Milwaukee, WI. - When the Hawks scraped into the CCAC playoff tournament last Tuesday, despite losing their final game of the regular season to Robert Morris at home 3-2, no one would have considered them to be playoff title contenders after such a disappointing league season. That all changed on Saturday afternoon however when the Hawks beat Cardinal Stritch in the first round of the 2009 CCAC playoff tournament.

The Hawks started Saturday's quarterfinal with a point to prove and it was the Chicago team's Scottish winger, Ciaran Kholi-Lynch who had the best chance of a scoreless first period of play. The chance came on the half hour mark when Kholi-Lynch got his head on a Rob Ritchie-Smith cross but the freshman unfortunately could only guide his header wide of the Cardinal goal from 10 yards out.

In the second half the same Hawks' players combined for a second time but this time the freshman winger was able to apply the finish to give the visiting team a 1-0 lead. Ritchie-Smith received the ball in space on the right wing and again delivered a fantastic delivery across the face of the Cardinal goal. The ball made its way to Kholi-Lynch at the back post with the Scotsman this time able to convert the chance to put the Hawks into the lead.

The Men's team defended valiantly for the final half hour of the game and despite losing Alan Coates, who was sent off for a deliberate last man challenge, the Hawks comfortably saw out the final stages of the game to record a fantastic quarter final win.

The team will face the 2009 CCAC league champions, and the defending 2008 playoff champions, Judson University in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawks will travel to Judson with a renewed confidence after Saturday's quarterfinal win knowing that another victory will put them into a second successive CCAC playoff final.