Nationally Ranked Game Ends in Favor of Chicago

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The 13th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University men's soccer team hosted No. 1 University of Chicago on Friday, October 12 in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest. Despite an early goal by the Tartans, the Maroons stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 victory. The Tartans are now 8-2-2 overall and 1-2 in the UAA while the Maroons move to 12-0-1 and 3-0. 

In the first minute, the Tartans took the kickoff and forced the Maroons into a bad pass which senior Anthony Gulli (Warrenville, Ill./St. Joseph) picked off inside the 18-yard box. He immediately turned and put a shot in the net at the far post for the 1-0 Carnegie Mellon lead.

Chicago knotted the score at one in the 17th minute when Matthew Koh took advantage of play in the box. Vicente Mateus earned the assist as he touched it forward for Koh who deposited the shot in the net. Less than three minutes later Scott Lich served a ball from the right side to the back post where Kyle Ruark dove forward for a header which Tartan keeper Alec Lam (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) swatted away. Max Lopez was there to head in the rebound for the go-ahead goal.

Lam made a big save in the 53rd minute when Ruark attempted a shot that was stopped by Lam when he rushed forward and met Ruark at the time of the shot.

The Tartans were in their offensive third for the majority of the second half but were unable to break through the Maroon defense for the equalizer.

Carnegie Mellon will next host 23rd-ranked Washington University on Sunday, October 14 at 11:00 a.m.