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It’s felt a little odd not seeing the Maroons for the past couple weekends, during which they’ve been able to scrap to a couple big wins. Now, for the first time in a while, they control their fate in the UAA with three conference games left.

The Maroons’ one loss, to Rochester on Friday, hurts in the sense that it will keep things tight the rest of the way. But Chicago has benefitted from a number of other results:

• Rochester 1-2 NYU on opening day, a shocking upset atypical for the women’s conference
• Emory 0-0 Wash U the next day
• Chicago 1-0 Emory in Week 2, to keep Emory chasing the whole way
• Wash U 0-0 Rochester today

There’s no doubt there’s more parity than before, and it’s good timing for the Maroons. They do have five games left to bolster their at-large berth credentials, including great opportunities for statement wins against Stevens Point and Wash U. As has been the case in the past five seasons, winning out in the UAA will be important to making the NCAA tournament. It’s just that, this year, that would also mean taking the conference title.

If they put together their finishing, they can do it.

Other programming notes: We’ll be broadcasting the last four games of the season, including road affairs at Stevens Point and Wash U. Make sure to tune in!

While at first glance we may not look it, the UofC is a very athletic place. Dorms boast pool tables and ping pong tables. For the more serious athletes the pub has a warped shuffleboard table which moves the puck slightly to the right, and Jimmy’s has an old Elvis pinball machine. You do not even want to get any of the natives started on whether it’s cornhole or bagtoss. Finally lest we forget that collegiate pastime, beer pong. Yes the core gets worked very hard here at Chicago. As a dearly departed friend of mine was fond of pointing out, “you’ve gotta work the core, gotta stay tight. It’s fucking important.”
But Chicago wasn’t always known for these epic intercollegiate feats. In fact it’s only been relatively recently that Chicago has reemerged to be the powerhouse despised by diehard fans at our academic and athletic rival LSU.
In it’s early years the Chicago athletic program possessed the same thing most students enjoy, wild success. On watching an early football game against Notre Dame, T.S. Eliot is purported to have described the Maroon offense as “majestic.” With the only winning record against Notre Dame in history, Chicago was on a roll. During this period Chicago athletics were largely guided by Amos Alonzo Stagg. His impact on the university is commemorated by Stagg field located behind Ratner.
The success for the Chicago boys- the Chilean economists are actually named after the 20s and 30s team- kept on coming with the legendary Jay Berwanger. A beast on the field, he was the recipient of the first ever Downtown Athletic Club trophy, later to be renamed the Heisman trophy. Details are unclear, but he chose not to pursue a career in professional football after a scandal emerged involving two women and a shit ton of blow.
These scandals were just the fire President Robert M. Hutchins needed to finally put a moratorium on sports. Hutchins, who was fond of saying “whenever I feel like exercise I just lay down until the feeling goes away.” got his way, and the Maroons were not to enjoy sport for more than 20 years. He is commemorated by a popular group of crappy food kiosks.
Eventually, in the late 60s, sports were once more allowed on campus. Teams were once again formed, but under a new moniker, the phoenix. In recent years the teams have done just that. Not only do they boast national performers, but quite a few Rhodes scholars. So go to a home game at some point this quarter. I promise you will be pleasantly surprised. Not just by the game, but by the fact that you are assuredly surrounded by the most well adjusted people you will meet for the next four years.

It’s the match we’ve all been waiting for: Chicago vs. Wheaton. We’ll be broadcasting live from the Maroons’ top rival: 6:40 for pre-game tomorrow. Also, keep an eye out for an extensive preview in our podcast extra to come tomorrow afternoon.

Will you be tuning in?

1. Wash U women’s soccer sits at 3-5, having lost four games in a row. The Bears lost a ton of players from their national runner-up team last year, and they have not handled a tough non-conference schedule well. They’re the only team to knock off Calvin in 2010, but that’s the best that can be said about a team with only four goals through eight matches.

2. Wheaton women’s soccer is picking things up. The Thunder no longer dictate their own conference: Both Augustana and Ill. Wesleyan laid claim to CCIW-favorite status last year and haven’t slowed down yet. But Wheaton did beat Wash U and Rochester, both UAA teams along with the Maroons, last week. Time for Chicago to make a statement on Tuesday. (Hey, we’ll be broadcasting that game! 7 p.m., Go Maroons LIVE.)

3. The men’s UAA is looking as tough as ever. Combined record through Saturday: 49-7-11. This is why we look forward to the conference slate from Game 1.

4. Carnegie, who the Maroons host first, is looking like the toughest of the bunch. But as last year proved, all it takes is one big result to disrupt the men’s conference table. Last year, that result was Chicago beating Rochester with five seconds left in OT (via Stan Coville).

5. Is it too early to speculate whether the UAA will get more than three teams into the postseason? Sure it is, but keep in mind that over the past few years, the conference has gotten anywhere from three to five teams in.

Today’s game took a good half to hit its stride—both because of tight play and even tighter officiating—but the Maroons sure did tighten the screws to pick up their fourth win a row. This team is hitting its stride and looking ready for UAA play.

They head to Elmhurst on Tuesday night, a game that we won’t be able to broadcast after the women’s game at Wheaton was moved to 7 p.m. But a win would put them in a very good position considering all the injuries they faced earlier this season.

Player of the match: Stan Coville—He has really gotten going in not a lot of time. Coville had two great finishes today, both hitting side netting. The first capped off a full-team effort: McPherson, Tunstall, McPherson, Laird, Clifford, through to Coville. The second was a rocket, after Andy Dallos intercepted a goal kick, that is sure to qualify as one of the team’s finest strikes this season.

Danny Hahn had his breakout game as a forward. I wasn’t sure how I felt moving Hahn out of the fullback role, where I thought he created a lot of disruption as an attack-minded defender. But now I’m convinced that allowing him to be single-minded up top has paid off, especially with Ryan McPherson holding down Hahn’s old spot. As Emerald pointed out today, Hahn has speed and deceptive footwork that kept creating space all game.

Garrett Laird’s role was subtle, but important to settling this game to the Maroons’ favor. That earns him the third star of the game. He won balls and distributed. In fact, in the first half, he was the team’s most visible player, and I believe set the in-roads for the team’s speedy weapons to break open the game later on.

Follow the second half action with Charlie Vidal HERE!