The No. 7 Maroons are taking a short hiatus from UAA play this week to face off against two non-conference competitors. The squad played against Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) at home yesterday afternoon, and it now prepares to play Concordia University Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon before returning to UAA competition next week.
The South Siders entered the week of non-conference play coming off two huge UAA wins, beating No. 8 (and previously undefeated) Brandeis University 2–1 and New York University (NYU) 2–0 at home last weekend. On Monday, second-year midfielder Jenna McKinney was named UAA Athlete of the Week after netting the game-winning goal over Brandeis and adding a second goal plus one assist against NYU.
The Scarlet Hawks of Illinois Tech came to the South Side yesterday afternoon with a 5–10–1 record in comparison to Chicago’s 12–1–0. The Maroons dominated the entire game, outshooting IIT 31–7 over the course of the match and eventually prevailing 4–0. The team managed to coast for most of the game thanks to three early goals, one from third-year forward Mia Calamari at 12:26 and two from McKinney at 16:24 and 22:34. Meanwhile, first-year Katie Donovan and second-year Patty Dull tag-teamed in goal to post the team’s 10th shutout of the year.
The Maroons will look to add to their momentum on Sunday afternoon against Concordia in the last non-conference game of the regular season. Second-year goalkeeper Piper Mik attributes the team’s success thus far to the team’s work ethic. “When it gets down to it, we are all ready to work hard and grind it out,” she said.
The Concordia Falcons are also rolling with momentum, having won their last two games against Dominican University and Marian University, putting them at 4–9–1, an improvement after some early losses in their season.
Though Concordia will have the home advantage, Mik said the Maroons will enter the game with the same mindset they have had all season, a mindset that allowed them to bounce back from their only loss of the season against Emory with tremendous resilience.
“We are going to treat it like any other game and just work as hard as we possibly can for one another,” she said.
Although the squad, with its 12–1–0 record, can’t help but look toward playoff and conference goals, it continues to focus on bonding and winning together, especially considering the many first-years on the field.
“On and off the field, it’s all about team-centered mentality,” Mik said.
After playing the Falcons on Sunday, the Maroons will return to UAA play with games against Case Western Reserve University on October 28 and Carnegie Mellon University on October 30.
