After suffering a tough loss this weekend, the University of Chicago football team is looking to redeem itself.

The Chicago Maroons absorbed a difficult loss against St. Norbert this past Saturday, as they were shut out for the first time since the 2012 season. The 10–0 loss broke the team’s three-game winning streak. 

St. Norbert only scored in the first half, with a 20-yard field goal and 24-yard touchdown. Ranked third in all of NCAA Division III in turnovers forced, the Maroons defense responded aggressively, completely shutting out St. Norbert in the second half. First-years Dylan Faires and Jackson Ross led the defensive effort with 11 and nine tackles respectively. 

Unfortunately, the squad’s defense was not enough and the Maroons were held scoreless. “St. Norbert is a very disciplined team,” second-year Ben Christensen said. “Both teams played well, but St. Norbert made more plays than we did and ultimately edged us out, only by a little bit.”

Rather than fixating on the loss, the Maroons are using it as motivation moving forward, especially with the homecoming game in sight. “We’re going to correct the mistakes we had from the St. Norbert game and focus on better execution for the next game coming up,” said third-year defensive back Jeremy Vincent. “We knew we didn’t play our best game, so we are going to have that extra motivation to play at the level we’re capable of moving forward.”

Echoing his teammate’s sentiments, Christensen said, “We don’t want this game to carry over and influence the way we play the rest of the season. We want to still give our best efforts and finish the season strong, especially for the upcoming homecoming game.”

With the homecoming game and the end of the season approaching, the Maroons are looking to bounce back from the loss and finish the season with an impressive record. Vincent, who is also team captain, is looking to motivate his teammates following the difficult defeat. “Moving forward, I’ll be motivating the team by being vocal on the field and playing with energy to get everyone going,” Vincent said. “It’s important that we send our seniors off on a good note, so getting everyone on the same page to finish the season strong is something I will definitely use as motivation for the rest of the season.” 

Looking ahead to this weekend, the Maroons will take on Beloit College on Saturday, October 21, at home for this year’s homecoming game.