Lutzow leads men to strong showing at Wisconsin Lutheran, named Athlete of the Week
Cougars burned by turnovers in loss to Eureka College
October 2, 2007 – The Concordia Chicago football team entered their Saturday, September 29 game at Eureka College with confidence that they could record their third win of the season for the first time in 15 years. Instead, five turnovers caused the Cougars to fight an uphill battle the entire day and, in the end, a late touchdown enabled the Red Devils to slip past the Cougars by a 28-21 score.
Cougar quarterback Mike Marotta ( Brookfield , IL – Riverside-Brookfield H.S.) was intercepted on the initial drive of the game, and the Red Devils converted the turnover into seven points when Eureka signal-caller Nick Lindsey scored on a 10-yard bootleg. Earlier, Lindsey had found Dillon Reed on a 45-yard pass to spark the drive.
Concordia would tie the game in the first minute of the second quarter. Jason Weeks ( Downers Grove , IL – North H.S.) entered the game at quarterback after missing the Benedictine game due to injury and led an 80-yard march down the field. Weeks hit Maurice Tisdale ( Jacksonville , FL – Potter's House Academy ) for a key third-down completion of 24 yards and later found younger brother Lukas Weeks ( Downers Grove , IL – North H.S.) from 26 yards out for the touchdown.
The rest of the second quarter belonged to Eureka as they would score twice for a 20-7 lead at halftime. Brett Dyer's six-yard run capped off a 65-yard drive for the go-ahead score (extra point failed), and Lindsey's 17-yard run in the final minute accounted for the 13-point edge at the break.
Concordia came out on fire to start the second half, and the emotion paid immediate dividends when D.J. Cooper ( St. Peters , MO – Fort Zumwalt West H.S.) recovered Lindsey's fumble on the first play from scrimmage. The Cougars turned the miscue into points when Jason Weeks snuck in behind center from a yard out.
Eureka looked to stretch their 20-14 lead, driving down to the eight-yard line, but Ahmad Muhammad ( Tallahassee , FL – Lawton Chiles H.S.) forced a fumble that was recovered by Jarvis Preston ( Orange Lake , FL – St. John's Lutheran). The Cougars then went the length of the field, fueled by Marotta's 38-yard pass to Tisdale. Weeks would come back in and score his second touchdown of the game, this one from two yards out. The extra point by Anthony Francia ( Westchester , IL – St. Joseph H.S.) gave Concordia a 21-20 lead with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Red Devils intercepted Weeks in the fourth quarter, and they capitalized on their final scoring opportunity. A gamble on a fourth-and-nine paid off as Lindsey's pass picked up the first down at the Cougar 37. Moments later, Lindsey found Brad Polanin on a 25-yard pass for the go-ahead score, followed by a two-point conversion, to take a seven-point lead with 5:23 left. The Cougars could not pick up a first down on either of their final two possessions, and the Red Devils would hold on for their first victory.
Marotta and Weeks would finish with a combined 177 yards passing on 10 of 24 with four interceptions. The Cougars rushed for 124 yards, led by Justin Peacock's ( Elmhurst , IL – York Community H.S.) 52 yards. Eureka finished with 424 yards on 216 rushing and 208 passing (Lindsey, 19 of 32 with no interceptions).
The Cougars fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Illini-Badger Football Conference with the loss. They will return home to host MacMurray College on Saturday, October 6 at 1 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL WINS THREE OF FOUR MATCHES
Concordia Chicago's volleyball team finished the week at 9-10 overall after winning three of their four matches last week, all on the home floor.
The Cougars defeated Wisconsin Lutheran College on Tuesday, September 25 by scores of 30-12, 30-22 and 30-13. Jordan Scifres ( Greenwood , IN – Indianapolis Lutheran H.S.) played an excellent match, recording 12 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Concordia's defense was solid, recording 56 digs and holding the Warriors to just a .101 attack.
Concordia hosted three matches within a 24-hour period over the weekend, and the Cougars got off to a good start with a Friday night win over Marian College by scores of 30-22, 30-26 and 30-19. The outside hitting duo of Scifres and Alex Pinotti (Evergreen Park, IL – H.S.) combined for 22 kills and a .525 attack, and middle hitter Jacquie Boatman (Aurora, IL – Waubonsie Valley H.S.) added nine kills in 16 errorless chances for a robust .562 hitting percentage.
