(Sugar Grove, IL) –Morton College edged Waubonsee Community College 2-1 in an intense, physical and fast paced men's soccer match on Tuesday afternoon. After a scoreless first half, the Panthers' international connections carried them to the win as they scored in the 81^st minute to break a one-all tie and prevail on the Chiefs' pitch. The tough Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference loss dropped the Chiefs to 3-2 overall with just two more matches remaining in their coronavirus abbreviated 2021 Spring season.

Both teams had scoring chances in a fast paced first half, but were unable to find the back of the net due to good defensive efforts by both sides. Waubonsee was unable to take advantage of six corner kicks in the opening half. The Chiefs' best opportunity came in the final 30 seconds of the half when Axel Sanchez booted a shot from 18 yards out that Morton keeper Pablo Rueda made a diving stop on toward the left corner of the goal. Meanwhile, Waubonsee goalkeeper Cameron Davis was equal to the task. The sophomore from Somonauk, fresh off of competing for the NJCAA Rocket League National Championship for the Chiefs' Esports team, registered five saves in the first half.

In the first 30 seconds of the second half Waubonsee had another prime opportunity to score, but Andre Cerda's shot sailed wide left. In the 52^nd minute the Panthers just missed tallying the first score as a shot hit the cross bar and a follow up header was off the mark to the right side. Four minutes later the Chiefs got on the board as Lincoln Lillwitz pushed the ball up the left side and past a Morton defender. The freshman from Aurora Central Catholic got to the ball just before the end line and redirected it past Rueda and out in front of the goal. Cerda drilled it in from there scoring easily from 10 feet out to give Waubonsee a 1-0 lead.

Over the following 10 minutes of play both teams had shots miss wide to the left of the goal. The Panthers finally broke through in the 67^th minute via their international connection. Santiago Naliato, a freshman from Sao Paulo, Brazil, drilled a left-footed shot from 20 yards out that slipped through the hands of a diving Davis and into the right corner of the net to tie the match. The goal seemed to energize Morton as they began to take control of the action after that.

In the 72^nd minute the Panthers had two corner kick opportunities resulting in shots on goal. The 6'2" Davis, who is also a member of the Chiefs' basketball team, displayed some of those skills as he leaped high into the air to bat away the first shot. A minute later he made another diving save to stop a point blank shot amongst a lot of bodies in front of the net. In the 75^th minute the Chiefs committed a foul just outside the box resulting in a free kick for Morton. Again Davis was able to jump and deflect the Panthers' shot, with the ball hitting the crossbar and bounding well away from the goal.

Morton then scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 81^st minute when Rafael Silverio was able to sneak a shot in from 10 feet out. Silverio, a freshman from Bello Horizonte, Brazil, went to the ground while battling for the ball with a pair of Chiefs' defenders just in front of the goal. From a seated position Silverio was able to roll to his left and kick the ball with his right leg, and just out of the reach of a diving Davis once more. Two minutes later the Chiefs almost tied the contest on a header near the right side of the net, but Rueda made a lunging save to preserve the Panthers' lead. Morton (5-2, 4-1) was then able to control the action and run out the final seven minutes of play to clinch the victory.

Waubonsee's final two regular season matches are on the road. Coach Brett Suhayda's Chiefs are set to play this Saturday, May 8 at the College of Lake County in north suburban Grayslake, with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. Waubonsee also plays at Elgin Community College next Tuesday, May 11 starting at 4:00 p.m.  Region IV Tournament play is set to begin on Saturday, May 15 with the higher seeded teams hosting in the first round. The Chiefs' seeding and opponent are yet-to-be-determined.