The College of DuPage men’s soccer team played their Region IV Tournament First Round game against McHenry County College on Oct. 29. Heading into the game DuPage was 9-4-2, while McHenry was 9-7-1.
In the first half, McHenry dominated a good amount of chances as the wind favored them. Soon, McHenry’s Diego Hernandez scored the first goal of the game just as halftime came, with the score being 0-1.
In the second half, DuPage was attacking relentlessly as they looked to tie the game. Soon, they got their coveted goal, scored by Luis Gutierrez on a penalty kick. The Chaparrals then kept pushing for more opportunities and finally got one with a clean goal by Daniel Mendez making it 2-1.
McHenry tried to find a way to tie the game with a few chances at the net. They received a penalty with a chance to tie, however COD’s goalkeeper Diego Ochoa saved it. There was still a good amount of time left, but the Scots didn’t make it. The game ended with a 2-1 win for the Chaps, with Ochoa the hero as his teammates mobbed around him to celebrate.
After the game, head coach Matt Hanna said that despite the challenging weather, the team rose to the occasion.
“The wind was favoring the [other] team that was going to the south side of the field,” Hanna said. “We knew playing out was difficult and we knew that it was going to be difficult for them, so we kept the pressure [and] got the goal.”
Hanna also said that while the team had focused on taking the win, they were prepared for after overtime penalties. If a playoff game is tied after overtime, it would go to penalties.
“We did a little bit of time working on penalties throughout the last couple of days and I think it paid off,” Hanna said. “Diego absolutely owned the moment. Unbelievable save for him and we were able to close it out from there, which was nice.”
The Chaps advanced to the next round at Madison College on Nov. 1 in Madison, WI, but lost 0-2. COD finished out their 2025 season with a 10-5-2 record and eagerly wait for their 2026 season.
