2013 Men's Soccer Schedule/Results

10-9 Overall, 6-4 GPAC - Season Stats

AUGUST
Aug. 24	Alumni Game	Seward, Neb.	4 p.m.
Aug. 30	(17) Benedictine College (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	L, 1-4
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 3	AIB (Iowa)	Des Moines, Iowa	W, 2-0
Sept. 6	John Brown University (Ark.) -	Siloam Springs, Ark.	W, 2-1
Sept. 7	Oklahoma City University	Siloam Springs, Ark.	L, 0-1
Sept. 13	Friends University (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	L, 0-3
Sept. 14	Sterling College (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	W, 3-0
Sept. 18	Bethany College (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	L, 0-3
Sept. 21	* Mount Marty College	Seward, Neb.	W, 5-0
Sept. 29	* Morningside College	Sioux City, Iowa	W, 5-1
OCTOBER
Oct. 1	York College	York, Neb.	W, 6-2
Oct. 5	* Dordt College	Seward, Neb.	L, 0-1
Oct. 9	* Doane College	Crete, Neb.	W, 3-2
Oct. 12	* Nebraska Wesleyan University	Seward, Neb.	W. 4-2
Oct. 19	* Northwestern College	Orange City, Iowa	L, 0-2
Oct. 23	* Midland University	Seward, Neb.	L, 0-3
Oct. 26	* Briar Cliff University (Senior Day)	Seward, Neb.	W, 4-0
Oct. 30	* (6) Hastings College	Hastings, Neb.	L, 1-3
NOVEMBER
Nov. 2	* Dakota Wesleyan University	Mitchell, S.D.	W, 1-0
GPAC Tournament: Nov. 5, 9, 14
Nov. 6	Northwestern (GPAC Quarterfinals)	Orange City, Iowa	L, 2-3
Nov. 9	GPAC Semifinals	TBD	TBD
Nov. 14	GPAC Championship	TBD	TBD
NAIA Tournament: Nov. 23 - Dec. 7
Nov. 23	NAIA Tournament Opening Round	TBD	TBD

All Home Games in BOLD
*Great Plains Athletic Conference Games

2013 Men's Soccer Roster

No.

Name

Pos.

Ht.

Yr.

Hometown

Previous School

Skylar Lewis

5-11

Sr.

Adel, Iowa

Adel DeSoto Minburn

Mark Horsburgh

5-11

Fr.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Royal

Brendan Buchanan

5-7

Jr.

Broomfield, Colo.

Broomfield

Sean Doran

6-6

So.

Dublin, Ireland

Colaiste Ide

Daniel Moore

5-10

Jr.

Fruita, Colo.

Central

Marcos Leon

6-0

RS-Fr.

Sonora, Mexico

San Luis

Mark Campbell

5-10

Fr.

Dublin, Ireland

Colaiste Ide

Carlos Acosta

5-9

Fr.

Cali, Columbia

Instituto Bilingue Agora

Rajan Kooner

5-9

Jr.

Surrey, Canada

Brewton-Parker University

Jake Sells

5-6

So.

Woodland Park, Colo.

Woodland Park

Nathan Douglas

6-0

Sr.

Winnipeg, Can.

Westgate Mennonite

Gideon Soenksen

5-8

So.

Lincoln, Neb.

Lincoln Lutheran

Donal Landrum

5-9

Jr.

Somerton, Ariz.

Arizona Western CC

Will Gabbert

6-2

So.

Sedalia, Mo.

Home school

Chris DeFeyter

5-8

Jr.

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Saguaro

Dean Stevens

6-1

So.

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Notre Dame Prep

Tony Brandner

6-1

So.

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Lincoln

Matt Meisinger

5-7

So.

Sioux Falls, S.D.

O'Gorman

Dan Stephens

5-9

Fr.

Wichita, Kan.

Andover Central

Andrew Mussell

5-11

Fr.

Buffalo, Minn.

Buffalo

Dane Stahr

6-1

Jr.

Lincoln, Neb.

Lincoln Lutheran

Mark Anderson

5-10

So.

Morton, Ill.

Morton

Josh Wudtke

5-6

Fr.

Collinsville, Ill.

Metro East Lutheran

Nathan Northcutt

5-10

So.

Dublin, Ireland

Mount Temple

Justin Lawrie

6-1

So.

Winnipeg, Canada

St. Paul's

Nick Koszewski

5-10

So.

Lincoln, Neb.

Lincoln Lutheran

Marcelino Varona

5-6

So.

Olathe, Kan.

Olathe South

Eli Etzel

5-11

Fr.

Buffalo, Minn.

Buffalo

Jeff Kirkland

5-10

So.

Lincoln, Neb.

Lincoln Lutheran

Coaching staff

Head coach: Jason Weides

Assistant coach: Benny Hanaphy

Assistant coach: Nick Holmes

Assistant coach: Brett Rosenberger

Bulldogs men's soccer takes step forward in spring season

2 MAY 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – After beginning the 2012 season 6-1, a first-round exit in the GPAC tournament did not sit well with head coach Jason Weides’ Bulldog men’s soccer squad. Led by leading returner goal scorer Nathan Douglas, Concordia put together a productive spring that it hopes will lay the groundwork for a stronger finish to the 2013 campaign.

The Bulldogs compiled a record of 3-1-2 over their six-game spring slate, which included contests against conference rivals Doane, Midland and Morningside. The final games of the spring were played this past Sunday.

“Overall I think it was a really positive, productive spring for us,” Weides said. “We played some good competition not only against conference opponents, but we also played teams like Grand View who we played in the fall.”

According to Weides, Douglas sets the example for the entire side with his intense dedication in the offseason. The senior-to-be from Winnipeg, Canada, appeared to take yet another step forward in the spring and is primed to overtake departing senior Aaron Skipworth’s Concordia career goals record of 31.

“He’s a driven guy who works just as hard if not harder than anyone on our team, not only in training but in the offseason,” Weides said of Douglas. “Whether it’s banging the ball against the wall or just getting extra touches, he’s in there working and being a model for other guys.

“He’s eager to take on more and step up both in terms of his play and leadership.”

Weides has seen plenty of positives this spring to realize his team is more than just Douglas. The offensive attack will return 87.9 percent of its goal-scoring production from 2012 as nine of the 12 Bulldogs who tallied at least one goal last season are back in the fold for 2013.

“The nice thing for us is I think we’ve got goals to come from other spots besides just Douglas next year,” Weides said. “We’ve got some returners who can score some goals – some who scored goals this past fall for us and some that are just on the verge of having breakout seasons for us and really being more productive in terms of being on the score line.”

Weides noted several players who turned in highlight reel goals during the spring including Douglas along with sophomores-to-be Dean Stevens and Marcelino Varona and junior-to-be Chris DeFeyter.

Stevens made up part of a large freshman class that logged heavy playing time in 2012. Five freshmen combined to make 96 starts last year. That group was headed by second team all-conference defender Sean Doran. With a full season in the books, the class of experienced youngsters looks even more comfortable.

“A lot of people didn’t know quite what to expect in their first year of college,” Weides said. “Now I think they understand it. They understand not only what it takes to be an athlete here but what it’s going to take for us to get to that next level and compete for a conference championship. I think they’re hungry. They’re excited. They’ve worked hard.

“We already view them as upperclassmen.”

The seasoned group of Bulldogs will be joined this fall by a recruiting class that will include additional international flavor. Assistant coach Benny Hanaphy, a Kilkenny, Ireland, native, proved instrumental in helping the Bulldogs land Doran, a product of Dublin, and has used his connections to aid in adding more scoring talent and help on the back line.

Check out the 2013 Concordia men’s soccer scheduleHERE. The Bulldogs are set to open up the season on Aug. 30 when Benedictine College (Kan.) visits Seward.

Concordia grad assistant soccer coach catches on with Lincoln Haymakers

17 JUN 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Growing up in Kilkenny, Ireland, Concordia men’s soccer graduate assistant coach Benny Hanaphy lived and breathed soccer. The game is what brought him to America on scholarship at nearby York College, where he would star as an NAIA All-American. But the game of football? Now that felt foreign to Hanaphy.

“I knew very little about football,” Hanaphy said. “I knew (the U.S.) had a Super Bowl and that there was a football (video) game called ‘Madden,’ but I couldn’t understand why they called it football when they don’t use their feet.”

Yet somehow Hanaphy found himself debuting as a kicker for the Lincoln Haymakers on April 26. A YouTube video of Hanaphy drilling kicks inside Bulldog Stadium as far out as 52 yards caught the eye of a Grand Island indoor football team, the Nebraska Danger. Soon after playing two games for the Danger, Hanaphy was contacted by the Haymakers, a first-year squad in the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL).

The 6-foot-2 football rookie used his powerful and accurate left leg to become a fixture at the end of the season for the Haymakers. In a league with exceptionally narrow uprights (10 feet wide compared to 23’ 6” for college), Hanaphy nailed 8-of-18 field goal tries and went 12-for-16 on PATs. His field goal percentage of 44.4 was not far off the league leader.

The kicking part came natural, but the football uniform complete with a helmet and pads did not.

“It was awkward,” Hanaphy said. “The helmet was heavy and obscured my vision. The pads made it hard to swing my arms like I wanted to, but after the warm-up I got used to them. I was a bit nervous, but mostly because I wanted to do well for the team, due to being so new.”

Adapting to a new game and sporting culture, Hanaphy knocked in three field goals in his first game, helping the Haymakers to a 46-40 victory over the Oklahoma Defenders. Two weeks later he connected on the longest successful field goal of any Haymaker kicker in 2013, converting on a 42-yard field goal.

Not bad for someone who had never played the sport before. While his style may look unorthodox compared to kickers who were groomed to play football, Hanaphy has developed a routine that works for him.

