Judson advances in CCAC Tournament

The first round winner of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s soccer tournament matchup between the Judson University Eagles and the Saint Xavier University Cougars was decided in the first 5 minutes of the game.

The No. 2 seeded Eagles defeated No. 7 seed Saint Xavier 1-0 Saturday in the opening round at Dawson Field in Elgin and advanced to host Trinity International in the CCAC semifinal game on Wednesday.

The lone goal of the game came in the fifth minute of play from sophomore midfielder Kailyn Quinn, a goal that bounced into the net as it caromed off her and Saint Xavier senior Joanna Janulis after a pass from Judson freshman forward Jenna Steffensen.

“I ran in and I hit the ball, and one of their players was running back toward the goal,” said Quinn. “She nicked it, and it followed through and went into the goal.”

Quinn was very happy to contribute to such an important victory.

“I was just so pumped that it went in,” said Quinn. “It’s just nice to get to play a full game with the team and finish with even one goal and win. It’s really big.”

“We teach the team where to be at the right time,” said Judson head coach Diego Cevallos. “(Quinn) did exactly that. Whether it was a lucky bounce that she found or not, she was in the right place.”

The Eagles’ defense shut Saint Xavier down the entire game as the Cougars (8-10-1) didn’t get their first shot on goal until around 4 minutes remaining in the first half, and couldn’t convert on 4 straight corner kicks in the second half. The stellar defensive effort in the second half secured the 1-0 victory, giving the 18th ranked Eagles (16-2-1) their 10th shutout of the season.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said Cevallos. “It gives us confidence. Most importantly, we will continue having home field advantage. It feels great, and we know we’re not done at all. We just have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a huge match on Wednesday.”