From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago men's soccer team fell behind after allowing the first goal of the match, but the Maroons roared back with an offensive outburst to earn a 4-1 victory at Elmhurst College on Friday night.
The No. 4-ranked Maroons (6-0 record) saw their school-record five-match shutout streak end in the first half. UChicago did not allow a goal for a stretch of 493 minutes to start the season. The Bluejays (3-1-2) were dealt their first loss of the year.
UChicago had several close calls that almost turned into goals, notably during a 16-minute stretch where sophomore forward Max Lopez fired off four shots. But it was Elmhurst that drew first blood with an unassisted goal from 20 yards out in the 35th minute. It was the first goal allowed by the Maroon defense all season.
The deficit was soon erased courtesy of forward/midfielder David McBroom. The freshman netted his first collegiate goal inside the left post in the 43rd minute. He was assisted on the play by senior forward Chris Mathis. The two teams went into halftime knotted at 1-1.
UChicago broke the game open in the second half with three goals in a 17-minute span. Freshman defender Sam Drablosgot the ball rolling with a header goal off a corner kick by sophomore defender Josh Scofield at the 51:40 mark.
Ten minutes later, Lopez's persistence paid off with his third tally of the year. The sophomore put a left-footed shot into the upper 90 from 20 yards unassisted. Fresh off his first career goal, Drablos set up sophomore forward Matthew Koh's header score in the 69th minute.
The final stats saw UChicago hold commanding advantages in both shots (17-4) and corner kicks (7-1). Lopez accounted for six of the team's shots. Junior goalkeeper Hill Bonin (6-0) faced one shot on goal in the match. The Maroon defense has held opponents to a mere eight shots on goal in six games (1.3 per game).