The Cougars met Northern Athletics Conference leader Lakeland College on Saturday morning, and the Muskies improved to 6-0 in NAC play with a 30-20, 30-22, 30-16 win over the Cougars. Lakeland unleashed a combination of powerful hitting and strong blocking to keep Concordia on their heels for much of the match. Ashley Domask led the visitors with 16 kills (.500) and six total blocks, while Scifres led the Cougars with eight kills.
Concordia came back from the loss to sweep Purdue University North Central, 30-14, 30-23 and 34-32 in the weekend's final match. Pinotti and Boatman recorded nine kills each, and setter Kari Herbst ( Bartlett , IL – H.S.) handed out 27 assists and tallied nine digs.
The Cougars will play three NAC road matches this week at Aurora University (Tuesday), Maranatha Baptist Bible College (Friday) and Edgewood College (Saturday).
DOUBLES SWEEP LIFTS COUGARS TO WIN OVER MILWAUKEE ENGINEERING
The Cougar women's tennis team split a pair of matches last week, losing to Concordia University Wisconsin by a 9-0 score but defeating the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) by an 8-1 count. Concordia stood at 4-6 overall, 3-5 in NAC play with one week to go in the season.
Against Concordia Wisconsin , the best opportunity for a Cougar win came at third singles. Nicole Erickson ( Batavia , IL – H.S.) lost the first set 6-2 to Renelle Hui but battled back in the second set to a 6-6 tie; however, Hui would win the tie-breaker by a 7-2 score to take the flight in straight sets.
The Cougars' win over MSOE on Saturday was credited to their play in doubles. The team's recent troubles in doubles play were not apparent in this match, as Concordia prevailed in all three contests. Erickson and Stacey Raymond (Macomb, MI – East Detroit H.S.) held off Joy Cirilli and Sophie Janto by an 8-6 score at first flight, and Karla Wente (Maywood, IL – Walther Lutheran H.S.) and Amy MacLaughlin (Palatine, IL – H.S.) recorded an 8-4 win over Liz Keyes and Ashley Blise at third. Colleen Mullaney (Cary, IL – Cary-Grove H.S.) and Kate Densford (Union, MO – H.S.) had the easiest time of the three pairs, blanking April Miller and Nicole Bloedorn at second by an 8-0 score.
MacLaughlin recorded a shutout at singles play too, beating Miller at fourth by 6-0, 6-0 scores. Wente bounced back from her first NAC loss in singles to post a 6-0, 6-2 win over Blise at fifth.
Concordia's September 25 match at Aurora University was rained out and will be made up on Tuesday, October 2. The team will play at Benedictine the following afternoon before competing in the NAC tournament on Saturday and Sunday in Madison , Wisconsin .
LUTZOW LEADS MEN TO STRONG SHOWING AT WISCONSIN LUTHERAN
The Cougars' cross-country team competed at the Warrior Invitational on Saturday, September 29. The meet was hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College and held in Milwaukee , Wisconsin .
Concordia's men finished fifth in the nine-team field but third among the NAC teams represented at the meet. Joe Lutzow ( River Grove , IL – Walther Lutheran H.S.) ran a strong 8K race, recording a season-best sixth place finish (out of 54 runners) with a time of 29:15. Derek Kieninger ( Hanover Park , IL – Hoffman Estates H.S.) placed 19 th overall with a time of 30:19. He was followed closely by Manthan Satyawadi ( Schiller Park , IL – East Leyden H.S.) in 22nd with a time of 30:42. Zach Bauknecht ( Indianapolis , IN – Lutheran H.S.) finished in 32:47, and Eric David ( Chicago , IL – Schaumburg Christian H.S.) ran a 37:08 in his first collegiate race.
The Cougar women finished in eighth place out of 12 teams. Rachel Riske ( Mount Prospect , IL – Hersey H.S.) led the way in the 6K with a time of 27:52, good for 20 th place overall. Linda Haslett ( Jackson , MI – H.S.) came in at 34 th place with a 28:51. Roseann Dubert ( Yorkville , IL – H.S.) was next across with a 31:14, followed by Beth Munkwitz ( Franklin , WI – Martin Luther H.S.) at 31:55, Lindsay Halawith ( Franklin Park , IL – West Leyden H.S.) at 32:03 and Brandy Schank ( Oak Park , IL – Oak Park-River Forest H.S.) at 37:00.
