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SEWARD, Neb. – Bulldog Stadium saw four different Concordia Men’s Soccer players hit the back of the net in a 5-0 route over the visiting Avila University (Mo.) on Saturday morning (Aug. 24). Martin Herrera highlighted the scoresheet as he was the only Bulldog to collect multiple goals after his return from injury last season. The back line and goalkeeper Nolan Fuelberth continued their dominance from the previous season pitching a shutout, while only allowing four shots.
“We competed hard over the last three weeks. We have grown and learned some lessons. Ultimately, it was just really nice to play someone else and guys were ready”, said Head Coach Jason Weides about the season opener. “We possessed it well, but the biggest factor was we pressed really well and won the ball back quickly. We also counter pressed well and just played really simple at times.”
Herrera returned to the field with swagger as he was involved in both first half goals via an assist to Senior Ryan Wokutch and a penalty kick goal after a foul inside the box. The Quito, Ecuador, native stutter stepped before he buried the penalty in the bottom left corner. After Herrera was unable to score last season, the senior smiled when asked which type of goal was more nerve-racking.
“The penalty. You are just one v. one versus the keeper. You feel all the pressure.” Martin continued about finally getting to play the first match, “We wanted to play someone else just to feel the pressure. We are a good team and we are good with each other. We just wanted some new challenges.”
Wokutch, out of Paola, Kan., broke the ice in the 14th minute with the first goal. Coming out of halftime with a 2-0 lead, newcomer Oliver Benson scored via an assist from Ferdi Hagen less than two minutes after the break. Herrera added his second (Carter Hinman assist) and Kai Olbrich would be the final Bulldog to light up the scoreboard.
Concordia didn’t let up on either side of the pitch outshooting their opponents 14-2 (21-4 total) in the second half. Anchors like Mattis Hollnagel, Michael Lindberg, Braden Spath, and Michael Wyvill roamed the defensive half to take out any opportunities of the Eagles. Other names like Jarrod Henson, Slade Leicht, Sean Stratman, D’Andre Willams, and more show how deep this roster truly is.
Avila goalkeeper Naguib Nassir was able to collect four saves before being subbed due to injury in the 85th minute. The Eagles were unable to get many offensive chances with the home team retaining possession for a majority of the match.
The Bulldogs hit the road on Aug. 28 to face Graceland University (Iowa) and Columbia College (Mo.) on Aug. 31 in upcoming away matches. Kick off is set to start at 6 p.m. CT in the next game. Concordia bested Graceland (2-1) in its home opener from the 2023 season.