CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 11 Parkland College Men's Soccer (2-2) was unable to contend with (DI) No. 18 Illinois Central College (4-1), losing the match by the final score of 0-5.
 
What started as a promising and evenly contested match became a lopsided affair when a Parkland red card in the 22nd minute forced the Cobras to play a man down for the remaining time. The visiting Cougars took advantage and began to control play on the field, scoring goals in the 32nd and 36th minutes.
 
Parkland regrouped at halftime and held its own through 35 minutes of second period action. As the Cobras continued to search for a goal to close the gap, the floodgates opened, and ICC scored three late goals in the 80th, 83rd, and 88th minutes.
 
"Extremely frustrating today," reflected Head Coach Mark Sikora.  "The guys that played today, played with such heart, and really deserved a better result. Having 6 major injuries was something that we could not overcome versus such a high caliber opponent.  On top of that, going a player down for 70 minutes didn't help the situation.  But I will say that so many of our guys just kept fighting and gave what they could, and I could not be prouder of their effort."
 
Parkland managed 3 shots in the match and produced 2 corner kicks. Matteo Gigliozzi had three saves in goal for Parkland.
 
Up next, the Cobras travel to Springfield, Ill., to play the local club team, Springfield FC, on Tuesday, April 20, at 7:00 pm.