Mequon, Wis. — Illinois Tech men's soccer found themselves holding on to a 2-1 halftime lead but having to play a man down the entire second half in their Wednesday afternoon match at Concordia Wisconsin. But after giving up the tying goal in the 70th minute, Mateo Secaira stepped up with another game-winning goal, this time with 18 seconds remaining, to give the Scarlet Hawks a 3-2 conference road victory.

Illinois Tech improved to 9-5-3 overall and 6-3-2 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. Concordia Wisconsin holds a record of 3-10-3 overall and 2-7-1 in conference play. The win by the Scarlet Hawks kept the team in fifth place in the conference standings while opening up a four-point lead on sixth place Dominican University.

Illinois Tech began the first half with an offensive push, resulting in a goal by Cal Graham in the 5th minute. Graham received a through ball into the Falcons' zone and pushed the ball up the left side. Approaching the penalty area, Graham cut to the inside and fired a shot into the back of the net for the early 1-0 lead. Momentum continued for the Scarlet Hawks when Adrian Cogolludo successfully converted a penalty kick at the 18th minute, extending their lead to 2-0. The Falcons responded with a penalty kick attempt by Nevin Volarath, initially saved by David Rodriguez, but Volarath capitalized on the rebound to make it 2-1 in the 30th minute. In the 43rd minute of the first half, the Scarlet Hawks went down a man for the remainder of the match when Adrian Cogolludo received his second yellow card of the match. The Hawks held on to the lead 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

Concordia Wisconsin equalized the match in the 69th minute when Lukas Olson scored, assisted by Matthew Payne, bringing the score to 2-2. Illinois Tech responded with sustained pressure, including multiple corner kicks. However, neither team could dent the scoreboard as the second half progressed. With time winding down in the match and a disappointing draw facing Illinois Tech,  the Scarlet Hawks capitalized on a turnover in the final minute. Theo Balea stole a ball at midfield and angled towards the right sideline inside the Falcon's zone. Balea passed to his left to Tomas Rebelatto, who drove towards the net before sending a cross inside the box to Secaira, who tucked the ball into the left corner of the net with 18 seconds remaining to give the Hawks the 3-2 margin for victory.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Mateo Secaira  
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- one goal  
- four shots  
- three shots on goal  
- one game-winning goal  

Adrian Cogolludo  
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- one goal  
- two shots  
- one shot on goal  
- one penalty shot made  

Cal Graham  
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- one goal  
- two shots  
- one shot on goal  

Tomas Rebelatto  
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- one assist  
- seven shots  
- two shots on goal  

David Rodriguez  
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- four saves  
- 12 shots faced  
- two goals allowed  

Concordia Wisconsin Top Performers  

Enrique Torres  
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- 6 saves  
- 19 shots faced  

Nevin Volarath  
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- 1 goal  
- 4 shots, 2 on goal  

Lukas Olson  
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- 1 goal  
- 1 shot on goal  

Matthew Payne  
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- 1 assist  
- 2 shots, 1 on goal  

Game Notes:
- The Scarlet Hawks improved to 5-2 overall against the Falcons and have won four straight matches.
- Illinois Tech outshot Concordia Wisconsin 19-12, and had a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will be off until next Wednesday, October 29th, when they host Rockford in their regular season finale with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Stuart Field.