Lakers Advance To CCAC Title Game With Win Over Judson

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Two brilliant moments from the Roosevelt attack early in the second half propelled the Lakers into the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship game for the third time in program history with a 2-1 win over Judson on Wednesday at Morris Field.

Oswaldo Perez broke through in the 51^st minute with a gorgeous free kick from 25 yards out that cleared the Judson wall and evaded the Eagles keeper as it sailed into the top corner of the net. Less than five minutes later, the Lakers hit on the counterattack with Ryusei Ogawa finding Davide Comai's head for a 2-0 lead.

The goals were a moment of brightness for the Lakers (11-6-1) after slogging through the first half behind Eric Carvajal. The sophomore goalkeeper made a diving stop in the 25^th minute then again lunged to his right to punch out a shot in the 38^th minute. Judson did look to score late in the first half, but the Eagles were ruled to be offsides, so the goal was disallowed.

Carvajal was at his best late in the second half, however, with a pair of diving stops on dangerous chances from the Eagles as they searched for an equalizer. He finished with five saves on six shots faced in the match while senior defender Otitolouwa Ojo also was credited with a save after blocking a shot with Carvajal on the ground after punching away a free kick.

After taking just two shots in the first half while struggling to connect passes into the attacking third, Roosevelt had no issues with that in the second half. The Lakers sent eight shots toward the Judson net as they looked dangerous with the ball at their feet. Roosevelt had several opportunities to extend its lead, especially after Judson received a red card in the 70^th minute, but the Eagles goalie held firm.

Roosevelt advances to battle top-seeded Olivet Nazarene on Saturday in the CCAC championship game in Bourbonnais. The Lakers are 1-1 all-time in the conference tournament final, having steered past Saint Xavier in the 2015 final and falling to Cardinal Stritch in overtime two years later. They are also 1-1 all-time against the Tigers in the tournament, beating them in the 2017 semifinal before falling to Olivet Nazarene in the rematch the following year.