From Universtity of Chicago Athletics
Lake Forest College used two goals in the first 20 minutes to stun the seventh-ranked University of Chicago men's soccer team early, but the Maroons maintained their composure and calmly scored the next six goals of the match to defeat the Foresters, 6-2, in Saturday's opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Host UChicago (17-2) advances to play the winner of Capital (12-7-2) and Dominican (14-4), -- who are currently underway in their first-round match – Sunday at 7 p.m. CT at Stagg Field turf.
Senior Andre Abedian netted two goals to lead the Maroons' offensive outburst, but not before the Foresters – winners of the Midwest Conference Tournament – opened the match with a stunner.
Just 12 seconds in, Aubert Gaston delivered an unassisted strike from about 25 yards out that landed in the upper 90 of the goal and put the unranked Foresters up, 1-0. LFC would add to that total in the 19', as John Cappuccitti finished a scrum in the box after an Aubert Gaston serve in to make it 2-0.
UChicago's offense, however, was just getting started. The Maroons outshot the Foresters 13-7 in the first half, and one of those shots was inadvertently headed in by a Lake Forest defender in the 20th on an own goal that cut the deficit to one. That score would hold until halftime, and the Maroons didn't let up in the second 45.
It took just 1:40 for Abedian to find the net, as a ball sent in from the left wing by teammate Ian Holquist was redirected by the senior into the back of the next to tie the match at 2-all. Fourteen minutes later, junior forward Max Lopez delivered his eighth game-winner of the year, heading in a Matthew Koh free kick in the 60th to give the Maroons a 3-2 lead.
The floodgates would open after that, as Abedian (penalty kick in the 65th), Bryce Millington (68'), and Gary Zhao (89') added scores down the stretch to produce the final score.
First-year Maroons keeper Aaron Katsimpalis (two saves) picked up his fourth win of the year and had a huge save in the first half on a Lake Forest penalty kick attempt that would have made the score 3-1 in favor of the Foresters.
UChicago outshot the Foresters by a 32-7 margin and had 13 corner kicks compared to 0 for Lake Forest.
The win marks the fourth-straight year the Maroons have reached the NCAA Second Round, all under fifth-year head coach Mike Babst.