SEWARD, NEB. – The (RV) Concordia men’s soccer team is slated to take on No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament Saturday, Nov. 21. This is the first time that the Concordia men’s soccer program has appeared in the National Tournament.
MATCH INFO
(RV) Concordia University (11-6-3) at No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan (19-1)
Saturday, Nov. 21 | 2 p.m. CDT
Site: OKWU Soccer Complex
Webcast: Stretch Internet
The (RV) Concordia men’s soccer team has already made history this season by winning a GPAC Championship last week. The Bulldogs knocked off No. 19 and first-seeded Hastings in the final match, 1-0. Freshman Tyler Jensen scored the goal for Concordia. Throughout the entire GPAC Playoffs, Jason Weides’ squad never allowed a goal in 290 minutes of play. The ‘Dogs, seeded sixth in the league tournament, defeated the third, second and first seeded teams in order to nail down the championship.
Weides said, “We are thrilled to earn a berth to the national tournament. The emotion and pure joy shown by the guys after the win (at Hastings) is something I will always cherish.”
The No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles own a 19-1 record this season. As a member of the KCAC, Oklahoma Wesleyan also won its conference championship. The Eagles defeated Friends University, 4-1 in the KCAC Championship match. OKWU leads the conference in several categories including goals per game (39), assists per game (3.15) and shots per game (21.9). As a team, Oklahoma Wesleyan ranks third in total assists (63), fourth in total goals (78) and fifth in shots per game (21.9) nationally. In the keeper category, the Eagles have allowed just 11 goals this year with a save percentage of .756.
“The program has been taking steps toward this goal for several years and so many Bulldog alums laid the foundations for this current success,” Weides said. “I’m so proud of these guys. Not only by what they were able to accomplish through winning the GPAC Tournament Championship but more so by overcoming any challenges and struggles throughout the season. We always believed that this team was capable of achieving this feat but the road to get here has been a little rockier than anticipated. In spite of the challenges the guys banded together and became stronger.”
Announced by the GPAC office Monday, Nov. 16, five members of the Concordia men’s soccer team were selected to an all-GPAC team for the 2015 season. Senior Julian Amaya, sophomore Lewis Rathbone and senior Justin Lawrie were chose to receive second team accolades. Selected to the honorable mention team were seniors Mark Campbell and Gideon Soenksen.
Weides noted, “We are looking forward to representing the GPAC at nationals and being tested against some of the best teams in the nation. Our first opponent, second-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan, will be a good challenge.”
The winner of the opening round contest will advance to the second round in Delray Beach, Fla., and play the winner of No. 12 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and Marymount California on Monday, Nov. 30.