“Most kickers have prescribed steps,” Hanaphy says. “I just back up three-four steps diagonally and go and kick it. It's more natural for me. I don't think the robotic style would help me at all.”

Bulldog defensive coordinator Patrick Daberkow stood in as holder for the YouTube video that helped Hanaphy land with the Haymakers. Hanaphy was so impressive kicking the pigskin that Concordia football coaches were ready to offer him a spot on the roster, however, he had used up his playing eligibility at York.

Instead, Hanaphy caught on with the fledgling Lincoln indoor team. Even though he possessed little understanding of the game, Hanaphy, carrying his charming Irish accent, was greeted warmly by his new teammates.

“They were very welcoming,” Hanaphy said. “They knew I could kick a ball but also knew that I was new to the game and would need some help with the rules and procedures. They really looked after me and made me feel included from the start.”

The welcoming atmosphere allowed Hanaphy to find comfort in what seemed like a strange game. He liked the experience in his four games so much that he just might find himself in the Haymaker uniform again next spring.

“They've already asked me to sign for next year so that's very flattering,” Hanaphy said. “I'd love to play again. This past season was mainly to get my foot in the door and get asked to play a full season next year.”

However, soccer is still Hanaphy’s primary passion. He will serve one more season on Bulldog head men’s soccer coach Jason Weides’ staff while completing his master’s degree. The next step will be to obtain a head coaching position of his own, likely within the United States.

“I really like the competitive nature and professional training and recruiting environment of the college soccer scene in America so I'd love to stay and coach there,” Hanaphy said. “Hopefully I can get that chance once I'm finished at Concordia after this upcoming year.”

According to Weides, Hanaphy is on track to reach his career goal.

“He would be great as a head coach,” Weides said. “He definitely has a knowledge of the game. He’s a student of the game. From a training aspect, he knows how to train players to get the maximum out of them. He knows how to build relationships. He’s good socially. He’s good with our players. Our players love him. He’s one of those guys that fit it from day one.”

Bulldog athlete brings passion for soccer and faith to Africa

5 AUG 2013

Walking in the footsteps of his head coach, Concordia junior men’s soccer player Brendan Buchanan took his love of soccer and his desire for adventure all over Africa throughout the month of July. The Bulldog keeper seized the opportunity to play soccer and share his faith abroad through a program called Athletes in Action, just as men’s soccer coach Jason Weides had a few years ago.

Like the many Concordia students who have traveled outside the US for mission trips, Buchanan witnessed many cultural differences, some that made his jaw drop. Armed with his faith and soccer skills the Broomfield, Colo., native set out to form a bond with the local people for three weeks.

“I had never done a trip like this before,” Buchanan said. “I decided to do it because I wanted to experience a new culture and I felt doing that through soccer and the gospel would be the perfect way to do it.”

What Buchanan found in his excursion in Bulembu, Swaziland and then in the cities of Lusaka and Livingstone in Zambia, were children who shared his love of soccer. Despite the lack of a first-class facility like Bulldog Stadium, the youths of Africa found creative ways to enjoy the game.

“We were playing on dirt fields with makeshift goals and it was really cool to experience soccer that way,” Buchanan said. “The people we played against don't need fancy equipment. It was really cool to play against the teams we did because they were playing simply for the joy of playing. Everybody was so passionate about their soccer down there. Everywhere we went there were kids playing with their homemade balls on the streets, and it really reminded me of why I started playing soccer.”

There were many rewarding aspects of the trip. The chance to work with impressionable kids from orphanages stood near the top of the list for Buchanan. The physical education major primarily put on soccer clinics that included gospel sessions in which each of the soccer players shared their own stories with the children.

Through it all, Buchanan was impressed by the positive outlooks shared by the people he visited. Away from the world we know complete with cell phones, iPads, computers and gigantic high definition televisions, people live blissfully without all the gizmos that many Americans take for granted.

“I think the most important thing I took away from the trip was that you don't have to have a lot of material possessions to be happy,” Buchanan said. “The people we interacted with were always nice and happy, and many of them had old cloths and no shoes. But even with that they made the most of the situation, and it made me realize that if you have faith, you don't have to worry about what you don't have.”

For someone like Buchanan, who has lived his entire life in either Broomfield or Seward, the three weeks in Africa were a definite step outside his comfort zone. He may have felt somewhat like Weides did in 2009 when he traveled to Paraguay and Panama for a similar mission trip.

“It challenged me personally, because sharing my faith was something I'd never done before,” Weides told theBroomfield Enterprise for an article in April. “And it was a humbling experience. Working in really poverty stricken areas was something that helped me realize how blessed we are in this country. And it meant so much to bring some happiness to these people, at least for a moment.”

Weides’ reflection sounded eerily similar to the words Buchanan used upon his return from Africa. Both seemed to gain a greater perspective on life after being introduced to African nations where things like safe-to-drink tap water and clean pairs of shoes are more fairy tale than reality.

“My perspective on life has changed after this trip,” Buchanan said. “We always hear we have it really good in America, but you don't truly appreciate that until you go somewhere that is very poor. Seeing some of the stuff I saw in the towns and orphanages and such really made me realize how easy we have it here.”

This point proved true the first time Buchanan laid down for a night’s rest in Africa. While Buchanan is used to protecting a net, sleeping under one is entirely different. Then there were the signs of peril faced by Africans and the placement of cars driving on the streets.

“Another thing that struck me was kind of the environment of the city,” Buchanan said. “Almost every house or business had a wall around it with barbed wire or broken glass on top of it to keep people. And of course we drove on the left side of the road so it was a bit weird at first when we were driving around.”

While Buchanan provided soccer instruction and helped instill and strengthen the faith of African youths, he in turn also benefited. He learned lessons that will he carry as he moves on.

“Many of the people we played against didn't even have shoes or a real ball, but they were always playing,” Buchanan said. “It made me realize that if you are passionate about something like soccer, you will find a way to do what you are passionate about.”

After growing spiritually through the mission, Buchanan says he hopes for another opportunity to join in with Athletes in Action.

“I would like to go on another one,” Buchanan said. “I love the idea of combining faith and sports because you can connect with the kids better because you already have a bond through the sport.”

Bulldogs men's soccer pegged seventh in conference preseason poll

13 AUG 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – A Bulldog men’s soccer squad matching a good mix of youth and experience will open the 2013 season with the expectation of again advancing to the GPAC Tournament. On Tuesday, league coaches placed head coach Jason Weides’ squad seventh in the 2013 GPAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Concordia earned 51 points.

Last season the Bulldogs earned the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament by going 4-6 in GPAC regular season games. Concordia also reached the tournament in 2011 with a 5-3-2 mark.

Jason Weides, who enters his sixth season at the helm, will lean most heavily upon returning first team all-conference striker Nathan Douglas, whose 29 career goals are only two off the school record. Concordia also brings back a host of sophomores who logged heavy minutes as freshmen.

The Bulldogs ring in the 2013 season on Aug. 30 when they welcome Benedictine College (Kan.) to Seward for a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Bulldogs men's soccer: 2013 season preview

26 AUG 2013

Head Coach: Jason Weides (39-46-8, five years)
2012 Record: 11-8 overall; 4-6 GPAC (8th)
Returning Starters: 8
Key Returners: Brendan Buchanan (GK), Chris DeFeyter (MF), Sean Doran (D), Nathan Douglas (F), Justin Lawrie (D), Gideon Soenksen (MF), Kevin Soenksen (MF), Dean Stevens (F)
Key Losses: Ian Euler (MF), Eric Fox (D), Chris Podlich (GK), Aaron Skipworth (F), Ben Walker (D)
Key Newcomers: Carlos Acosta (MF), Mark Campbell (D), Mark Horsburgh (GK), Donal Landrum (F)
2012 GPAC All-Conference: Nathan Douglas (first team), Sean Doran (second team), Aaron Skipworth (honorable mention)

Outlook:
Concordia men’s soccer enters 2013 coming off back-to-back 11 win seasons, totals that fell just one victory off the school record set in 2000. Head coach Jason Weides, now in his sixth season at the helm, has successfully built the program into one capable of beating anyone in the GPAC.

“I think we exceeded some people’s expectations, but we knew we had the talent to do more,” Weides says.

Last season the Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-1 record, including a 2-1 upset of then No. 20 Grand View (Iowa) while extending their home winning streak to 10 games. The impressive run at home was finally broken up in a 2-1 overtime grudge match against perennial power and eventual conference champ Hastings inside Bulldog Stadium.

Concordia slumped to a 5-7 mark over the final 12 games and slid back to eighth in the conference.

“Last year we started out strong and didn’t quite play at our best towards the end of the season,” Weides said. “I think that’s a key for us. Obviously we want to focus on that first half of the season and be victorious and play to our potential then as well, but the back half of the season is pretty important for us to maximize our potential, keep guys healthy and keep hungry.”

The Bulldogs still managed an 11-8 overall record while a host of underclassmen gained invaluable experience. The 2012 roster featured 17 freshmen, many of whom played key roles and will return in 2013.

Sean Doran, a native of Dublin, Ireland, made a huge impact during his rookie season. The 6-foot-4 defender provided a physical and intimidating presence on the back line. He even made significant contributions offensively with five goals and four assists, often using his size to head in goals off of set pieces.

Other sophomores like Justin Lawrie, Gideon Soenksen and Dean Stevens saw considerable action on the pitch in their first collegiate seasons. The trio combined for 53 starts in 2012.

“Those guys are veterans now,” Weides said. “Even though those guys were all freshmen last year, the bulk of them played and started in every game. They have a wealth of experience underneath them now. I think we’ll be better prepared to take on some of those challenges that you face throughout a season.”

