UR Men’s (URMS) and Women’s (URWS) soccer traveled west last weekend to take on the University of Chicago Maroons, with each team falling by one goal each in close matches.
As a fellow UAA competitor, the Maroons have traditionally very strong programs. This year is no exception, with both of its soccer teams ranked in the top 25 in the country in division III.
To start off the day, URWS lost a hardfought game 1–0.
Chicago was able to snap UR’s two game winning streak with a late goal in minute 80 of the second half. Chicago outnumbered UR in shots and corner kicks, 21– 6 and 16–3, but the ‘Jackets held their on the defensive front, as junior Madi Lee made seven saves Saturday afternoon.
Although UR lost, the game allowed for the ‘Jackets to gain more confidence moving forward.
“We proved to ourselves that we could hold our own against a top team in the country,” Lee said.
“We’ve been performing so much better as a team compared to the beginning of the season,” she said. “We’ve definitely started putting our hearts into each game.”
UR’s conference record in the UAA is 1–1, an impressive tally, considering all conference matchups so far have been against nationally ranked squads. Prior to this loss, the Yellowjackets had been gaining momentum, with two wins against St. John Fisher College and Washington University in St. Louis.
“We just need to recover from this game and work hard to prepare for the next three games we have,” Lee said.
Later that day, URMS took on the second-ranked Maroons.
With UR ranked fourth in the nation entering the match, this game was set to be close, and it lived up to the expectation, with the Yellowjackets finding themselves on the wrong side of a 2–1 final score.
The ‘Jackets jumped out to an early lead as senior Jeff Greblick scored 16 minutes in.
UR held through the first half, fending off six shots on target.
In the second half, Chicago responded by scoring its first goal in the 54th minute to bring the game to even. Two minutes later, the Maroons jumped out to a lead, scoring a second goal in the 56th minute and sealing their win.
The Yellowjackets’ next match is home against Carnegie Mellon on Oct. 14.