“I thought that this was a tougher course than what we have run in the last two weeks, but our runners did a commendable job in handling the various challenges that this particular course presented,” stated Cougar head coach Dave Risch.
The Cougars will compete at the Benedictine University Invitational on Friday, October 5 at 4:30 p.m.
WOMEN'S SOCCER FALLS SHORT VERSUS CONCORDIA WISCONSIN
The Cougar women's soccer team played just one contest this last week, losing a hard-fought 2-1 game against visiting Concordia University Wisconsin on Saturday, September 29.
Concordia goalkeeper Kim Gottsacker ( Hainesville , IL – Grayslake H.S.) played an aggressive game in the back, keeping the Cougars in the contest during the first half as the Falcons enjoyed a 9-0 advantage in shots. Gottsacker made four saves, but one of the other shots eluded her for the half's only score. The shot came off the foot of Jaclyn Ventimiglia as she took a thru pass and beat Gottsacker from 13 yards out.
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, but the Cougars found a late spark on offense from forward Kari Zielke ( Elmhurst , IL – Walther Lutheran H.S.) and midfielder Amanda Ehrhardt (St. Louis, MO – Lafayette H.S.). A quick flurry of shots from the pair began to shift some of the momentum into the Cougars' offensive end. With 1:39 to play, Ehrhardt drew a hard foul close to the goal, and the referee signaled for a penalty kick. Zielke converted from the spot for her eighth goal of the season and 39 th of her career. However, the Cougars would have no more scoring opportunities over the final 99 seconds, and the Falcons would hold on for the victory.
Concordia (1-10, 1-4 NAC) will host Benedictine University on Tuesday, October 2 at 4 p.m. The team will then travel to the world-famous Anheuser Busch Center in Fenton , Missouri on Sunday, October 7 for a 2:30 p.m. contest against Webster University .
MEN'S SOCCER LOSE PAIR TO CONFERENCE RIVALS
The Cougar men's soccer team went 0-2 last week to fall to 2-8-1 , 1-3 in Northern Athletics Conference play.
Aurora University handed Concordia a 2-0 defeat on Tuesday, September 25. Lightning and a heavy rain delayed the start of the game and, when play finally commenced, the two teams settled into a tight defensive struggle. The game remained scoreless until the 57 th minute when Aurora was awarded a penalty kick. Chase Corricelli drove his shot past Cougar keeper John Gehm ( Frankenmuth , MI – H.S.) for a 1-0 Spartans' lead. Corricelli would score the second goal too, connecting on a header in the 76 th minute.
Concordia Wisconsin hit the Cougars for seven goals in the first 20 minutes of their September 29 game and coasted to a 10-1 victory. Brian Nord and Trevor Hess each scored four goals for the visitors, leading a 32-3 advantage in shots. The Cougars' lone goal came in the 23 rd minute when Ben Price ( Georgetown , TX – H.S.) tallied his fourth of the season. Price took a pass on the left wing from Fernando Cervantes ( Chicago , IL – Kelly H.S.) and hit a low shot that the keeper got a hand on but could not redirect.
The Cougars will play just one contest this week, a Sunday, October 7 match against Webster University at Anheuser Busch Center in Fenton , Missouri .
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Joe Lutzow ( River Grove , IL ) of the Cougar cross-country team, is honored for the week of September 24-30.
Lutzow ran a 29:15 in the men's 8K race at Wisconsin Lutheran's Warrior Invitational on Saturday, September 29. The effort was good for a sixth-place finish, Lutzow's best of the year to date, and it helped the Cougar men to a fifth place finish, third among the conference teams represented at the meet. “Joe's performance was a pleasant surprise, because this course was a tough one for all of the runners,” said Cougar head coach Dave Risch. “But Joe has run some really good races in the last few weeks, and I'm happy that he battled today and earned an excellent result.”
Lutzow, the son of Herman and Cheryl Lutzow, is a 2005 graduate of Walther Lutheran High School . He is a junior psychology major.
Concordia University Chicago is a liberal arts-based university in the Lutheran tradition. Concordia equips men and women to serve and lead with integrity, creativity, competence and compassion in a diverse, interconnected and increasingly urbanized church and world. Visit us on-line at www.cuchicago.edu .
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