Concordia will attempt to conquer those challenges by looking to senior leader Nathan Douglas, easily the most decorated member of the squad. Douglas earned first team All-GPAC and Capital One Academic Third Team All-America honors as a junior when he scored 11 goals for the second consecutive season.

The key will be finding another compliment to Douglas on the attack. Concordia’s all-time goal scorer, Aaron Skipworth (31 career goals), departs. Douglas exudes confidence that his team will improve upon its total of 33 goals in 2012.

“The biggest strength this year I believe will be our offensive firepower,” Douglas said. “We have some good attacking recruits coming in as well as returning guys that can bag a few goals here and there. It should be a definite turnaround from our goal scoring rate in 2012.”

If Concordia gets production in the neighborhood of what the Winnipeg, Canada, native aspires to rack up – 20-plus goals and All-America honors – it will be right on track to set a new school record for wins. But it’s not as if Douglas has to do it alone with the expected emergence of guys like junior Kevin Soenksen and Stevens, who both found the back of the net three times last season.

Plus Weides adds transfer Donal Landrum via Arizona Western Community College, where Landrum tallied six goals and five assists in 20 games in 2012.

“We’ve got some returning players who I think can have some big years,” Weides said. “We’ve talked about Kevin Soenksen before. I think he’s a guy who’s on the verge of a breakout-type season. Guys like Dean Stevens who played similar roles up there attacking whether it was at the wing position or at forward. He’s also capable of scoring a lot of goals.”

Midfielder Chris DeFeyter and goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan are among the other returners who saw plenty of action in 2012. DeFeyter will again be a key figure in the midfield while Buchanan will fight to stave off senior Skylar Lewis and newcomer Mark Horsburgh of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the privilege to stand in goal.

“Brendan got a lot of minutes last year and started quite a few games so I think he’s well-prepared to take that role and run with it,” Weides said. “But we’ve also got some great competition for him.”

Whoever wins the goalkeeper job will have the support of Doran, Lawrie and incoming freshman Mark Campbell of Dublin, Ireland, among others, as they attempt to strengthen an already solid backline. The Bulldogs allowed only 22 goals in 2012.

The biggest factor in Concordia moving into the upper half of the GPAC may center around on the growth of the sophomore class. As the team’s leader, Douglas will be pushing the younger players hard.

“I think as one of two seniors on the team and the only returning upperclassmen starter that it's important for me to help out the younger lads and give them some advice whether they like it or not,” Douglas said. “It is important that the younger guys keep improving technically, physically, mentally and tactically and I believe, based on my experience in the game and having played at a pretty high level, I can contribute to some of that growth.”

Douglas sees his Concordia career beginning to wind down and is determined to keep the Bulldogs from falling victim to the October swoons that have plagued the team in recent seasons. Like always, Douglas is thinking big.

“We have to decide as a team how bad we really want this,” Douglas said. “I can tell you right now it’s my last year and I want this conference championship bad, and I will be sure to let everyone know that.”

Based on upon a 3-1-2 spring season in which the Bulldogs came through with several highlight reel goals, Weides sees no reason for anything but optimism.

“We had a good record in the spring,” Weides said. “We also put ourselves in some precarious situations a couple times in the spring. Our team showed a lot of cohesion in our ability to respond to challenges. I think that’s something we’ll be well-prepared for this fall.”

The Bulldogs will kick off the 2013 season on Friday, Aug. 30 when Benedictine (Kan.) visits Seward for a 7:30 p.m. clash.

Early deficit too much for Concordia to overcome in season opener

30 AUG 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of goals in each half fueled visiting 17th-ranked Benedictine College (Kan.) on Friday evening inside Bulldog Stadium. The Ravens controlled most of the action on the way to a 4-1 victory, although Concordia (0-1) made them sweat until late in the second half.

“It was a great test in playing Benedictine, a perennial top-25 team,” Weides said. “We knew we were going to face a great opponent today and we were going to get a chance to see where we’re at today. Unfortunately we fell short of our goal of getting a result, but we know where we stand today. We know the growth that needs to happen within our team.”

On a humid night with the game-time temperature above 90 degrees, Benedictine jumped out to the lead with a goal by Kenneth Clarizio in the eighth minute.

Already a difficult contest against a nationally-ranked opponent, the match got even more challenging when a 15th-minute red card forced Concordia to play a man down the rest of the way. But that didn’t mean the Bulldogs would back down.

Concordia quickly answered Jacob Fischer’s 38th-minute goal with a patented Sean Doran header off the assist from junior Chris DeFeyter to cut the Bulldog deficit to 2-1 late in the first half. Doran simply picked up where he left off last season when he tallied an impressive five goals as a second team all-conference center back.

The score remained 2-1 until Jade Mesias and Guillherme Gomes added a goal apiece in the game’s final minutes to balloon the Raven advantage to three scores. The formidable foe from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference wore Concordia down and fired 17 shots, 12 on goal, in dictating play for much of the night.

Weides hopes Friday’s match will provide a base to work off of moving forward. The team now has a greater understanding of what it will take to be successful this season.

“I think discipline,” Weides responded when asked what he hoped his squad learned in the season opener. “Obviously going down a man early in the game hurt. Going down a man against a really good team – your odds are very small for even getting a tie and even smaller for getting a win.

“We’re going to face obstacles throughout the season and you never know what those obstacles are going to be, but we’ve got to get up and respond and still get results.”

The Bulldogs’ only other shot was denied by Raven keeper Taylor Vinnage.

Concordia junior keeper Brendan Buchanan finished with eight saves, including a couple of highlight reel efforts. He made a terrific full-extension diving deflection moving to his right in the 15th minute and then a few minutes later somehow staved off a Benedictine attack off a corner kick that left Buchanan with little time to react.

The Bulldogs will hit the road on Tuesday to take on AIB (Iowa) in Des Moines, Iowa. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The contest will be the first of three-straight away from Bulldog Stadium.

Concordia snags nonconference road victory

3 SEP 2013

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Concordia men’s soccer team began a three-game road swing on Tuesday afternoon and picked up a victory over AIB in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldogs (1-1) rode first-half goals by junior Donal Landrum and senior Nathan Douglas along with a stingy defensive effort to win for the first time this season in two tries.

“It was a hard-fought win against a good AIB team,” Concordia head coach Jason Weides said. “They put us under a lot of pressure. They put a lot of balls in the box and challenged us in the air. We stood up well to those challenges. It was one of those grind-it-out victories.”

The Bulldogs got on the board early with a score from Landrum, a junior college transfer from Arizona Western Community College. Landrum received a well-executed pass from sophomore Gideon Soensken behind the AIB defense. He then played a couple of touches before depositing the ball into the net in the 15th minute for his first career goal as a Bulldog.

“He can be pretty dynamic,” Weides said. “He’s dangerous and can score some goals. It was good to see him get on the scoresheet.”

Douglas, the Bulldogs’ most prolific goal scorer over the past few seasons, inched closer to the school’s all-time goals record. Douglas tallied his first goal of the season on Tuesday off an assist from sophomore Jake Sells in the 31st minute. That gave Douglas his 30th career goal, one off Aaron Skipworth’s program record.

Defensively, sophomore Will Gabbert made his first career start and served as a key cog in the stellar defensive effort. Gabbert, commended by Weides after Tuesday’s match, made a big impact at center back and aided in junior goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan’s first shutout of the season and third of his career. Buchanan came up with a career high 17 saves on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs won despite a 29-5 disadvantage in shots and a 17-5 disadvantage in shots on goal.

The Eagles (2-2), a member of the NAIA’s Midwest Collegiate Conference, have wins this season over Baker (Kan.) and Waldorf (Iowa). They entered play with five goals scored in their first three matches.

The Bulldogs will be back on the road this weekend for games at Siloam, Ark., on both Friday and Saturday. They will take on John Brown University (Ark.) (2-1) on Friday at 4 p.m. and Oklahoma City University (1-1) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

With a challenging weekend slate ahead, Tuesday’s game had added significance.

“It was an important game,” Weides said. “It wasn’t a must-win game, but it was important. We had a tough game on Friday and we needed to bounce back. It wasn’t a beautiful game for us today, but we did what we needed to. It’s nice going into a tough weekend. We’ve expended a lot of energy the past two games.”

Douglas ties school goals record with game winner

6 SEP 2013

A seven-hour trek south to Siloam Springs, Ark., netted a milestone goal for senior Nathan Douglas and a satisfying 2-1 come-from-behind road victory over host John Brown University on Friday. Concordia will remain in Siloam Springs for another match on Saturday.

It was the Golden Eagles who got things started with a goal just before the intermission to take a 1-0 lead, a goal that head coach Jason Weides felt came too easily for John Brown.

Sophomore Jake Sells got the Bulldogs rolling when he tied things at the 52:02 minute mark. Sells was set up by a nifty header from junior Donal Landrum off a deflection by the Golden Eagle keeper.

“The timing of John Brown’s goal (final seconds of the first half) could have broken us but we stayed mentally strong. I’m pleased with our resiliency,” Weides said. “We did well to keep fighting in the game after getting behind. I still think we have yet to play to our capabilities, but I am proud of our efforts to come back.”

In the 72nd minute, Sells assisted senior Nathan Douglas on a goal that gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead, a lead they would hold to the end. The goal was Douglas’ second of the season and his 31st career goal in a Bulldog jersey. The shot places him in elite company as he joins Aaron Skipworth (2008, 2010-12) and Bernie Ochoa (2000-02) for the most goals scored in Concordia men’s soccer history.

Junior goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan had a great night himself, maintaining the Bulldogs goal and earning six saves as well as high praise from his head coach.

