On Saturday, men’s soccer played Carnegie even in every important statistic except the only one that matters: the score.
The 14th-ranked Tartans defeated the visiting Maroons 3–0 in a game that wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the score suggests. Carnegie (10–1, 1–0 UAA) narrowly edged Chicago (6–2–2, 0–1) in the shot tally 10–9, while the Maroons took five corner kicks to Carnegie’s four.
In fact, the only period of the game that was lopsided was the first 11 minutes during which the Tartans scored all of their goals.
Carnegie opened the scoring after just three minutes when midfielder Jon Simon’s one-time shot off of midfielder Keith Haselhoff’s pass beat second-year goalkeeper Chris Giusto at the near post. Chicago’s deficit doubled in the sixth minute when the Maroons gifted Carnegie an own goal to make the score 2-0. Finally, forward Pat Lutz scored the Tartans’ third goal in the 11th minute after an assist from forward and UAA points-leader Ricky Griffin.
While there is no such thing as a good three-goal loss, Chicago may take heart from playing Carnegie evenly over the final 79 minutes. The match is among the toughest of the UAA season for Chicago, which will play 13th-ranked Rochester at home.
Unfortunately, moral victories do not count in the standings. If Chicago is to be a major player in the highly-competitive UAA, the Maroons will need to defend for the full 90 minutes and avoid the lapses that allowed Carnegie such a comfortable lead. The first chance to do that wil come at home this Saturday, when Chicago hosts Emory (6–2–2, 0–1).