FORT WAYNE, Ind. — In its 2022 season debut, the Chicago State women's soccer team fell to Purdue Fort Wayne, 4-1, at the Mastodons' Hefner Soccer Complex.
"There were a lot of great takeaways from the game, and that's what we're going to continue to focus on," Fernandez said. "We're focused on our process, and we're progressing very well. We're looking forward to stepping on the field on Sunday."
In their opener, the Cougars struck first, as Delaney Kenney scored for CSU in the 23rd minute to make it 1-0.
The Mastodons bounced back 17 minutes later on a strike from Gigi Ricciardi right before halftime to tie it at 1-1 entering the break.
Then, in the second half, Purdue Fort Wayne racked up three unanswered goals, from Kelsey Gallagher and two from Mackenzie Evans, to come back for a 4-1 victory.
The Cougars also registered shots on goal tonight courtesy of Mary Perez Aguire, Dyana Dawood, Nahla Dominguez and Barbara Castellanos.
The Cougars return to action on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. matchup at UW-Green Bay. Chicago State makes its home debut on Sunday, September 4 against Idaho.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.
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