“We got outstanding play from our goalkeeper,” Weides said. “Brendan Buchanan played very well. He kept us in the game even at times where maybe we shouldn’t have been. He made two saves on free kicks that were just outstanding.”

John Brown ended up with 20 shots (seven on goal) compared to 13 (six on goal) for Concordia.

Following a 4-1 season-opening loss No. 17 Benedictine (Kan.), the Bulldogs have gone on to claim two straight-victories on the road.

Next up is Oklahoma City University, a team that received votes in the coaches’ preseason top 25 poll. The two teams are set to duel at 1:30 pm. The Stars are now 1-2 after dropping a 3-1 decision to Georgia Gwinnett on Friday in Siloam Springs.

“Oklahoma City is a good team,” Weides said. “It’s probably an even bigger challenge for us tomorrow. It was hot today and it will be hot again tomorrow. It will be a battle of attrition.”

Bulldog men's soccer completes Arkansas road swing with loss to Oklahoma City

7 SEP 2013

Concordia head men’s soccer coach Jason Weides says his team is still searching for a complete 90-minute performance following a two-game swing in Siloam Springs, Ark. The Bulldogs came back for a 2-1 victory over John Brown University (Ark.) on Friday before completing the trip with a 1-0 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday afternoon.

Concordia (2-2), shut out for the first time this season on Saturday, had opportunities on goal but the attack kept coming up short against a Stars team that is receiving votes in the NAIA’s national rankings.

“We really didn’t play well in the first half,” Weides said. “We weren’t disciplined and just didn’t perform to the level we’re capable of. I thought we got better as the game went on. We went to the half down 1-0 and after that we played with more urgency.”

The game’s only score came in the latter part of the 27th minute when Oklahoma City midfielder Ruy Vaz found the back of the net to beat Bulldog keeper Brendan Buchanan.

The lone goal would stand up for the Stars (2-2) as goalkeeper Joe Shulberg notched his first shutout of 2013. He came up with four saves on the day.

Most of the Bulldogs’ greatest threats to Oklahoma City’s lead came in the second half with Concordia producing nine of its 14 shots over the final 45 minutes.

“We possessed the ball much better in the second half,” Weides said. “We created a lot more opportunities and did a better job winning the ball. We just couldn’t quite get that final pass or put it on frame.

“We faced a good team. There was no slouch competition this weekend. Oklahoma City is the caliber of team you would see at nationals.”

Concordia’s 14 shots equaled the Stars’ respective number. The Bulldogs’ four shots on goal were one more than Oklahoma City’s three.

Concordia senior Nathan Douglas, bidding to break the program record with his 32nd career goal, misfired on four shots with one of those being denied by Shulberg in goal. Juniors Chris DeFeyter and Donal Landrum were also active with three shots apiece.

Buchanan provided another solid match, once again occupying all 90 minutes in goal. He notched two saves.

Following the trip down south that included two games decided by a single goal against quality opponents, Weides believes his team has learned a lot about itself.

“We learned we need to be more disciplined in the game plan,” Weides said. “We were a bit impatient. We would have an idea of what we wanted to do and then abandon it too quickly. We showed more patience in the second half of both (weekend matches) and turned the games in our favor. For us it’s about discipline in the game plan and patience.”

The Bulldogs return to action on Friday, Sept. 13 when Friends University (Kan.) visits Seward for a 2:15 p.m. kickoff. It will be the first of four-straight home games from Sept. 13 – 21.

Visiting Friends' second-half flurry sends Bulldogs to defeat

13 SEP 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – An air-tight first half Bulldog defense let down its guard in the second half and a solid Friends squad took advantage. The visiting Falcons came alive early in the second half and claimed a 3-0 victory over Concordia (2-3) inside Bulldog Stadium on Friday afternoon.

“We pressed them pretty well in the first half and defensively, didn’t give them a whole lot,” Concordia head coach Jason Weides said. “We just need to really improve our attack in transition. Unfortunately, second half we just didn’t do that. The big story today was we just weren’t at our best.”

Through most of Friday afternoon, Concordia registered few chances on the attack with senior Nathan Douglas looking to break the program career record for goals scored. Douglas remains at 31 career goals, tied with Bernie Ochoa (2000-02) and Aaron Skipworth (2008-11, 2012).

Concordia missed out on a golden opportunity in the seventh minute when the Bulldogs had numbers on the attack. Douglas found junior Chris DeFeyter to his right, but DeFeyter’s clean look at the goal resulted in a shot wide to the right, proving Weides’ point about the need for better play in transition.

“It’s execution mostly,” Weides said. “The decisions we make – both with the person on the ball and decisions they make in the passes, and also our runs. Our runs sometimes dictate what the ball should be. We were a little too eager to get behind them.”

Douglas, who hails from Winnipeg, Canada, had a great scoring chance of his own when he found himself with only the keeper to beat early in the second half. However, Douglas booted the ball right to goalkeeper Marko Nedeljkov. Douglas was denied again late in the second half on a header off a corner kick.

Both teams remained scoreless until the 48th minute when Friends’ junior midfielder Lucas Coelho got a clean look at the goal and took advantage by grounding the ball into the back of the net. Then in the 61st minute, the Falcons got similar-looking goals from Jamie Dowsett and Daniel Littler. Both scored after rebounding their own misses.

Friends ended up with 13 shots (six on goal) compared to six (two on goal) for Concordia. Junior Rajan Kooner led Concordia with two shots.

Freshman Mark Horsburgh saw his first collegiate action on Friday. He relieved Brendan Buchanan in goal for the final 7:40 of play.

The Bulldogs continue nonconference action on Saturday when they battle Sterling College (Kan.) in a contest set to begin at 2:15 p.m. Although the Warriors fell to Midland on Friday, Weides expects Sterling to present a challenge much like what his team faced against Friends.

“It’s going to be similar to Friends,” Weides said. “They’re in the KCAC – a strong team. I think it’s another team that will be good moving forward. It will be really important for us to be more successful in attacking in transition.”

Douglas breaks school careeer goals record in shutout victory

14 SEP 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – With his tie-breaking goal in the 26th minute on Saturday, senior Nathan Douglas etched his name into Concordia men’s soccer record books. The score gave him a school-record breaking 32nd career goal as the Bulldogs bounced back and shutout Sterling College, 3-0.

“It’s quite nice to have it,” Douglas said of the record. “A lot of people have been asking me about it. I’ve been trying not to think about it. At the same time, it’s kind of a little bit of weight off my shoulders. It’s nice, the monkey’s off the back now. It was always my goal to get a lot more than 32 anyways this season so I’m just going to keep pushing it forward.”

Douglas had entered play tied with Bernie Ochoa (2000-02) and Aaron Skipworth (2008-10, 2012) for the school career goals mark. Douglas leads Concordia with three goals this season after pacing the team the as a sophomore and junior with 11 goals both seasons.

His work on the attack has been a driving force behind Concordia’s 25 victories since the beginning of 2011. For head coach Jason Weides, Douglas’ importance to the program has gone beyond his prolific goal scoring.

“He’s been great to our program in so many ways, far beyond goal scoring,” Weides said. “He brings great leadership to our team. He’s the epitome of a student-athlete. He’s one of our top performers in the classroom, earning honors in the classroom. Nathan’s been great.”

Douglas got plenty of help from his teammates on Saturday as Concordia shook off Friday’s loss to Friends University. Sean Doran used his patented header to score another set piece goal, coming off the free-kick assist from Carlos Acosta in the 55th minute.

Concordia added the final tally when junior Chris DeFeyter notched an unassisted goal in the 67th minute to essentially put the game out of the Warriors’ reach.

The game marked a complete 180 from Friday’s 3-0 loss to Friends. Weides was happy with how his team put that match behind it.

“It was a great response by the guys to come back from a tough game, a game yesterday when we didn’t perform well,” Weides said. “To bounce back today and perform better – we definitely performed better today and saw much more of the ball. We were better in attacking transition, which was a focus for us.”

In goal, Brendan Buchanan earned his second shutout of the season. Thanks to the Bulldog defense, Buchanan did not see a single shot on goal from the Sterling attack. The defensive effort, led by Doran in the back, limited the Warriors to just four shots all afternoon.

Douglas, native of Winnipeg, Canada, is hoping Saturday’s effort carries Concordia the rest of the way.

“I’m just going to plan not to lose at home the rest of the season,” Douglas said. “We’ve got fans that come watch us play. The least we can do is win for them.”

The Bulldogs remain at home for their next two games. They will take on Bethany College on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. inside Bulldog Stadium.

Loss to Bethany leaves Concordia looking to regroup for GPAC play

18 SEP 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – After allowing two early goals, Concordia men’s soccer played catch up all evening before coming up short of Bethany College, 3-0, inside Bulldog Stadium on Wednesday. Two goals within the first seven minutes of action by the Swedes’ Lucas Procopio gave Concordia (3-4) almost no margin for error over the final 83 minutes.

“You have to expend a lot of energy trying to get back into a game when you’re down two goals,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “We just came out flat and didn’t perform well, didn’t defend well and didn’t attack well at all.”

Bethany got on the board in the sixth minute when goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan was taken out in a collision, leaving an empty net for Procopio. Buchanan was replaced in goal by freshman Mark Horsburgh for the next 8:26. Horsburgh was charged with allowing Procopio’s second goal just a couple minutes later. The Bethany junior received a cross from Luis Fernando before depositing the ball into the back of the net.

Buchanan returned with 31:15 left in the first half and helped the Bulldog defense settle in a bit. The Broomfield, Colo., native made a terrific diving save to his right off a free kick smash from Lewis Collins in the 21st minute.

Concordia senior forward Nathan Douglas missed out on a prime scoring opportunity in the 48th minute when a through ball left him one-on-one with the keeper. The Bulldogs’ all-time leading goal scorer shot it right at the Swedes’ Jackson McClure, preserving Bethany’s 2-0 lead at the time.

