Morazan's PK Lifts Cougars Over Cardinals

(Howell, MI)-- It was a physical game that saw both teams have their chances, but it was the Cleary Cougars who wound up on top, as they defeated the visiting Concordia Cardinals 1-0 Wednesday evening at Lake Trust Stadium.

Cleary thought they might take an early first half lead, as Lesman Morazan was able to make a move and dribbled past the goalie, but fired his shot into the side netting.  Concordia started to apply some pressure, and their press allowed the Cardinals to control much of the first half.  The Cougars defense remained solid, and saw out the remaining minutes as both teams went into halftime tied 0-0.

In the second half, Concordia drew a penalty in the 54th minute and were looking to take the lead.  Vaios Papadoudis made an incredible diving save to preserve the scoreless game.  On the ensuing counter attack, Adam Baldwin was able to draw a foul in the penalty area, and Lesman Morazan would score the resulting penalty kick to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead with 35 minutes to play.  Those final 35 minutes were filled with fouls by both teams, and no clear cut scoring chances, as the Cougars held on the pick up their first conference victory of the season.

Lesman Morazan's goal was his 4th of the season, and 3rd in the past two games.  Vaios Papadoudis didn't face as many shots, but came up big in the biggest moments, as he made 3 saves on 3 shots on goal.  The clean sheet also gave Papadoudis his third shutout this season.  Cleary improves to 3-5-3, 1-2-1 in the WHAC.  The Cougars will be back at Lake Trust Stadium this Saturday, October 8, as they welcome the UM-Dearborn Wolverines for a WHAC and Homecoming matchup.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.  

Game Notes: This was the first WHAC victory since October 27, 2018, when the Cougars defeated Aquinas at Page Field.  With the Cleary Cougar women's soccer win today at Concordia, this was the first time BOTH soccer teams won on the same day since Homecoming 2018, when the Cougars swept Rochester.