Northcutt’s first career goal keys 1-0 win to close regular season
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Assistant
SEWARD, Neb. – Sophomore Nathan Northcutt was all smiles after Concordia’s 1-0 victory over Dakota Wesleyan. The 5-foot-10 native of Dublin, Ireland, punched in his first career goal in a Bulldog uniform and lifted the Bulldogs to a 9-5-4, 5-2-3 GPAC record to close the regular season with a fifth-place league finish.
After a suspenseful first half that resulted in 0-0 tie heading into intermission, it wasn’t until the 61st minute that sophomore Mark Campbell, who also hails from Dublin, Ireland, found his fellow countryman streaking towards the box.
“I had overlapped Sam (Toufique) on the left and I saw Campbell ready to inbound the ball on the right. I just ran as hard as I could to get in the box and as it came in I decided to get my body in front of it and I ended up chesting it and it went in the goal. It was a good feeling,” Northcutt said.
“I’m excited for him,” head coach Jason Weides said. “He made a really good run for it. You don’t see that very often from a right back. It was good commitment. We’ve been saying all week that we need to get more numbers in the box.”
Although the Bulldogs got off 20 shots and took 11 corner kicks, they struggled to find the net, something that will become crucial as they approach the post season.
“We definitely wanted to score more, we thought we could have scored more,” Northcutt said. “I think we’re all a little disappointed that we only came out with a 1-0 win. We had to fight very hard for it in the last ten minutes. I think we’re all happy that we got the three points and happy that we finished off the season with a solid victory.”
Not only was Weides satisfied with the win, but clinching the last regular season game at home made the night special, and provided the Bulldogs with positive momentum as they head into tournament action.
“It’s really good,” Weides said of the win. “You never want to limp into the playoffs, so to finish on a win is good. I think it’s important for our seniors to get a win in their last regular season game on our home turf. It helps to build momentum.”
In a win-or-go-home environment, Weides expressed eagerness and anticipation for an exciting part of the season.
“It makes it fun, it makes it exciting,” Weides said. “Every game is a complete battle. Everyone gets ranked one to eight but at that point, the seeding doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t matter where you play, it’s just whether you show up and perform.”
“I think our guys are well prepared, I think we’ve been getting better throughout the season,” Weides said. “I think we’re really ready for our second season and we’re a team that can legitimately beat any team in our conference. It’s a really difficult conference but we’re just going to show up and make sure that we’re playing at our best level and I think if we do, we’ll be satisfied with our performance.”
As the No. 5 seed, Concordia will travel to play fourth-seeded Doane (6-8-2, 6-3-1 GPAC) at 5 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 6).
“I think we’re a little disappointed that we’re playing on the road instead of here, but I think we’re all ready to go and we’re all ready to work 100 percent to be ready to fight for the postseason and hopefully go far in the GPAC tournament,” Northcutt said.