Concordia continued that pressure on the attack when junior Donnal Landrum’s pass up field found sophomore Dean Stevens with only the keeper to beat. Stevens’ well-stuck shot around the 60-minute mark also ended up in the hands of McClure. Stevens got another good look at the 73-minute mark when his shot off a cross from Matt Meisinger went just left of the goal.

In all it was a disappointing effort for a Bulldog team still looking for an identity in the early season.

“We made the chances happen in the second half for sure,” Stevens said. “I had two or three chances I should have scored on. When it comes down to it, one of us has got to finish. One of us has got to put it in the back of the net.”

Despite getting outplayed for much of the evening, Concordia actually took 13 shots (six on goal) compared to nine (seven on goal) for Bethany. However, the Swedes possessed the ball much better for the balance of the 90 minutes.

Concordia will flush Wednesday’s performance as quickly as possible to refocus for Saturday which brings the GPAC opener.

“Mount Marty’s a much improved team from where they were at last year,” Weides said. “So we should expect a good contest. There are no easy games in the GPAC.

The Bulldogs open up conference play on Saturday when Mount Marty visits Seward for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Last season Concordia defeated the Lancers 2-0 in Yankton, S.D., in the only meeting between the two squads.

Second-half outburst lifts Bulldogs over Mount Marty

21 SEP 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – A game that went scoreless for more than 50 minutes ended with a 5-0 blowout victory for Concordia men’s soccer over visiting Mount Marty (3-5, 0-1 GPAC) on Saturday. Senior forward Nathan Douglas’ goal in the 51st minute opened the floodgates as the Bulldogs (4-4, 1-0 GPAC) took out their frustrations from the loss Bethany College a few days earlier.

“We bounced back well. We looked like two different teams as compared to (Wednesday),” Concordia head coach Jason Weides said. “It was a good response from our team overall and this was our first GPAC game, so it was really important for us to get three points.”

The onslaught came about midway through the second half when Douglas and junior defender Daniel Moore combined on back-to-back goals. Positioned in close in the middle of the field, Douglas received a pass from Moore from near the right corner and quickly deposited the ball into the net for his second goal of the game and fifth on the season.

Just 1:08 later (78th minute), Douglas attacked again, this time finding Moore who got on the board with his first goal of the 2013 season. Concordia led 4-0 after Moore’s tally.

“I got the ball on the run and I was able to get it into ‘Dougie’ and he was able to finish it,” Moore said. “He executed really well. And then I had the same opportunity, just the opposite. He was able to bring it in and I was able to get my foot on it and drag it in.”

Concordia wasn’t done just yet. In the 79th minute, junior Chris DeFeyter launched a shot from well beyond the box that found the back of the net to provide the final goal of the contest.

Earlier on, in the 58th minute, sophomore forward Dean Stevens had made it 2-0 with a score off the assist from Donal Landrum. Stevens and Moore became the sixth and seventh different Bulldogs to register at least one goal this season.

This was much more like the type of team Weides envisioned seeing this season.

“It was a lot closer to the team that we know can perform on a consistent basis,” Weides said. “That was the closest 45 minutes of the second half that we’ve had of a good consistent performance. Now it’s just a matter of doing that day in and day out. I do think we have a lot more in us. This is just the start of what we can do.”

Moore also sees room for further improvement.

“We want to be that way but we also want to continue to grow as a team and continue to get better,” Moore said. “We want to come in ready to play as soon as we start the game and not have to work back into it in the second half.”

Junior Brendan Buchanan and freshman Mark Horsburgh combined on Concordia’s third shutout of the campaign. Buchanan played the first 82:18 in goal before giving way to Horsburgh. Buchanan notched five saves.

The five goals were the most by the Bulldogs since a 6-0 win over Dakota Wesleyan on Sept. 29, 2012.

Concordia is off until next Saturday when it goes on the road for the first time in conference play. Concordia will travel to Sioux City, Iowa, to challenge Morningside (3-5, 0-1 GPAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Second-straight five-goal game boosts Bulldogs over Morningside

29 SEP 2013

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Bulldog men’s soccer exploded with five goals for the second-straight game to earn a victory in its first GPAC road game of the 2013 season. Concordia won by a score of 5-1 over host Morningside (4-6, 1-2 GPAC) in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday night. The Bulldogs moved to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

On this night, Concordia was incredibly efficient as it converted the five goals out of its six shots on frame.

“We missed a few chances and left a few out there,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “For the most part we got chances and converted them well.

“Overall our defensive performance was more organized as a unit than it had been all season. Our team pressing was really good. We made it a frustrating night for Morningside.”

The Bulldogs are 2-0 to begin league play for the first time since 2010 after completing back-to-back offensive efforts not seen in Weides’ six years as Concordia’s head coach. The Bulldogs had yet to post five or more goals in consecutive games since Weides took over in 2008.

Junior midfielder Chris DeFeyter enjoyed a career night with a pair of goals, marking the first multi-goal effort of his career. He bumped the Concordia lead to 2-0 with his first goal in the 16th minute off the assist from sophomore Gideon Soenksen. DeFeyter added his second tally (assisted by senior Nathan Douglas) in the 75th minute to put the game well out of reach at 5-0.

Douglas, freshman Marcos Leon and sophomore Dean Stevens also got in on the goal-scoring act. Douglas’ 74th-minute score raised his team-leading goal count to six on the season, giving him 35 for his career.

Leon, who redshirted last season, played in his first career game on Sunday. The Sonora, Mexico, native got on the board in the 57th minute, extending the Bulldog lead to 3-0 at the time. Leon’s emergence will add to the team’s depth throughout the stretch run.

“He will give us a nice boost for the back half of the season,” Weides said. “This was his first game so he was very excited to wear the Concordia blue. He had a nice shot from about 30 yards out on his goal.”

Morningside avoided the shutout with Logan Schaefers’ 88th-minute goal. The Mustangs also had a prime chance late in the first half that could have changed the complexion of the game. However, the Morningside shot hit the post to allow the Bulldogs to take a 2-0 lead to the break.

After outscoring the last two opponents by a combined score of 10-1, Weides is pleased with the team’s improvement.

“We weren’t perfect by any means,” Weides said. “But we were much more consistent in our play. It’s exciting to see the growth through the lessons we’ve learned.”

Concordia completes the month with a record of 5-3 in eight September games. That mark includes three wins out of four matches away from Seward.

The Bulldogs will break from GPAC action to play their final nonconference game on the 2013 slate as they travel to nearby York College to take on the Panthers (1-8-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Concordia won last year’s meeting by a 3-1 score in a game played inside Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs have won five in a row against York.

Douglas named GPAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week

24 SEP 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia senior forward Nathan Douglas has been named GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. Douglas received the same honor on Oct. 9 of last year.

The award comes 10 days after Douglas became the all-time leading goal scorer in program history when he tallied his 32nd career goal on Sept. 14. The Winnepeg, Cananda, native now sits at 34 career goals after a big offensive day on Sept. 21.

Douglas posted two goals and an assist to spur Concordia’s 5-0 GPAC-opening victory against Mount Marty over the weekend. It was his ninth career multi-goal game. It was also the third time Douglas has notched at least one goal and at least one assist in the same game.

Douglas’ five goals lead the Bulldogs and are tied for the second most in the conference.

Concordia men’s soccer returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on Morningside (3-5, 0-1 GPAC) at 7 p.m.

DeFyter tabbed GPAC Offensive Player of the Week

1 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second-straight week, a Concordia student-athlete has earned the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award. Junior midfielder Chris DeFeyter is the latest to receive the honor, as announced by the GPAC on Tuesday morning. Senior Nathan Douglas garnered Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Sept. 24.

DeFeyter takes this week’s honor thanks to the first mutli-goal game of his career on Sunday. The native of Scottsdale, Ariz., found the back of the net in the 16th and 75th minutes to lead the Bulldogs to a second-consecutive blowout victory in conference play. Concordia defeated Morningside 5-1 in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday.

DeFeyter has three goals over the past two games and four for the season, giving him a new career high with nine regular-season games still remaining. In 40 career games in a Bulldog uniform, DeFeyter has seven goals and two assists. The Player of the Week honor is the first of his career.

Concordia (5-4, 2-0 GPAC) returns to action on Tuesday when it will take on York on the road at 7 p.m.

Bulldogs continue scoring barrage in road win over York

2 OCT 2013

YORK, Neb. – The Bulldogs continued a recent trend of lofty goal totals as they piled up six more on Tuesday night in a 6-2 victory over York College (1-9-1) in York, Neb. All six goals were scored by different individuals as Concordia ran its winning streak to three while tallying five or more goals for the third-straight contest. The Bulldogs improved to 6-4.

For Concordia head coach Jason Weides, the game felt closer than the lopsided final score.

“Overall we were really inconsistent today,” Weides said. “We had spells where played well and spells where we played pretty poorly. There was about a 15-20 minute stretch where we played really well and we were able to get four goals in pretty quick succession.”

The offensive explosion came in the between the 16th and 31st minutes when senior Nathan Douglas, juniors Donal Landrum and Chris DeFeyter and sophomore Dean Stevens all found the back of the net to give Concordia a seemingly commanding 4-0 lead.

However, York responded with an Abdul Sesay goal in the 42nd minute to close the gap to three heading into halftime. The Panthers then picked up a 57th-minute goal from Michael Ortiz to make Weides and the Bulldogs a bit uneasy.

“They had a whole new level of energy once they brought it to 4-2,” Weides said. “And we really struggled for a good chunk of the game after that. Thankfully we were able to get a couple late goals to put the game to bed.”

