Robinson, IL - The 15th-ranked Illinois Central College men's soccer team (6-0-1) made the trip down south to take on familiar foe Lincoln Trail on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars would have one of their toughest tests yet, but a flurry of first half goals by ICC helped them prevail for a 3-2 road victory to maintain the seven-match unbeaten streak to start the season. 

Blink and you missed it. Or at least that seemed to be the trajectory of the match, with four of the match's five combined goals coming within the first 30 minutes of play. 

The Cougars fell behind in the second minute by way of an own goal, serving as the first time they'd been scored on in three matches. 

From there, though, the ICC attack that has certainly helped spur the quality start to the season ramped up the pace. Kristian Istocki (assist Jonah Bijvank), Brandon Castro (assist Jacob Turner), and Yahir Meza (assist Adam Pike) all scored within 10 minutes of each other, culminating in a 3-1 lead in the 27th minute. 

The defense took over, playing well on both sides of the pitch. Ultimately, neither team would score for over 60 minutes, when Lincoln Trail added a 'garbage time' goal in the 89th minute to set the 3-2 final score. 

GOAL SCORING UPDATE
Kristian Istocki - 4th Goal of the Season
Brandon Castro - 4th Goal of the Season
Yahir Meza - 2nd Goal of the Season

STAT NOTE
Adam Pike's assist at Lincoln Trail was his sixth of the season, good for a tie for the third-most assists in the nation among Division-I players. 

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
@ Truman Falcons
Friday, September 20th - 2PM
Freedom Field - Chicago, IL
Watch Live (YouTube)