SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs will host York University and travel to Northwestern College for the GPAC opener on Saturday (Sept. 20). Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer had the weekend to recoup and finished a tough contest versus No. 9 Bellevue University that ended in a 1-0 loss. The Bulldogs have a 1-5 record with only one non-conference opponent remaining.
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 17 vs. York (3-1), 5:30 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, Sept. 20 at Northwestern (4-1-1), 1 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: NWC Soccer Complex (Orange City, Iowa)
Besting the home Bruins in shots (17-10), CUNE was looking for the punch between the posts but couldn’t connect the final kick. In a game where Garrote, out of Jerez De La Frontera, Spain, would notch the game high in sent balls (five) toward the Bellevue net, the Bulldogs looked dangerous in the second half. Connor Robbins (three) and Ricards Busmeisters (two) were others who had multiple firings of the ball. Former Concordia athlete Okan Erkocu delivered a go-ahead goal for the Bruins via corner kick and would be the eventual game winner. Goalkeeper Inigo Chavarria gathered three saves.
Busmeisters, a Riga, Latvia, native, made his Bulldog debut at Benedictine College (Kan.) and it hasn’t taken long for him to make himself known in the attacking third. Scoring off a corner kick and an unassisted finish, the sophomore forward has shown he can score in multiple ways early in his time in Seward. Jasper Hofland, out of Papendrecht, Netherlands, has made his impact on the midfield and earned his first points in the senior day game.
York and Concordia met last season on Sept. 14 and drew (1-1) after full time was finished. D’Andre Williams crashed on a ball from just outside the penalty box to put the Bulldogs up just after the opening whistle (2’). In the second half, a defender for the Bulldogs kicked possession back to the keeper and it went into the Concordia goal to tie the contest. No team could find the game winner in the final 41 minutes. In the 68th minute versus NWC, former Bulldog Jarrod Henson fought off two defenders for possession and split two more with a through ball. A streaking current Creighton Bluejay Martin Herrera beat his defender in road runner fashion and kicked in a goal from left to right past the outstretched hands of the Red Raider keeper. The Bulldogs would begin conference with a 1-0 win in 2024.
Midland (.786) leads the GPAC in winning percentage going into league play with a 5-1-1 record. Northwestern (.750) follows with a 4-1-1 similar showing and Hastings (.571) has a 3-2-2 slate through seven games. Briar Cliff (3-3) and Dordt (2-2-2) are both at .500 with the rest of the conference being under. The lowest percentage teams are Dakota Wesleyan (.286), Morningside (.250), Waldorf (.200), Concordia (.167) and Doane (.167).
Full of newcomers, the Bulldogs have had 24 starts from 10 new players on the roster. Connor Robbins and Milo Hegarty have tallied the most from the starting whistle with five apiece. Midfielder Niko Nareike has garnered four starts and New goalie Chavarria has three. Others that have started are Busmeisters (two), Cleme Suarez, Noah Rakowsky. Jasper Hofland, Sam Hamilton and Oliver Balazs.
The Massey Ratings have the Bulldogs rated 79th after the start of the year. With a strength of schedule at 28th in the country. Concordia’s strength of schedule will take a hit with the Panthers being rated 109th. The Red Raiders have jumped from 74th to 66th after wins against Avila University (Mo.) and University of Saint Mary (Kan.). York’s slate has been rated 146 and Northwestern’s 148. Other GPAC teams are rated in order: Midland (25), Briar Cliff (56), Hastings (59), and Morningside (78).
York
The Panthers are 3-1 with three wins over the GPAC including Doane (4-1), Mount Marty (2-1) and Dakota Wesleyan (2-0). York has only been shutout one time by Midland (3-0) in the four games. Scoring eight goals, the Panthers have allowed five scores and have virtually matched their opponents, holding onto a slight edge in shots (49-47). Tim Schafer and Asaoh Achero have two goals apiece leading the team in getting balls past the keeper. Six of the eight goals have been unassisted as they average 12.3 shots per 90 minutes. With a .592 shot on goal percentage, York has a .163 shot percentage. Jaime Watt has been the primary keeper with 335 minutes played and has a .688 save percentage.
Northwestern
The Red Raiders enter the week with a 4-1-1 record defeating Avila University (Mo.), 3-0, University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 3-1, and Bethel College, 4-0, in three of their last four games. Head Coach Dan Swier has been the leader of Northwestern Men’s Soccer since 2008. The Red Raiders have outscored their opponents 13-5 in the first six contests averaging 2.17 goals per game. NWC has a .500 shot on goal percentage and a .133 shot percentage on 16.3 shots per game. Almost all 13 scores have been assisted with 13 total assists. Four different Northwestern players have scored two goals and Bauti Maruqes paces the team in points (six). Keeper Edoardo Alessandrinl has played 450 minutes and has 17 saves and a .773 save percentage.
Next Week
Concordia will have the midweek to recover and will return to Bulldog Stadium to take on Briar Cliff on Saturday.
Saturday, Sept. 27
1 p.m. – vs. Briar Cliff