Naperville, Ill. — Illinois Tech Men's Soccer (3-2-0, 0-0-0) fell to North Central College (2-0-3, 0-0-0) in a 2-0 defeat at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, with North Central securing the win with both goals in the first half. Illinois Tech holds a 3-2-0 overall record heading into conference play while North Central remains undefeated with a 2-0-3 overall record.
North Central took control in the first half against Illinois Tech, capitalizing on early opportunities to establish a lead. In the 31st minute, Griffin French scored the opening goal with an assist from Hector Huerta. French found the net again just five minutes later, assisted by Caden Arguelles, to extend North Central's advantage to 2-0. The Scarlet Hawks' goalkeeper,
David Rodriguez, made several crucial saves, stopping shots from Joseph Sargent and Eltayeb Mahmoud, but the visitors were unable to break through offensively in the first half.
The second half between Illinois Tech and North Central began with the Scarlet Hawks taking an early corner kick at the 46:29 mark, while North Central faced an offside call shortly after.
Adam Lazarowicz of Illinois Tech had an active half, taking a shot saved by Lucas Visser in the 61st minute, while North Central's Marco Costabile recorded two attempts at goal, both missing the target. Despite the Scarlet Hawks' offensiv e second half push, including multiple corners and shots, North Central's defense held strong, maintaining their 2-0 lead without conceding a goal.
Illinois Tech Top Performers
David Rodriguez
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- four saves
- 90 minutes played
Adam Lazarowicz
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- two shots
- one shot on goal
Mateo Secaira
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- two shots
North Central Top Performers
Griffin French
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- 2 goals
- 2 shots on goal
- 1 game-winning goal
Lucas Visser
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- 1 save
- 90 minutes played
- 1 shutout
Caden Arguelles
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- 1 assist
- 1 shot on goal
Hector Huerta
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- 1 assist
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks look to turn the page as they open NACC play when they will face Aurora University on the road on September 17. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. as they look to secure a victory away from home and start conference play with a win.
