Defense pitches shutout in route to road victory
STERLING, Kan. – The host Warriors gave the Bulldogs all they could handle on Saturday afternoon in what was a scoreless contest until the 77th minute when Concordia finally drew first blood. The Bulldogs would add one more goal on the way to a 2-0 road shutout of Sterling College.
The game’s first goal came on a free kick delivered by freshman defender Sean Doran that was driven past the Warrior defense and headed into the net by freshman forward Dean Stevens. Stevens was able to beat the hard-charging Sterling goalkeeper to give Concordia (5-1) all it would need to ride to victory.
“We had to grind out a tough contest,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “We surrendered possession far easier than we should have and gave them opportunities on quick counters after giveaways on what normally are simple passes for us. We didn't play that well but were able to grind out a victory. It's great to see that even when we don't play to the caliber we expect that we can earn a shutout and score a couple goals.”
The Bulldogs got some breathing room with 4:02 remaining in the game when freshman midfielder Gideon Soenksen played through to Nathan Douglas, who was taken down in the box and given a penalty kick. The junior forward, held out of the team’s first two games due to injury, drilled the penalty kick for his first goal of 2012. He led the team with 11 goals last season.
Following the game, Weides complimented the feisty Warriors of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. It took nearly the entire 90 minutes for Concordia to put away Sterling, which dropped to 2-3 on the season.
“We give credit to Sterling who played well and made for a very challenging game in a tough place to play,” Weides said.
The shutout was the third of the season for Concordia, which has allowed only three goals in six games.
The Bulldogs return home on Wednesday when they welcome York College to Seward for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference battle. The women’s game, set for a 5 p.m. start, precedes the men’s contest.