Hosting the first round of the NJCAA Region IV Men's Soccer tournament, the eighth-seeded Chaparrals rallied from behind to upend the ninth-seeded McHenry County College Scots at Bjarne Ullsvik Stadium on Oct. 29, 2-1. 

MCC controlled possession with an aggressive approach to start; the Scots had 12 shots on goal throughout the match with an overwhelming majority of them coming in the first half. 

McHenry found the back of the net first, entering halftime ahead by a goal. DuPage flipped the script in the second half with improved ball movement and a headstrong attack. Luis Gutierrez evened the contest with a goal in the 61st minute, the sophomore's fourth goal of the season. The Chaps kept mounting pressure, and it didn't take long to boil over. Daniel Mendez laced his sixth goal of the year to take a 2-1 advantage in the 64th minute of play. 

Down the stretch, the Scots had opportunities but a stout defense held strong for DuPage. With a little over three minutes remaining in regulation, a penalty kick from just beyond the 18-yard box was batted away by Diego Ochoa's right hand. McHenry County wouldn't have another chance to respond as COD ran out the clock to punch its ticket to the next round.

Head Coach Matt Hanna had this to say regarding his team's performance, "Immensely proud. The guys really stuck together. Tough conditions, right? The wind was really blowing, but they stuck with it. Resilience has been part of this team all season, and they managed to pull off another win. We get to go up to Madison full of confidence." 

On his goalkeeper's late-game heroics, Hanna said, "Unbelievable for Diego in that moment. We practiced penalties earlier in the week, and he absolutely nailed the moment. We're super proud of him." 

The Chaparrals continue tournament play on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Goodman Pitch in Wisconsin against the region's top-seeded, unbeaten Madison College WolfPack. COD hosted Madison back on Oct. 19, losing a narrow contest, 2-1. Play begins at noon.