SEWARD, Neb. – For the first time since 2012, the Concordia University men’s soccer program will open up a season on the road. The Bulldogs will head out on Friday in preparation for Saturday’s matinee at Oklahoma City University. It will mark the season opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT from Stars Field in Oklahoma City.
Game Info
Concordia at Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Okla. | Stars Field | 2 p.m. CT
Stream: Stretch Internet
Head coach Jason Weides is entering his 12th season leading the program. Last season he became the second head coach in program history to eclipse 100 career victories. The expectations are for the program to always be in the hunt in the top three or four of the league standings. Concordia has hosted a GPAC tournament quarterfinal game three years running and has notched at least 10 wins in eight-straight seasons. This year’s group would like to return to the consistent form shown by the 2017 squad that broke a school record with 16 wins in a season.
From a personnel perspective, senior Carlos Ferrer is the most acclaimed returner having been named to the GPAC’s second team in each of the past two seasons. Roger de la Villa (eight goals in 2018) is the leading returning goal scorer from a balanced goal scoring ’18 team. One newcomer to watch for is Lincoln Southwest High School graduate Isaiah Shaddick, who led all Nebraska Class A players in goals this past season. Weides will also break in a new primary goalkeeper with Callum Goldsmith being the most experienced in that role.
Oklahoma City has had a perennially strong program under Brian Harvey, who leads both the men’s and women’s soccer teams. Harvey has racked up more than 400 wins as the men’s coach since starting the program in 1986. The Stars are coming off an 11-5 campaign in 2018. The Bulldogs will attempt to contain Aboubakr Diallo, who notched a team high 21 goals last season. Oklahoma City outscored its opponents, 54-25, in ’18.
Concordia will play just once next week – Tuesday, Aug. 27 when it hosts rival York College inside Bulldog Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.