SEWARD, Neb. – In a renewal of arguably the GPAC’s most intense soccer rivalry, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer made it a one-sided affair. The Bulldogs had Hastings on its heels from the opening whistle, built a 3-0 halftime lead and rolled to a 4-1 victory on a crisp fall Wednesday (Oct. 14) inside Bulldog Stadium. The ascending Joe McCarroll peppered the back of the net twice as one of three Concordia goal scorers on the evening.
Head Coach Bernie Ochoa’s squad moved one step closer to sewing up the program’s first-ever GPAC regular season championship. The Bulldogs stand at a perfect 7-0 in conference play (9-4 overall) with three matches remaining in the regular season.
“I'm really proud of the guys,” Ochoa said. “I'm happy with where we're at and the situation we're in. Obviously, as an alumnus, I'm proud of the program, and that's why I'm here. I came here because I knew the capabilities we had as a program and believed in moving forward and becoming a powerhouse.
“I think the mentality is to go into every game the same way. As far as preparation, we watch film and work in training. Every day is a different day, but opponents are always going to come after us. We have to expect that.”
Concordia certainly anticipated Hastings’ best shot, despite the perennially powerful Broncos (3-8-1, 1-5-1 GPAC) finding themselves in the rare position of fighting for their postseason hopes. But these Bulldogs have a way of overwhelming the opposition with pressure. Concordia’s aggressive nature yielded a 3-0 lead at the 30-minute mark as Hugo Garrote (4’), Kai Olbrich (11’) and Joe McCarroll (30’) each found the back of the net. (Olbrich was assisted by Sebastian Montino).
A budding star, the Prestwick, Scotland, native McCarroll also found the back of the net in the 74th minute, adding the cherry on top. McCarroll has put away all seven of his team-high goals since conference play began in September. Meanwhile, Garrote continues to be lethal on set pieces. The combination of attacking options has led to Concordia scoring at least three goals in each of the past five outings.
Said Garrote (Jerez De La Frontera, Spain), “I feel like the team has been practicing very well these past few weeks, and really throughout the whole season so far. It's the environment and the feeling of the family we are. We're putting all that effort from practice into the games, and we're succeeding.”
The Bulldogs finished the night with a 21-14 shot advantage (12-4 in shots on goal). Sean Stratman and the back line managed to limit dangerous chances for Hastings (which owned a 9-4 edge in corners). Concordia keeper Florian Quast posted notched three saves. Hastings got its only goal on a penalty kick by Mauro Figueroa in the 50th minute.
Explained Ochoa of the team’s offensive exploits, “It took a bit of time at the beginning. There were some growing pains, but that's expected. At the end of the day, we've been able to put the right pieces together. We've realized that most teams aren't that good at building out of the back, so we decided to become more of a high-pressing team. At the beginning, we weren't, but that's what we've become. We've been a really good high-pressing team, pressing together as a unit. It's cutting the field shorter, and we're winning a lot of those one-on-one battles, which allows us to create opportunities early.”
The final road trip of the regular season is coming up on Saturday when the Bulldogs will appear in Forest City, Iowa, for a matchup with Waldorf (5-10, 0-7 GPAC). Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT from Bolstorff Field. The Warriors remain in search of their first conference win after falling at Dakota Wesleyan, 6-0, on Wednesday. A win for Concordia would clinch at least a share of the GPAC regular season title.