SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs will enter GPAC play in the coming days to start towards their ultimate goal of a regular season conference championship. The trek starts with hosting Northwestern and traveling to Dordt over the weekend. The men’s soccer team fell to Benedictine College (1-0) and tied with York University (1-1) in its past two contests.
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 18 vs. Northwestern (1-1-3), 8 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, Sept. 21 at Dordt (2-3-1), 4:15 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Dordt Soccer Complex (Sioux Center, Iowa)
By the numbers
· No. 24 Benedictine got the better of the Bulldogs in a 1-0 win in favor of the visitors. There were only a combined 14 shots (seven apiece) in a defensive battle. Nolan Fuelberth was able to make five saves. On the Bulldog attack, Aidan Nachi put two shots on frame while making his second career start. Oliver Benson and Martin Herrera also fired a shot on goal apiece. Center back Michael Wyvill put away a goal apiece in the previous two games and had one shot on Wednesday.
· The Bulldogs traveled to face York and found themselves in a tie (1-1) by the end of the match. Concordia was awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area barely into the 2nd minute of the match. D’Andre Williams kicked a spinning ball over three defenders and the teardrop found its way just inside the near post for the score. The London, Ontario, native added to his scoring total (5) as a Bulldog and his two assists from this season. The Bulldogs and Panthers were deadlocked at seven shots apiece, while the visitors edged out the home team in shots on goal (5-4) and corner kicks (3-2). Fuelberth added three saves pushing his total to 20 on the year.
· Mount Marty comes into the conference with the best winning percentage (.600) and holds a 3-2 record. Three teams at a .500 win percentage: Dakota Wesleyan (2-2-2), Doane (2-2-2) and Northwestern (1-1-3). After is Concordia (.429), Midland (.429) and Dordt (.417), all in the .400 range. Morningside (.333), Hastings (.286), Briar Cliff (.188) and Waldorf (.100) occupy the bottom four slots.
· Most people around the program would never have thought the Bulldogs would march into conference play with one win. With a hardened nonconference schedule, Concordia Men’s soccer has collected four ties through seven games and has been a major part of the story early in its season. Blowing out Avila University (Mo.) 5-0 in their opening match, the Bulldogs have since tied Graceland University (0-0), Columbia College (1-1), Grand View University (1-1) and York (1-1). CUNE fell in a heartbreaker to a then-ranked No. 7 Bellevue University. The Bulldogs will welcome conference play with a wealth of experience against quality teams and look to use it against teams in the GPAC.
· The updated Massey Ratings have Concordia rated 73 with a strength of schedule rating of 48. The ratings have upcoming opponents Northwestern (80th) and Dordt (97th). The Red Raiders (85th) and Defenders (92nd) have a lower strength of schedule giving the Bulldogs a slide edge in both ratings.
Northwestern
The Red Raiders are 1-1-3 coming into the week and have faced two common opponents through their five games. Northwestern tied both teams in Graceland University (2-2) and Grand View University (1-1), which CUNE also tied. Stan van den Beld (4) and Alex Ruiz (3) pace the team in goal scoring as both hold two assists apiece. NWC has scored 10 goals while allowing eight from its competition. The Red Raiders average 14.2 shots per game and a .479 shot on goal percentage. They have eight assists and 19 corner kicks while giving up 29. Goalkeeper Rick Lammerts has played all 450 minutes between the posts. He has collected 21 saves with a .724 save percentage.
Dordt
The Defenders are 2-3-1 before going into conference play and fell (1-0) to one common opponent Grand View. They have surrendered 14 goals to their seven while averaging 1.17 goals per game. Dordt averages 8.7 shots per game and have allowed 15.8 to its competitors. The Defenders have a shot on goal percentage of .558 and have assisted all of their goals scored. Jacob Narkis and Marco Laenen pace Dordt with two goals apiece and Narkis has acquired two assists. Pol Calvo and Santiago Carvajal both have two assists as well. Mitchell Dryden has spent 530 minutes in the net with 34 saves and a .708 save percentage.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will continue conference play against Hastings and Briar Cliff. Concordia will host the Broncos and Chargers at Bulldog Stadium, and the Briar Cliff match is part of a big homecoming weekend schedule. The matches are listed below.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. – vs. Hastings
Saturday, Sept. 28
8 p.m. – vs. Briar Cliff (Homecoming)