Those late scores surfaced between the 86th and 88th minutes when Matt Meisinger and Carlos Acosta both recorded their first career goals.

While York made things interesting after its early four-goal deficit, Concordia still got the better of play throughout the majority of the contest. The Bulldogs racked up 30 shots to the Panthers’ seven and held an 18-5 advantage in shots on goal.

Impressively, three Bulldogs have scored at least one goal in each of the last three games – DeFeyter, Douglas and Stevens. Over that stretch, DeFeyter and Douglas both have four goals while Stevens has three. Douglas has also assisted on at least one goal in three-straight games.

“When you score five goals or more, you’re not likely to lose games,” Weides said. “So you’re able to absorb mistakes when you’re not perfect. But we’re not going to score five goals a game, so we’re going to have to start becoming perfect defensively.

“It is good to put the ball in the back of the net and we are taking our chances much better.”

A pair of players were credited with two assists on Tuesday: Douglas and Sells. Douglas is on a tear over with 13 (four goals and five assists) of his 19 points on the season coming over his last three games.

Both Leon and freshman defender Mark Campbell played in their second career games on Tuesday after appearing for the first time on Sunday at Morningside.

The Bulldogs return home and get back to GPAC play on Saturday when Dordt (2-7-1, 0-1-1 GPAC) visits Seward for a 3:30 p.m. contest. Concordia will look to top the Defenders for the third time in the last four meetings and get to 3-0 in conference play for the first time in Weides’ six years as head coach.

Frustrating offensive day halts Bulldog winning streak

5 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – After blistering the back of the net with 16 combined goals over their last three games, the Bulldog offensive attack misfired on a multitude of scoring chances on a windy, cold Saturday afternoon. Visiting Dordt escaped Bulldog Stadium with a 1-0 victory despite recording 20 fewer shot attempts. The loss snaps a three-game win streak and drops Concordia to 6-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

“It was a really frustrating day,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “It’s arguably one of the more frustrating losses we’ve had. Credit to Dordt. They played really hard, worked really hard and took their chance well. But we did have opportunities – plenty of opportunities.”

Concordia finished with 24 shots compared to a mere four for the Defenders. The Bulldogs held an advantage in nearly every aspect of the game, except on the scoreboard.

Senior Nathan Douglas and junior Chris DeFeyter – the last two GPAC Offensive Players of the Week – entered action red hot, each with at least one goal in three-straight games. The two worked in conjunction to set up a great chance in the 17th minute when Douglas fed DeFeyter on a cross into the middle of the field. However, DeFeyter’s clean look at the goal missed wide to the right and proved to be an omen of things to come.

“When you outshoot a team five-to-one, six-to-one, you expect to see a few goals in there,” Weides said. “We couldn’t buy it today. We just weren’t composed in the final third. It was just one of those days where we couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. Credit their keeper. He made some great saves.”

Dordt broke the scoreless tie with a 55th-minute goal from Eric Grootenboer. It would be one of only two shots on goal for the entire game for the Defenders (3-7-1, 1-1-1 GPAC).

Dordt goalkeeper Joey Rasnic earned the shutout by making three saves. For much of the day he watched shots sail to his right, left and over his head.

Individually, DeFeyter ended up taking six shots (two on goal). Douglas missed to the left on a prime opportunity early in the second half on one of his three shots.

Sophomore midfielder Gideon Soenksen was second on the team with four shots. His miss over the cross bar in the final five minutes proved to be one of the team’s best chances down the stretch.

The Bulldogs are in the midst of the meat of the GPAC schedule. They return to action on Wednesday when they travel to take on first-place Doane (5-4, 4-0 GPAC) at 7:15 p.m. In the only meeting between the two teams last season, the Tigers won, 2-1, in double overtime.

Weides believes his team simply needs to get to the next game on the schedule to get back on track.

“Another 90 minutes (is what we need),” Weides said. “We get to go to Crete for Doane and hopefully the boys will be up for a good game because Doane’s a good team in our conference. If we can go out and perform at a higher level, this game will be forgotten pretty quickly.”

Douglas nets hat trick to lift Bulldogs to dramatic win at Doane

9 OCT 2013

CRETE, Neb. – Senior Nathan Douglas continued his scoring spree on Wednesday night, fueling Concordia’s first victory over rival Doane since 2007. Douglas came through with his 10th career multi-goal game to provide all of the Bulldog scoring in a 3-2 win in Crete, Neb. Concordia improved to 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the GPAC by cutting the conference-leading Tigers (5-5, 4-1 GPAC).

After Concordia relinquished a two-goal lead in the second half, Douglas played hero by drilling a free kick goal from 25 yards out to make it 3-2 with just 2:37 remaining in the contest. The game-winning score gave the Winnipeg, Canada, native his second career hat trick and first since his freshman year.

“I thought our guys showed great mental resolve,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “It was a complete team effort. You could tell our team had that belief. Even when we lost the lead, we didn’t waver. You could just see that faith and belief in themselves.”

Douglas put Concordia on the board first with an easy chance at goal after a Doane defender whiffed on an attempt to clear the ball out. Douglas tapped the ball into the net in the 33rd minute to initiate his big night.

He then notched his second goal in the 55th minute to provide a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead. However, the host Tigers would not quit.

They got a 60th-minute goal from Connor Williams and then a 70th-minute tally from Luis Castenada to knot the score and inject all the momentum into the home team.

“It was a gutsy win,” Weides said. “It was definitely a frantic ending for both sides. I give our guys a lot of credit.”

Following Douglas’ third goal, Doane got a similar free kick opportunity in the final two minutes but sailed a shot high over the crossbar. The Tigers also had a prime late opportunity with two attackers working in transition, but it was thwarted when Concordia goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan drifted to the edge of the box to disrupt the scoring chance.

Buchanan and company used a great collective effort to contain a Doane team coming off a 10-goal performance in a victory over Mount Marty. With center back Sean Doran leaving the game early with an injury, Weides’ entire lineup stepped up its play. Said Weides, “It was a great all-around effort. I could literally name almost every player.”

The fact that Wednesday’s game took only 90 minutes brought about a departure from the lunacy of the recent history between the two squads. Seven of the prior eight meetings had been decided in overtime, including last year’s double overtime contest in which Doane prevailed, 2-1.

Douglas now has seven goals and five assists over his last five contests. He extended his program record goal count to 39. He entered Wednesday’s match ranked second in the conference in points and third in goals.

“He’s got a lot of confidence,” Weides said of Douglas. “He believes in himself and he believes in the team. That free kick was just one of those times where he wanted it. He wants the pressure on him. He’s on a great run.”

Concordia fired 17 shots to Doane’s 14 for the game. Buchanan made four saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal. He got plenty of help from the likes of Mark Anderson, Mark Campbell, Justin Lawrie, Gideon Soenksen and others.

The Bulldogs return home on Saturday to host Nebraska Wesleyan (3-6-1, 1-3 GPAC) as part of homecoming. Concordia men’s soccer will cap off a big day of home events that includes football (1 p.m.) and women’s soccer (5 p.m.). Weides’ squad has won the last three meetings against the Prairie Wolves.

Bulldogs complete perfect week against Nebraska GPAC rivals

13 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – After conceding a fifth-minute goal, Concordia men’s soccer roared back for a 4-2 homecoming victory over visiting Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday night under the lights at Bulldog Stadium. Four different Bulldogs collected a goal apiece to chalk up a fifth win in the past six matches. Halfway through the conference season, Concordia sits in the thick of the GPAC title race with a 4-1 league mark to go along with an 8-5 overall record.

“We had a really good response from our guys,” Weides said. “We gave up an early goal – it was really their first attempt on goal and they took it well and scored. You didn’t see our guys deflated. They just knew we needed to stick to our game plan and do what we needed to do.”

Concordia fell behind early but as Weides said, it never panicked. The Bulldogs eventually took a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute with yet another tally from senior Nathan Douglas. The Winnipeg, Canada, native skillfully played the ball around a drawn-out-keeper and showed great patience in waiting for the right moment to scoot the ball into the goal.

The Concordia equalizer came in the eighth minute, less than two-and-a-half minutes after Kyle Jisa scored for Wesleyan, when freshman midfielder Carlos Acosta nailed his second goal of the season, knotting the score at 1-1.

“I thought the ref was going to call a handball,” Acosta said through teammate Donal Landrum, who served as a translator. “When I thought that, I kicked the ball in. When I saw it go in and the ref didn’t call it, I just celebrated.”

The Bulldogs’ took further control of the game by capitalizing on penalty kicks. Junior Chris DeFeyter extended his career high goal count to six by drilling a PK in the 63rd minute. Fellow junior Rajan Kooner also put away a penalty kick goal, giving him his first career goal in the 75th minute. Kooner just did get it past goalkeeper Turner Mead, who got a hand on the ball as he dove to his right.

With just a single conference loss in which Concordia outshot Dordt 24-4, Weides feels good about his team entering the back half of the conference season.

“Definitely pleased,” Weides said. “We’ve played pretty well in all of our GPAC games overall. We’re close to being undefeated in GPAC play, but we’re just trying to take one game at a time and really focus on the next game. It doesn’t matter if we’re first right now, it’s where we’re at towards the end of the year.”

Douglas’ goal on Saturday gave him 11 on the season, tying a career high he set as both a sophomore and junior. He now has 40 goals in his standout career.

Concordia dominated the shot statistics, totaling 18 shots compared to three for Nebraska Wesleyan. The Bulldogs put 10 shots on frame and limited the Prairie Wolves to three shots on goal. Individually, Douglas and sophomore Dean Stevens both fired five shots apiece to lead Concordia.

