East Peoria, Ill. - It was a gloomy afternoon at the CougarPlex, with a singular dark cloud overtaking the soccer pitch, as Gabe Carreno's ICC men's soccer team (5-5) prepared to take on the Jefferson College Vikings (1-8). Now, the rain was present in spots, but for the most part, didn't put a damper on what would be ICC's second shutout win of the season. 

Blink, and you may have missed the start to the game, and ultimately, what would be the game-deciding goal. The Cougars got on the board very quickly when Yahir Meza scored his second goal of the season, good for a tie for third on the team at the moment. 

From there, however, a fair defensive battle ensued. The Cougars had a number of shots on goal that would just slightly miss the top or side of the net, so they could be considered to have had the advantage of 'close' opportunities. 

Perhaps that came to fruition when Christopher Slack put the icing on the cake of the ICC victory with a goal in the 78th minute to set the 2-0 final score. 

Tomas Fontes held things down in goal, stopping all three shots on goal he faced over the 90 minutes. 

As entertaining as it was to have the team back home, they turn right back around and head down to Godfrey for a battle with Lewis & Clark on Saturday at 1PM. 

Of note, however, following that September 30th match with the Trailblazers, Coach Carreno's group concludes the regular season with five consecutive home games.