SEWARD, Neb. – The level of difficulty ramps up on Wednesday when the Concordia University men’s soccer team hosts No. 23 Midland (10-2-1, 3-1 GPAC) in a match slated for 8 p.m. CT inside Bulldog Stadium. It will be a rematch of a 2015 GPAC tournament semifinal game. Then on Saturday, Concordia will travel to play Dordt (5-7, 1-2 GPAC) in a matchup set for 3:15 p.m. CT.
For the second time in four seasons, head coach Jason Weides’ squad is off to a 3-1 start in GPAC play. Over the Bulldogs’ previous 10 games versus GPAC opponents, they own a record of 7-1-2 with the lone defeat coming at fourth-ranked Hastings on Sept. 28. That 10-game stretch included the conference semifinal meeting between Concordia and Midland, which went to a penalty kick shootout that saw the Bulldogs prevail.
Midland is the first ranked opponent to visit Bulldog Stadium this season. The Warriors will test Concordia’s top-notch defense. Midland has tallied 45 goals over 13 games and ranks 10th in the nation in terms of goals scored per game. Four Warriors have scored five or more goals in 2016. Ali Sodal leads the way with 14 goals. He’s also contributed five assists. Like the Bulldogs, the Warriors’ only conference defeat came at Hastings.
Dordt entered this week having not played a conference game since a 2-1 loss at Briar Cliff on Oct. 5. The Defenders are averaging 3.17 goals per game (third in the GPAC) and have given Concordia fits in recent years. The Bulldogs are 0-3-1 versus Dordt over the past four seasons.
Concordia has four players with four or more goals this season: Micah Lehenbauer (5), Carlos Ferrer (4), Marcelo Hernandez (4) and Tyler Jensen (4). Jensen recorded his second hat trick of his career in last week’s 11-0 victory over Mount Marty.
Wednesday’s contest will be available live on the web via the Concordia Sports Network.