The Bulldogs take a week off from game action before returning to the pitch next Saturday to take on Northwestern (8-5-1, 4-1-1 GPAC) in Orange, City, Iowa, at 5 p.m. Last season the Red Raiders picked up a 2-0 win over Concordia on senior day in Seward in the regular-season finale.

Douglas earns second GPAC Offensive Player of the Week award of season

15 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in the last four weeks, senior forward Nathan Douglas has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. The Winnipeg, Canada, native also earned the same honor on Sept. 24.

Douglas continued his run of prolific goal scoring with four more last week, including all three of Concordia’s goals in a 3-2 win at Doane on Oct. 9. He then recorded a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Nebraska Wesleyan on homecoming on Oct. 12.

Douglas pushed his season goal count to 11, tying the career high he set as both a sophomore and junior. He currently ranks first in the GPAC in points (28) and second in both goals (11) and assists (6). He has eight goals and six assists over his last six games.

Concordia men’s soccer returns to action on Saturday to take on Northwestern at 5 p.m. in Orange City, Iowa.

Concordia held scoreless in jockey for GPAC positioning

19 OCT 2013

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – In a clash between two teams separated by just a single point in the GPAC standings entering Saturday’s game, Northwestern (9-5-1, 5-1-1 GPAC) kept pace with Doane atop the conference. The Red Raiders cut down a hot Bulldog team that had won five of its previous six games. Concordia, which fell 2-0 on Saturday night, drops to 8-6 overall and 4-2 in league play.

“I didn’t think we bounced back (from the early deficit) as well as we normally do,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “We had chances in the first half, we just weren’t able to convert those chances. Both teams were a little sloppy. It was not the prettiest game, but credit goes to Northwestern. They had a couple of great chances and took them well.”

Concordia focused more numbers into the attacking end late in the game to produce some of its best goal scoring opportunities. Sophomore Gideon Soenksen hit the crossbar as part of a frantic sequence in the final minutes, during which the Red Raiders narrowly held onto the shutout.

Statistically, the Bulldogs competed evenly with Northwestern, who held slight advantages of 18-17 in shots and 9-8 in shots on goal.

“Northwestern’s a solid team,” Weides said. “They’re up at the top (of the GPAC) for a reason. That’s a team I think we would look forward to playing again this season. We are capable of playing at another level that we didn’t reach tonight.”

The Red Raiders got on the board in the 13th minute with an impressive goal from Travis Sytsma, who drilled a rocket into the back of the net from roughly 35 yards out. That near indefensible shot was the only score in the game until the 74th minute when Northwestern added a tally from Wesley Lockwood.

The victory gave the Red Raiders their fourth straight – all against GPAC opponents. Their only conference defeat came at the hands of Doane in a match played in Orange City.

Senior Nathan Douglas and junior Donal Landrum were most active on the Bulldog attack with each player firing four shots. Douglas had scored at least one goal in five of the past six games coming into play.

Junior goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan made seven saves for Concordia. His counterpart, Aaron Bosch, came up with eight saves in earning the shutout.

Saturday’s game marked the fifth time this season the Bulldogs have been shutout. Concordia has managed just one combined goal in its six losses.

The Bulldogs will be back in Seward next week for the final two home games of the regular season. Concordia hosts Midland (11-1-2, 4-0-2 GPAC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and then Briar Cliff (5-8, 2-3 GPAC) next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s game has been tabbed senior day.

Hot Midland side shuts down Concordia

23 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Up against a team with an unblemished GPAC mark, Concordia fell short on both ends in a 3-0 loss to visiting Midland on Wednesday night. The Warriors (12-1-2, 5-0-2) ran their streak to 14-straight games without a loss. Meanwhile, The Bulldogs were shutout for the second-consecutive contest on the way to dropping to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play.

“If you want to get wins in the GPAC you have to be at your best and we weren’t at our best today,” Concordia head coach Jason Weides said. “I credit our guys for really digging deep and fighting. If we would have fought like we did in the second half in the first, I think the result could have been different.”

In terms of shots, Concordia hung with Midland, which had 11 shots compared to the Bulldogs’ seven. Neither team cracked the scoreboard until the 39th minute. The Warriors’ push at the end of the half provided a 2-0 margin working into the final 45 minutes.

Midland drew first blood when Andy Jones headed the ball just inside the left post off a corner kick. The ball was played in skillfully by Nick Saunders, who earned the assist. Saunders would pick up a second assist on another corner kick that found Harrison Rogers for a goal that ricocheted off a Bulldog defender before reaching the back of the net.

Midland’s execution on set pieces made the difference.

“Unfortunately we gave up two quick goals on set pieces that we think we can do a lot better job on,” Weides said. “Besides that in the first half, Midland didn’t have a whole lot of great opportunities to score. We had a couple let downs on those set-piece situations and they got two quick goals.”

One of Concordia’s best first half chances came at about the 28-minute mark when junior Chris DeFeyter rifled a corner kick from the right side into the middle of the field. Sean Doran, a 6-foot-6 center back, used his size to head the ball on frame, but Midland keeper Lewis Wilcox snagged it for the save.

The Bulldogs had similarly good chances, both in the game’s final 20 minutes, when headers delivered by Doran and Nathan Douglas were denied. Both chances were set up by passes from DeFeyter, who had a nice night facilitating many of Concordia’s best looks at the goal.

Freshman Mark Horsburgh of Edinburgh, Scotland, made his first career start in goal and turned in six saves. He showed he could hold his own in spelling Brendan Buchanan, who may return on Saturday from an injury.

“Mark stepped up and did well,” Weides said. “Brendan got hurt a few days ago and Mark came in and did a good job. I thought Mark dealt well with aerial balls and came out and was a good communicator.”

Leading goal scorer Nathan Douglas, clouded by defenders for most of the night, managed two shots, one on goal.

So far this season, Concordia has had better success on the road, where it is 5-1. It declined to 3-5 inside Bulldog Stadium after Wednesday’s result.

The Bulldogs will play host for the final time during the regular season when they welcome in Briar Cliff (5-10, 2-5 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. to close a busy day in Concordia athletics. Saturday has been designated “senior day,” meaning seniors Nathan Douglas and Skylar Lewis will be honored for their contributions to the program. The Bulldogs defeated the Chargers 2-1 in last year’s meeting in Sioux City, Iowa.

'Dougie' drops two more goals in farewell domination

26 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Accomplished senior Nathan Douglas played his final regular-season home game inside Bulldog Stadium and appropriately nailed Concordia’s first and last goals on the way to a 4-0 victory over Briar Cliff as part of senior night on Saturday. With Douglas active on the attack, Concordia thoroughly dominated the visiting Chargers. The excellent performance propelled the Bulldogs to 9-7 overall and 5-3 in the GPAC.

“I think we really played with a sense of urgency and purpose on the attack today,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “That’s one thing we really challenged our guys to do and credit to them, they came out and did it really well today.”

Douglas’ fourth-minute goal gave him a career high 12 for the season while extending his program record count to 41. But the Winnipeg, Canada, native had one more tally left in him as he got behind the defense on a beautiful pass ahead from Donal Landrum to score in the 88th minute, effectively putting a bow on top of Saturday’s win.

Senior day proved emotional for one of Concordia’s all-time greats.

“I was pretty sad today,” Douglas said. “I mean, it felt like yesterday I came here as an 18-year-old. To play my last regular-season home game – right now it’s a pretty emotional time. Before the game I was a little sad.

“I’m just happy we got the W. I’m happy to score. I also missed the easiest chance of my career tonight,” Douglas quipped.

Douglas took 10 of Concordia’s 27 shots on a night in which the Chargers failed to hoist a single shot. DeFeyter, junior Rajan Kooner and Landrum each fired four shots.

Despite holding a 17-0 shot advantage at halftime, Concordia led just 1-0. That quickly changed as Douglas fed junior midfielder Chris DeFeyter 58 seconds into the second half to put the Bulldogs up 2-0 and well on their way to victory. The play increased DeFeyter’s career high goal total to seven and Douglas’ assist total to six.

Landrum notched a goal of his own in the 60th minute when he relentlessly chased down his own blocked shot and booted home the Bulldogs’ third score.

Concordia picked up fourth shutout of the season with junior Brendan Buchanan (79 minutes) and senior Skylar Lewis (11 minutes) combining for the blanking in a light night of work for Bulldog keepers.

Lewis joined Douglas as the only seniors on this year’s roster. Weides acknowledged the contributions of both after Saturday’s win.

“Both Douglas and Skylar have done a lot of stuff for our program,” Weides said. “They’re guys who work hard. We really want to give them an opportunity to come back here on our turf (in the GPAC tournament). We’re hoping to get a chance to finish the season out strong.”

Douglas has similar aims in mind as he looks to close out a great career in style. He is never afraid to offer up lofty expectations.

“I just want to get to the GPAC finals. That’s the only goal I have,” Douglas said.

The Bulldogs finish up the regular season next week with a pair of road games against conference foes. Up next is a date with No. 10 Hastings (14-2, 7-1 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Bulldogs push No.6 Hastings in tight road loss

30 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Looking for that elusive win over GPAC rival and national power Hastings, Concordia men’s soccer fell short once again. The sixth-ranked Broncos broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second half and eked out a 3-1 victory in Hastings on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs moved to 9-8 overall and 5-4 in GPAC competition.

After trailing 1-0 heading into halftime, Concordia got the equalizer in the 51st minute on a goal off a rebound from freshman Carlos Acosta. That ended a string of five-consecutive shutouts for the Bronco defense and red hot goalkeeper Alex Guyer.

“I thought our guys had a real belief at halftime that we would win,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “We needed to come out strong and we did just that. We were able to equalize. Unfortunately Hastings was able to get a goal with about 20 minutes left.”

