Head Coach: Jason Weides (163-105-37, 17th season)
2023 Record: 13-1-4 overall; 7-0-4 GPAC (3rd)
Key Returners: D Iker Casanova; GK Nolan Fuelberth; D Ferdi Hagen; MF Jarrod Henson; F Martin Herrera; F Carter Hinman; D Michael Lindberg; GK Gabriel Mendoza; MF Okan Erkocu; MF Braden Spath; D Adrian Wambua; F D’Andre Williams; F Ryan Wokutch.
Key Losses: F Victor Meneses; D Michael Owens; MF Matt Schultz; F Isaiah Shaddick.
2023 GPAC All-Conference: Ferdi Hagen (First Team); Carter Hinman (First Team); Matt Schultz (First Team); Nolan Fuelberth (Second Team); Jarrod Henson (Second Team); Isaiah Shaddick (Second Team); Braden Spath (Second Team); Gabriel Mendoza (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
There is business to tend to this fall for a Concordia University Men’s Soccer program that has never been better positioned from a competitive standpoint. Fifteen players return who started at least one game for a 2023 squad that achieved the first undefeated regular season in school history and finished with a 13-1-4 overall mark. Naturally, the Bulldogs enter 2024 as one of the favorites in the race for the GPAC regular season championship.
This will be year No. 17 for Jason Weides as head coach at his alma mater. By a number of measures, Weides led the 2023 team to the most successful season the program’s ever enjoyed, but the early postseason exit hasn’t sat well with the returning veterans.
“I think it’s something that motivated us this offseason,” Weides said. “You have that bitter taste. Although it was one of the best seasons in men’s soccer history, we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do. We all have to look ourselves in the mirror, myself included about how we can get better and where we can get better. Our players have certainly done that too. It’s something we will reflect on and have reflected on. This team is a new team. We’re focused on what we’re doing now. I think this team certainly has a chip on its shoulder because of that.”
The ’23 Bulldogs were left out of the national tournament field after they were defeated in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals. That loss should not overshadow a campaign that saw Concordia stifle its opponents and rank 10th nationally for fewest goals allowed per game (0.72). From that record-setting squad, Concordia brings back six All-GPAC award winners, including first teamers in midfielder Ferdi Hagen and striker Carter Hinman. The Bulldogs did say goodbye to five-year mainstays Matt Schultz and Isaiah Shaddick, but most of the pieces are in place from a team that outscored its foes by a combined total of 43-13.
Weides says the program used this past spring practice season to double down on its defensive emphasis. The aim there is that the Bulldogs can make that area of their game truly elite on a national scale. Concordia also has the unique luxury of returning two All-GPAC goalkeepers, Nolan Fuelberth and Gabriel Mendoza. There is depth at goalkeeper and virtually every spot in the field. That will make for some tough decisions for Weides and his staff.
“It’s really good competition,” Weides said of preseason training this August. “We’ve had some tough decisions to make the past couple of years and this is going to be no different. We’re as deep, if not deeper than last year. It’s a great thing for us to have that problem. It’s going to make it hard because we’ll have some good players who are going to have a difficult time finding as many minutes as they want. Ultimately, everybody is going to play a role, big or small, and that will help us achieve what we’re trying to do and create the culture we want. I’m pleased top to bottom.”
The depth got a boost when every single fourth-year senior from 2023-24 made the decision to take advantage of the COVID exemption and return to the team for 2024. That group includes Iker Casanova, Michael Lindberg, Braden Spath and Ryan Wokutch. There were plenty of reasons for the two-time All-GPAC defender Casanova, who missed seven games last season due to injury. The native of Mexico City has appeared in 66 games in his career as a Bulldog.
Said Casanova, “To be honest, the main reason (I’m back) but not the only reason, is this sense of revenge after last season. We have improved a lot as a team, and last season we had a great regular season, but then we fell short in the tournament. I didn't want to stop there. We as a team wanted to have another go at it and see what happens.”
Casanova figures to help anchor the back line alongside the likes of Adrian Wambua. The depth of the returning nucleus continues into the midfield with impact performers such as Jarrod Henson and Okan Erkocu. The holdovers who started at least 10 games in 2023 include Wambua (16), Hinman (15), Spath (15), Erkocu (14), Henson (13), Hagen (12), Lindberg (12), Casanova (11) and Fuelberth (10). Martin Herrera (eight), Mendoza (eight) and Wokutch (seven) were close behind.
The Gretna, Neb., native Hinman is looking to build upon a breakout 2023 season in which he tallied 10 goals. Wokutch and D’Andre Williams added four goals apiece for a team that displayed plenty of balance.
“We’re excited to see what Carter can do,” Weides said. “We’ve also added guys like (Aidan) Nachi, who transferred in this past year at semester. He’s doing really well. We have tons of other attacking players, whether it’s attacking mids like Martin Herrera or wingers who are returners or newcomers. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a number of guys with five-plus goals or a few guys that hit 10-plus. We have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the back of the net. The other thing we’re hoping to do better is to score more on set plays.”
While it’s true there are a wealth of experienced Bulldogs on the roster, Weides expects transfers and freshmen to make an impact on this team. He rattled off the names of roughly a half-dozen new players other than Nachi would are pushing for playing time. The depth should allow Concordia to persevere should the injury bug hit the way it did in the middle of last season. With a healthy roster, Weides could conceivably go more than 20 deep on his roster and feel comfortable with the level of play on the field.
Clearly this is a team capable of reigning supreme in the GPAC, but Weides wants this group to be more focused on the day-to-day and to enjoy the ride. There’s a feeling inside the program that perhaps the Bulldogs put too much pressure on themselves in 2023 to win championships. It’s easy to be let down if that’s the only motivation for putting in the long hours of training and weightroom work.
Explained Weides, “Maybe last year we became over-obsessed with our goal and lost a little bit of sight of all the things on the way to that goal. One, it’s enjoying the journey and two, it’s focusing on the things that help get you to that goal, instead of the hyper focus on that goal. I think that’s what we’re doing. We’re showing up with a professional mindset and intensity within training. We’re showing up and being coachable. We’re trying to foster a positive, winning team culture. We want our guys to enjoy coming to training and being around each other and hanging out off the field. The focus is on the day-to-day and not getting caught up in what our ranking is.”
More than any other team on campus, the men’s soccer program melds unique individuals from around the world. The camaraderie and team chemistry that builds during August will be a key factor in determining the team’s ultimate success.
Said Casanova, “I think we have an incredible group. You always come into a new season with high expectations and excitement, but in all of my five years, I am most excited to see this group on the field. I feel like we are all just happy and excited. For a lot of us it's our last year here, so it's just like this sense of let's do something great. We've done very well the last two years, but I think this year is going to be even more. We are just eager to take the step forward and make it a very good season.”
The 2024 season will kick off on Aug. 24 when Concordia is slated to host Avila University (Mo.) at 11 a.m. CT from Bulldog Stadium. The complete schedule can be found HERE.