Sports

Men’s Soccer Beats Kishwaukee

Daniel Nachampassak, Staff Writer and Editor-in-training

September 24, 2025

Midfielder Reyli Perez dashes down the field, navigating through teammates and defenders, on September 18th 2025.

ECC Men’s soccer got a huge victory as they beat Kishwaukee College on Thursday at the Athletic Fields.

In the first half, the team got off to a slow start as they missed a lot of opportunities in the goal.

In the 42nd minute, forward Kevin Aguilar scored the team’s first goal of the game which makes it 1-0 Spartans at the end of the first half.

During the beginning of the second half, midfielder Nick Prus scored the team’s second goal of the game in the 54th minute.

Players from both teams position and plan as they await for the throw-in to resume play on September 18th 2025. (JP Ramos)

The Spartans continued scoring as forward Michael Garcia got the team’s third goal of the game in the 62nd minute.

In the 65th minute, Midfielder Nick Prus scored his second goal of the game which makes it 4-0 Spartans.

Head Coach Dimitri Tsoukalas gave his thoughts on the team’s performance.

“Yes, the guys did what they needed to do.We’ve been trying to stress the importance of trying to be the first team to score five goals and then also keep a shut out.”

Kevin Aguilar is fouled by an opposing player after he attempts to repossess the ball on September 18th 2025. Aguilar’s two point contribution in this game adds onto his season-total seven points, all in his first year with the team. (JP Ramos)

He commented if the team will finish the season above .500.

“I hope so. We would have to struggle a lot in order for us to play to that point. But we’re just trying to go one game at a time and make sure we just win.”

According to Tsoukalas, he addressed what the team needed to improve on.

Nick Prus smiles as he's embraced by his teammates after scoring a goal. — Nick Prus scores his one of two goals versus Kishwaukee College, while being embraced by Vinnie Aguirre and celebrated by Charlie Ames. (JP Ramos)

“I think it’s still defensive. You know, it’s just focusing on the work rate to get behind the wall and again, defend as a team. That’s really because I know we can score goals. We can break teams down, we can move them and bother you quickly but it’s defensive, but we still have some things we got to work on.”

Forward Adrian Diaz gave his thoughts on the team’s performance.

“I like how we contribute from the back. This was a different game for us, since it was pretty much easier than other than other games, we had more time on the ball and build up from

the back pretty good. The team did a good job playing offense.”

According to Diaz, he commented on how well the team communicate during the game.

“I feel like now that we played a lot of games together, our chemistry went up and we played better with each other.”

ECC Soccer Head Coach Dimitri Tsoukalas briefly goes over the gameplan with the players, prior to their game versus Kishwaukee College on September 18th 2025. Tsoukalas has served as the soccer team’s head coach since 2024. (JP Ramos)

Diaz mentioned the chances of the team making it into the playoffs.

“Yes, we’re right now, we’re fighting for first place for the first seed but we’re trying to go to a final and win.”

The team’s next game will be against Harry S. Truman College on Friday.

Mens Soccer

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About the Contributors

Daniel Nachampassak, staff writer and editor-in-training

Nachampassak is entering his third year at ECC pursuing an Associate of Arts. He joined The Observer because he wants to learn how journalism works. but also it’s the stepping stone of getting more opportunities to work in professional spaces. The content Nachampassak is interested in are sports, mental health and improving the experience of ECC. Nachampassak is hoping to improve the quality of his stories but also be more consistent. He is also hoping to communicate with photographers more in this semester. His personal motto is “Focus on yourself and keep on moving.” Contact Information: [email protected]

JP Ramos, Photography Editor

After graduating from ECC in 2022, Ramos joins the Observer for his first year to focus on utilizing and honing on his photography skills in the medium of photojournalism. He also seeks to become more experienced in newswriting and media. Music, sports, and student-life are topics he’s interested in covering, while also having a passion for film. Refining his storytelling and composition through his photography is what Ramos hopes to achieve during his time at the Observer. He engages life through the motto, “be kind, especially when we don’t know what’s going on.” Contact: [email protected]