SEWARD, Neb. – After the Bulldogs grabbed a tie (1-1) on the road against Hastings on Saturday (Oct. 14), they will face the GPAC leader, Briar Cliff, on Wednesday (Oct. 18). With a win, the Bulldogs would jump back into the race for the GPAC regular season title. Concordia will come back to Bulldog Stadium for their regular season home finale hosting Waldorf on senior day (Oct. 21). The seniors honored will be: Iker Casanova, Michael Lindberg, Braden Spath, and Ryan Wokutch. Still undefeated, the Bulldogs stay in GPAC contention with an 11-0-3 overall record and a 5-0-3 GPAC record.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Briar Cliff (10-2-1, 7-0-1 GPAC), 1 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Faber Field (Sioux City, Iowa)
Saturday, Oct. 21 vs. Waldorf (2-10-1, 1-6 GPAC), 2 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium
By the numbers
· Playing down a man for 63 minutes caused by Victor Meneses’ two yellow cards, CUNE dominated the ball in the second half, not being able to find the final touch for a game winner. The highlight started with Carter Hinman crashing a header toward midfielder Slade Leicht. He needed only two touches, as he hit the ball down with his chest and struck the ball past the crashing goalkeeper for his first collegiate score, putting the Dawgs up one early. Given a penalty kick three minutes later, Hastings’ Ruben Bande took the chance for the Broncos. Goalkeeper Nolan Fuelberth blocked the initial penalty kick, but Bande followed the ball and kicked in the second chance, tying the match (1-1). No teams would score the rest of the 81 minutes. Nine different Concordia players would get a shot off in the 10-7 shot advantage over the Broncos. Fuelberth’s only save was the penalty kick, which presented the team's only quality chance for another score in the 90 minutes. The Broncos, the highest carded team in the league, recorded 18 fouls to the Dawgs’ 10.
· Looking at the standings, Briar Cliff leads the league with 22 points after eight games. The Dawgs sit second in the conference with 18 points, making the Wednesday match a must win to have a shot at the regular season championship. Northwestern sits close behind with 17 points, giving them the ability to jump Concordia if there is a late season loss. Morningside and Hastings are tied in fourth with 15 points through nine games.
· This group of seniors has accomplished many things in their four years, beginning with the big highlight coming in 2022, winning the GPAC tournament championship and advancing to the national tournament. While this season is not over, this classes record amounts to a 44-15-12 overall record and a 25-7-9 GPAC record. They finished the 2022 season in second place with a league record of 8-1-2. Through their 14 games this season, the team is No. 5 in the NAIA in goals allowed average (0.57) and in the top 10 in goals allowed (eight) with three matches to go. Success in 2023 and the seasons before wouldn’t have been possible without the fifth-year seniors, Victor Meneses, Matt Schultz, and Izzy Shaddick. These three returned for their final year of eligibility and have majorly contributed to the undefeated 2023 season.
· Center Back Iker Casanova has been awarded two time second team All-GPAC (2020, 2021) and two time NAIA Scholar Athlete (2021, 2022). Coming out of Mexico City, Mexico, he has tallied four goals and three assists, being named a captain for two years while playing in 66 games. Michael Lindberg has appeared in 46 games (started 20) and has been a constant presence on the back line for the Bulldogs. The Mesa, Arizona product has one assist and has been a big part of the defensive success this season. Braden Spath has appeared in 50 games (started 23), with the majority of his starts coming this year as a mainstay defender. He has totaled three career assists and scored two goals, with his lone score coming against Midland in 2023. He has seven shots this season and five on goal. Forward Ryan Wokutch has played in 65 games (started 20), as he tallied 17 goals (four game winners) and six assists through 71 shots (33 SOG). Last season the Paola, Kansas athlete was awarded second team All-GPAC in 2022.
Briar Cliff
The Chargers will walk on Faber Field with a 10-2-1 overall record and an undefeated 7-0-1 record in the GPAC. They have wins over the top teams in the conference versus Northwestern (4-1), Hastings (2-1) and Morningside (2-0). Their only conference tie (1-1) came against Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday (Sept. 20). They are tied with the conference lead with 43 goals, averaging 3.31 goals per game. They average 13.8 shots per game and lead the conference in shot percentage (.231). Briar Cliff has 30 assists through their 13 games. Andrew Buchanan has nine goals with three assists, tallying the team high 21 points. Not far behind, Nicolas Aanensen Karlsen has seven goals and five assists. Hjalmar Nilsson has played 1,125 minutes between the posts, having allowed 18 goals garnering a 1.44 goals allowed average. He has 63 saves with a save percentage of 0.778.
Waldorf
The Warriors, officially added to the conference this year, come into the week with a 2-10-1 overall record and a 1-6 conference record. Their two wins came over Union College (16-2) and Doane (2-1). They have scored 22 goals on a .143 shot percentage, shooting 11.8 shots per game. Waldorf’s shot on goal percentage is .578 and they have totaled 14 assists in their 13 games. Antonio Coutinho leads the team with six goals and four assists, adding up 16 points. Four players have three goals behind Coutinho, as senior Lucas Berte leads the team with five assists. Charlie Austin-Ross has taken 739 minutes of time in goal, allowing 24 scores in 2.93 goals allowed per game. He has 51 saves with a .680 save percentage.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will travel to Crete, Neb. on Wednesday (Oct. 25) to face off against Doane in their final regular season game. The match is listed below and will be hosted at Al Papik Field.
Wednesday, Oct. 25
5 p.m. – vs. Doane