ITTA BENNA, MS - The Chicago State women's soccer team faced off against Mississippi Valley State and won a 4-3 thriller.
In the first half, the Cougars came on fired up from their previous win as Barbara Castellanos fired in a goal just 44 seconds into it to lead 1-0.
Nonetheless, the Delta Devils quickly bounced back as they converted a goal at the 2nd minute mark to tie it up 1-1.
The Cougars then pressed Mississippi Valley and kept possession of the ball, which ultimately led to a stunning goal from Juliette Palechor to regain the lead 2-1.
The Cougars and the Delta Devils then went back-and-forth on a defensive battle as neither was able to break through.
It wasn't until the 43rd minute that the Cougars finally broke through with a beautiful goal from Mary Perez to lead 3-1 heading into the half.
To start the second half, the Cougars once again came in hot as with just 7 minutes in, Ky Ryan converted her first goal of the season to stun the Delta Devils and go up 4-1.
Unfortunately, the Delta Devils once again quickly struck back as just a minute after they converted a goal to near the Cougars at 4-2.
The Delta Devils then scored once again at the 68th minute to stun the Cougars and suddenly get close at 4-3.
Fortunately, the Cougars defensive prowess earned them the victory at full-time with a final score of 4-3.
The Cougars next face the University of Hartford on Friday at 4 P.M. in West Hartford, CT.
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.
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