Seward, Neb. – With only four games left in the regular season, Concordia University Men’s Soccer will spend its next two outings on the road. Doane will host the Bulldogs on Wednesday (Oct. 16), and Waldorf has the game set at Bolstorff Field this weekend. Morningside and Concordia tied (1-1) on senior day as CUNE collected another draw. The Bulldogs are 3-2-8 overall and 2-0-4 in GPAC play.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Doane (4-6-2, 2-4 GPAC), 7:15 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Papik Field (Crete, Neb.)
Saturday, Oct. 19 at Waldorf (0-10-1, 0-6 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bolstorff Field (Forest City, Iowa)
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By the numbers
· Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad got ahead early in the blistering paced battle between the Mustangs. Martin Herrera put a corner kick opportunity in the right spot for Hugo Garrote to place the backside of his foot to the ball for a tap in score. It was the Monroe College transfer's first finish as a Bulldog. After the break, the Mustangs got the better of Concordia (8-5 shot advantage) and equalized with Bennet Wesselkaemper’s goal in the 55th minute. Both teams would have chances in the final minutes, but D’Andre Williams was denied by the post and Morningside was denied by Nolan Fuelberth (four saves). Fuelberth, Herrera and Williams were three of the nine seniors recognized prior to the contest. The other seniors included Ryan Brown, Jarrod Henson, Carter Hinman, Spencer Kaufman, Gabriel Mendoza and Manuel Rodriguez. Five seniors appeared in the starting 11. Said Weides, “This is a really good senior class that has played important roles both on the field and off the field. They have all contributed a lot to this program over the years. I would have loved for every senior to have gotten the opportunity to get on the field tonight and have the chance to ring the bell on senior night. Ultimately, it’s a really good group.”
· The Bulldogs' strength through the first 13 games has been on the defensive side of the ball. Concordia leads the league in goals allowed (10) in front of Northwestern (14) and Dakota Wesleyan (20) having played fewer games. Bolstered behind a conference best 0.77 goals allowed average, the Bulldogs are alone at the top as Northwestern owns the next best goals allowed (1.17). Having tied conference high four shutouts, CUNE has 49 saves as a team and is sitting at the middle of the pack. The Concordia goalkeepers have had fewer chances to defend because of the team's collaborative defense. Led by co-captains Iker Casanova and Ferdi Hagen, Coach Weides’ squad boasts significant talent on the defensive minded squad.
· Take one glance at the keeper leaderboard and you will find Nolan Fuelberth plastered across the top of many significant categories. With the highest save percentage (.813) and goals against average (0.82) in the conference, native of Lincoln, Neb., Fuelberth is at No. 1 in goals against giving up only nine in 105 shot attempts. The product, out of Lincoln Southwest, ended his 2023 campaign in the top 5 in both categories last season (eight, 0.80). Gabriel Mendoza and Fuelberth combined for the program’s season low 13 goals allowed last season.
· The Bulldogs has a new conference record for ties in a season (eight) with four regular season matches left in their slate. The team has tied with Graceland University (0-0), Columbia College (1-1), Grand View University (1-1), York University (1-1), Dordt (1-1), Hastings (1-1), Briar Cliff (1-1) and Morningside (1-1). With the previous season record at four (2023, 2018), Concordia has doubled its ties from last year.
· While the Bulldogs are tied for sixth in the conference, it feels like any team can go on a run in these final weeks to take the GPAC regular season championship. With three upcoming opponents at the bottom of the league standings, Concordia is primed for a chance to make moves before the final standings are finished. Hastings holds a slim one point lead (14) at the top of the standings with a 4-1-2 conference record. Northwestern has 13 points, one behind the Broncos, and has a 4-1-1 record. The next five teams are separated by one point with Dordt (11), Midland (11), Morningside (11), Concordia (10) and Briar Cliff (10). The Chargers have played one more contest than the rest. Dakota Wesleyan (six), Doane (six), Mount Marty (three) and Waldorf (zero) round out the teams in the bottom of the GPAC.
· The Massey Ratings have the Bulldogs slotted at 67th and put their strength of schedule at 54th in the country. Doane has a ranking of 132nd, while Waldorf is 185th in the NAIA. The Tigers’ strength of schedule is 116th after 12 games and the Warriors are slotted at 133rd.
Doane
The Tigers are 4-6-2 overall and 2-4 in the conference. Three nonconference teams Concordia tied, Doane went 1-2 against falling to Bellevue University (6-0) and Graceland University (2-0) but defeated York University (2-0). The Crete side defeated Waldorf (6-0) and Dakota Wesleyan (2-1) in conference play. The Tigers average 9.8 shots per game with a .547 shot on goal percentage. They have totaled 19 scores while allowing 32, the second worst in the conference. Ameer Madden paces the team with six goals, tied for third best in the conference. Guillem Colom and Hugo Santos both have three goals apiece. Goalkeeper Samuel Montanez has played 894 minutes giving up 28 goals and collecting 69 saves with a .711 save percentage.
Waldorf
The Warriors are winless with an 0-10-1 record and an 0-6 conference showing. Waldorf recently fell to GPAC opponents Midland (12-0), Dakota Wesleyan (3-0) and Hastings (5-0). The Warriors will face Culver-Stockton College (Mo.) this coming Wednesday. They average 5.7 shots per game and have a .476 shot on goal percentage. The team has scored five goals this season with two apiece coming from Louis Hernandez and Ryder Tormaschy. Waldorf has played three goalkeepers with senior Osvaldo Andrade playing 346 minutes in the contests and has 48 saves on a .706 save percentage.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will finish out conference play by visiting Mount Marty and coming home for their final regular season bout versus Midland. Concordia will travel to face the Lancers in Yankton, S.D. and face off against the Warriors in Bulldog Stadium. The match is listed below.
Saturday, Oct. 26
3:30 p.m. – at Mount Marty
Wednesday, Oct. 30
8 p.m. – vs. Midland