Bulldogs open 2011 season with 5-0 win over William Penn

Concordia University picked up an easy 5-0 men’s soccer win over William Penn University on Saturday afternoon in Seward.  The Bulldogs controlled play throughout the contest to pick up the win in the opening contest of the year for both teams. 

"It was a good team effort from top to bottom today,” remarked Jason Weides, head coach of the Bulldogs.  “We tied this team last year, so it’s a good sign that we controlled play today like we did.” 

The Bulldogs seized control early and took a 2-0 lead into halftime.  Aaron Skipworth (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored the first goal of the contest off assists by Chris DeFeyter and Ian Euler (Lincoln, Neb.).  Later in the half, William Penn goalie Sam Gurksi was caught out of position, and Nathan Douglas (Winnipeg, Can.) found the corner of the goal to put Concordia up 2-0.  Concordia held a 13-5 overall shot advantage with an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal in the opening half of play. 

“We struggled a little bit at the start of the game but found our rhythm as the first half went on,” added Weides.  “We tried to apply heavy pressure early, and our guys were hungry for more goals as the game went on.” 

Concordia poured it on in the second half.  The Bulldogs continued to control the play and totaled 18 shots in the final half.  Skipworth scored his second goal of the game early in the second half to put the Bulldogs up by three.  Douglas added his second goal of the game at the 76-minute mark to make the score 4-0.  Nate Friesner (Shawnee, Kan.) scored the final goal of the contest off a nice assist by Raul Lopez (El Paso, Texas), and the Bulldogs secured the 5-0 victory. 

Despite the convincing win, Coach Weides saw some things he’d like to improve.  “William Penn created some dangerous situations at times during the match, so I’d like for us to tighten up our defensive shifts,” noted Weides.  “I’d also like for us to change speeds a little more throughout the game.  Today, we played at a pretty consistent and fast pace.  I would like us to dictate the tempo and pace more than we did today.”   

For the game, Concordia held a 31-11 advantage in total shots.  Kolt O’Kelly (Littleton, Colo.) led Concordia with eight total shots (four on goal).  Skipworth and Douglas combined for nine shots on the afternoon.  Brendan Buchanan picked up the win in goal in his first career start for the Bulldogs.  The freshman made five saves on the day. 

“Today was definitely a good start for us,” said Weides.  “A lot of players gave us quality minutes, and guys produced on both sides of the ball.  I thought our players had a great attitude entering today’s game, and we played well.” 

Concordia travels to William Woods on September 4.