EVANSTON, Ill. — Kicking off the 2022 season, the Chicago State men's soccer team battled it out against Big Ten rival Northwestern Thursday evening in Evanston, playing to a 3-3 draw against the Wildcats.
"I am incredibly happy with the fight and effort our young men showed tonight," head coach Norris Howze said. "Going down an early goal coupled with the weather delay, it's tough to remain focused for a contest. Our guys continued to fight for the full match. We are a bit disappointed with the result, however, with the effort and desire displayed tonight I believe this team can truly achieve special things this year"
In the first half, the Cougars came out hot as they pressed Northwestern back into their own field and produced shots by both Jethro Yumange and Cal-Wayne Allen. However, neither found the back of the net. As Northwestern countered, Chicago State defender Rashawn Kellman committed a foul in the penalty box, which gifted a penalty kick to the Wildcats. Forward Justin Weiss swiftly converted to give Northwestern a 1-0 lead at the 15th minute.
As the Cougars attempted to retaliate, an opportunity came in the form of a corner kick, which resulted in a shot for Niall Reid-Stephen, which sunk the ball into the net and tied up the game at 1-1 in the 28th minute. With momentum on their side, the Cougars produced yet another scoring chance in the form of a free kick which Danail Sergiv struck straight into back of the net as Chicago State answered back quickly and suddenly led 2-1.
The Wildcats, nonetheless, quickly answered back just before halftime, at the 40-minute mark. Brandon Clagette fired in a goal, which ultimately led to halftime with a tied score of 2-2.
Just four minutes into the second half, Reid-Stephen struck the ball in from nearly 30 yards out from the goal to lift the Cougars to a 3-2 lead.
It wasn't until the 84th minute that the Wildcats' continuous attacks finally paid off. Danh Tran netted a goal in to tie up the match at 3-3, the eventual final.
The Cougars return to the pitch Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at UW-Green Bay.
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 transitioningm 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. Follow the Cougars For complete coverage of Chicago State University athletics, follow us on social media @ChiStateCougars (Twitter), @ChiStateCougars (Instagram), /ChiStateCougars (Facebook), or visit the official home of Chicago State athletics at GoCSUCougars.com.
