a Chicago native, plunged through the defense and launched a kick to the bottom of the net. But Brooklyn Nielsen, Utah Valley's goalkeeper, secured one of her two saves.
After the two early Utah Valley goals, Chicago State's back-line defense held serve, holding the Wolverines scoreless until the end, as Utah Valley escaped with a 2-0 win.
Freshman goalkeeper Stella Chiara Chiaradia tallied 10 saves to extend her WAC lead with 107 on the season.
The Cougars will again battle with the Wolverines at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The match will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network.
