SEWARD, Neb. – In a renewal of the in-state rivalry with Bellevue University, Wednesday (Sept. 4) night’s affair included all the physicality and intensity of a postseason contest. Ultimately, a penalty kick in the final minute made the difference for the seventh-ranked Bruins, who walked away a 2-1 winner in a contest that appeared destined for a draw. Matias Daniel-Doren buried the game-winning PK in the 90th minute.
Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad lost for the first time in 2024 while slipping to 1-1-2. The program’s regular season unbeaten streak has ended at 29 games (21-0-8 over that stretch dating back to 2022).
“It definitely was an intense game – I think every game with Bellevue is like that,” Weides said. “Those are fun games to play. We just have to have better composure in those moments. The red card was certainly a defining moment in the game. We didn’t lose because of that, but it made it harder. We had to defend, defend, defend, and our guys put in a good shift. We just didn’t do quite enough today.”
Concordia played down a man for the final rough and tumble 27 minutes and 31 seconds. From that point on, the Bulldogs struggled to mount much in the way of an attack. GPAC Defensive Player of the Week Nolan Fuelberth made a pair of saves over the final 17 minutes. Concordia was unable to dodge one final bullet when Bellevue was awarded a PK with only 37 ticks remaining on the clock.
That moment removed some of the good vibrations that came in the 31st minute when sophomore defender Michael Wyvill put away the first goal of his collegiate career. After the PK by Martin Herrera was saved by Bellevue keeper Taariq Ganga, D’Andre Williams managed to poke the ball away from Ganga. Wyville was Johhny on the spot and headed the ball into the back of the net. Outside of that sequence, only one other Concordia shot was placed on frame all night.
The visitors were on the board first thanks to Jose-Miguel Boggio’s goal in the 18th minute. The game settled into an ultra-competitive defensive battle (13-4 overall shot advantage for the Bruins). A total of nine cards were issued over the final 30 minutes as the action got chippier. In the end, Bellevue (5-0) stayed unbeaten and earned a measure of revenge for the 2-1 defeat it was dealt by the Bulldogs last season in Papillion. The Bruins have taken down four GPAC opponents already in 2024.
Concordia remains a side with GPAC championship aspirations. It hopes to work out the kinks before conference play opens later this month.
Said Weides, “We’ve been close. It’s a lot of the little details. I think we have to just look ourselves in the mirror. Ultimately, we’re making the mistakes and putting ourselves in the position to have to work harder. That’s really what we did tonight. We have to be more disciplined and find away to get more chances against these good teams.”
Another weekend road trip is up next as the Bulldogs now look forward to Saturday’s clash with Grand View University. Kickoff from Des Moines, Iowa, is slated for 1 p.m. CT. This is a change from the previously scheduled start time of 5 p.m. Concordia will attempt to avenge the 2-0 loss it was handed at Grand View back in 2021, the most recent matchup between the two programs.