SEWARD, Neb. – After defeating 2019 NAIA national qualifier Midland 1-0, the Concordia Men’s Soccer team is back in action with two matches this week. The Bulldogs will travel to Morningside on Wednesday (Nov. 11) before returning home to host Briar Cliff on Saturday (Nov. 14).
Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Morningside College (7-2, 6-1), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Briar Cliff University (8-1, 6-1), 3:30 p.m.
During their last outing, the Bulldogs found themselves in a defensive battle with the Warriors of Midland. Both sides were limited to just eight shots during the contest. Concordia put four shots on goal while Midland recorded five shots on goal. The game’s decisive moment came in the 42nd minute when sophomore Matt Schultz scored on a corner kick coming from Yessine Bessaies to give the Bulldogs the only goal they needed for the 1-0 victory. Goalkeeper Federico Andrea Simonetti recorded five saves on his way to a clean sheet.
Head Coach Jason Weides squad finds themselves in second place in the GPAC standings with a 6-1-1 conference record. The Bulldogs have a chance to make things interesting in the final stretch of the season as they trail first-place Hastings by a half-game with three matches remaining.
The Concordia-Morningside matchup has always been a battle as the Mustangs hold a 7-6-1 advantage of the Bulldogs historically. Morningside has come out on top in the last two matchups as they defeated Concordia 3-0 in 2019 and 2-1 in 2018.
Morningside (7-2, 6-1) has been impressive this season while scoring a 2-1 win over conference front runner Hastings. The Mustangs are coming off a pair of dominant wins over Jamestown (6-0) and Presentation (7-1). Morningside is led by junior Okan Golge, who is one of the top-scoring threats in the NAIA. Golge, a native of Cologne, Germany, ranks seventh nationally with an average of 1.67 goals per game. Morningside was picked second while garnering two first-place votes in the 2020 GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Briar Cliff (8-1, 6-1) is coming off a 1-0 loss to Dakota Wesleyan which snapped an eight-game win streak. The Chargers are averaging 3.11 goals per game while only allowing one goal per game. Senior Forward Marcus Horwood is the leader of the Chargers offensive attack with five goals and three assists this season. Horwood was a first-team All-GPAC in 2019. Briar Cliff is also strong defensively, allowing just 24 shots on goal through eight matches this season. The Chargers were slated at third in the 2020 GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Following the game against Briar Cliff, Concordia will close out its regular season with a trip to Aberdeen S.D., to face Presentation on Nov. 21. Game time is set for 1 p.m. CT.