Roughly 14 minutes after Acosta’s score, the Broncos went back in front on a strike from Thomas Boss, who knocked in his team high 10th goal of the season. That proved to be the game winner as the Broncos’ stingy defense (only 12 goals allowed in 16 games entering play) took it from there. Hastings would add a goal in the final few seconds to seal the win as Concordia focused numbers into the attack.

“The last 20 minutes we worked hard to create chances,” Weides said. “We had some opportunities. We put a lot of pressure on Hastings. In the last few seconds they were able to clear it and get behind everybody.”

Dru Kobs had given the Broncos an early advantage with his score in the ninth minute. Hastings held a 1-0 edge until Acosta found the back of the net.

“It was a tight game all the way through,” Weides said. “We didn’t play great in the first half but credit our guys – they came out and individually and collectively played better in the second half.”

Hastings, which earlier this season held the No. 1 ranking, outshot Concordia by better than a 2-to-1 margin (23-11) on the night. The Broncos held Bulldog senior striker Nathan Douglas without a goal in three shots on frame.

Junior goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan, who has started all but one game this season, played the first 43 minutes and made two saves. Freshman Mark Horsburgh relieved Buchanan the rest of the way and collected three saves.

Weides’ club also played closely with then No. 23 Hastings in a 2-1 overtime loss last season in Seward. The Bulldogs led 1-0 after 78 minutes of play in that contest. Weides is still searching for his first win over the Broncos.

The Bulldogs close the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Mitchell, S.D., to take on Dakota Wesleyan (9-6-2, 4-4-1 GPAC) at 3:30 p.m. Concordia will be either the No. 5 or 6 seed when the GPAC Tournament begins on Nov. 5. The Bulldogs can clinch the five seed with a win or tie against the Tigers, who Concordia defeated 6-0 in Seward last year.

Douglas earns second-straight Capital One Academic All-District honor

31 OCT 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – An exemplary student and star goal scorer on the pitch, Concordia senior Nathan Douglas has earned yet another honor. On Thursday Douglas was named to the Capital One Academic All-District® 3 Men’s Soccer Team of the College Division, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Winnipeg, Canada, native is a repeat selection having also earned recognition as a Capital One Academic Third Team All-American and Capital One Academic All-District® 6 recipient of the College Division last season after an outstanding junior season.

CoSIDA: “The 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One has been the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America teams programs since 2011.”

Douglas, a 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, has consistently put up high marks in the classroom while also excelling on the soccer field. The physics major (math minor) set Concordia’s program record for career goals this season. He now has 42 goals over the last four years, including a career high 13 in 2013.

This season Douglas ranks second in the GPAC in both goals and points (32) and third in assists (6). He has 11 career multi-goal games with three coming this season.

District 3 of the College Division covers the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

As an all-district honoree, Douglas will automatically be placed on the ballot for All-America consideration. All-America voting begins on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Horsburgh earns first career shutout in win at Dakota Wesleyan

2 NOV 2013

By Taylor Mueller, Sports Information Assistant

MITCHELL, S.D. – Concordia capped off the regular season with a workmanlike 1-0 road victory over Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D., on Saturday. The conference win was the Bulldogs’ sixth of the season, setting a new program record for GPAC wins in a single year. Concordia moved to 10-8 overall and 6-4 in league play.

“It was one of those hard fought, grind-it-out wins against a good Dakota Wesleyan team,” Concordia head coach Jason Weides said. “The game ended up being a lot harder than it should have been because we went down a man early in the second half.

“Credit to our guys for winning a game that became a lot harder than it should have been. Our keeper played well. Our back four played well. Everybody had to work their tails off to see this one out and they did a good job.”

Sophomore Gideon Soenksen punched in the game’s lone goal at the 25-minute mark in a “scramble in the box,” as Weides described it. The goal proved to be crucial as 13 minutes later, the Bulldogs would be forced to play with just 10 men on the field after a red card was issued.

Weides acknowledged that while being down a man was an obstacle, his team was able to overcome it. With an increased pressure on the rest of the squad, they responded with resilience.

Freshman Mark Horsburgh, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, stayed busy tending the nets with 11 saves on the day. He picked up his first career shutout in the team’s fifth blanking of the season.

Offensively, senior Nathan Douglas led the Bulldog push with five shots, three of which were on goal. Sophomores Jake Sells and Dean Stevens each chipped in with four and three shots respectively.

Under Weides’ direction, Concordia has now won 10 or more games in three-straight seasons. The program record for overall victories in a campaign is 12.

Concordia’s next order of business lies with Northwestern College on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the GPAC Tournament. As the fourth seed, Northwestern gets to host the fifth-seeded Bulldogs. The Red Raiders defeated Concordia the first time they met, back on Oct. 19, with a final score of 2-0.

UPDATE: GPAC men's soccer quarterfinal moved to Wednesday at 4 p.m.

4 NOV 2013

The Concordia men's soccer GPAC quarterfinal match at Northwestern has been moved to Wednesday at 4 p.m. (originally scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m.). The change was made due to predicted snowfall in the Orange City, Iowa, area for Tuesday evening.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs (10-8 overall, 6-4 GPAC) hope to avenge their 2-0 loss at Northwestern back on Oct. 19. The Red Raiders are seeded fourth after finishing the regular season at 11-6-1 overall and 7-2-1 in conference play.

Northwestern's big second half sends Concordia to season-ending defeat

6 NOV 2013

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Eighteen days after falling 2-0 at Northwestern in regular-season action, Concordia men’s soccer returned to Orange City, Iowa, for the GPAC quarterfinals – with a similar result. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs led 1-0 at halftime, but No. 4 seed Northwestern (12-6-1) controlled the second half for a 3-2 win on Wednesday evening. Concordia ends its season at 10-9 overall.

“I thought we came out and played well in the first half,” Bulldog head coach Jason Weides said. “It was a good combo play with Jake Sells and Gideon Soenksen to score the first goal. We were in good position at half. We wanted to just change a couple things and get that second goal.

“We played with a championship heart. We just fell a little short.”

Down 3-1, senior Nathan Douglas tried to lead a comeback to extend his career. The Winnipeg, Canada, native tucked the ball inside the right post from left of the goal with the keeper out of position. The goal pushed Douglas’ career high count to 14 with roughly 12 minutes to play.

“We worked hard to fight back into the game. Credit to our guys,” Weides said. “We were able to get one back and really fought to try to equalize.”

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs would not score again despite a couple of quality chances, including one close call on a Donal Landrum attack. Northwestern and goalkeeper Aaron Bosch staved off a hard-charging Concordia attack in the final minutes.

A blanket of snow surrounded the field after Orange City saw three inches of snow fall overnight. It made for a treacherous playing surface that both teams had to adjust to.

“It was sloppy as you would expect,” Weides said. “They had three inches of snow that they had to scoop off. It was slippery and muddy. That kind of field makes the game a war. You’re not going to see a pretty game in those conditions.”

Northwestern, which outshot Concordia 25-13 on the night, built a 3-1 advantage with three straight goals – two coming from leading goal scorer Ryan Johnson. His second put the Red Raiders in front 2-1 with 35:47 remaining.

The Red Raiders added the breathing room they would need with Gabriel Goncalves’ line drive into the upper right corner of the net in the 69th minute.

Concordia got on top early when Soenksen found the back of the net at the 12-minute mark with a goal that he scooted across the ground from the left side of the box. That gave the Lincoln native his second goal in as many games.

Making his second-straight start in goal for the injured Brendan Buchanan, freshman Mark Horsburgh played solid most of the way. He came under heavy fire early in the second half with Concordia still leading 1-0. The Edinburgh, Scotland, native made a beautiful save by punching a header attempt over the cross bar to preserve the lead at the time.

Concordia missed out on great opportunity to go up 2-0 when junior Chris DeFeyter just missed on a wide open shot in the box after receiving a well-played cross from junior Rajan Kooner late in the opening half.

Under Weides, Concordia has won 10 or more games in three-consecutive seasons. The Bulldogs won 11 games apiece in 2011 and 2012.

The Bulldogs will have plenty of experience back in 2014 with the lone seniors on this year’s squad being Douglas and goalkeeper Skylar Lewis.

Douglas picks up third-straight all conference honor; DeFyter, Doran named to second team

18 NOV 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Senior Nathan Douglas has appropriately ended his accomplished Concordia career with another all-conference honor, as announced by the GPAC on Monday. The Winnipeg, Canada, native has received first team all-conference recognition for the second-consecutive season following a second team all-conference season as a sophomore.

The Bulldogs also earned two second team choices in junior midfielder Chris DeFeyter and sophomore defender Sean Doran. It marks the second-straight second team appearance for Doran and the first for DeFeyter. Meanwhile, both freshman defender Mark Campbell and sophomore midfielder Gideon Soenksen were named honorable mention.

Douglas ended his four-year run with a career best 14 goals in 2013, giving him a program record 43 for his career. Douglas also set a career high with seven assists and 35 points. Had it not been for a huge season from Midland’s Adam Wood, Douglas may have taken the GPAC Player of the Year award.

DeFeyter, who hails from Scottsdale, Ariz., busted out in 2013 with a career best six goals to go along with two assists. DeFeyter (also a 2011 honorable mention pick) proved a steady compliment to Douglas in the goal-scoring department. On the defensive side, Doran again provided an intimidating center back presence with his 6-foot-6 stature. The native of Dublin, Ireland, also contributed two goals and one assist.

Campbell stepped into a starting role in game No. 9 and immediately provided a significant boost to the defensive effort while Soenksen (two goals, three assists) was a force in the midfield.

Honors continue to pour in, Douglas named first team academic All American

21 NOV 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Named a Capital One Academic All-District® 3 selection on Oct. 31, Concordia senior forward Nathan Douglas received an even more prestigious honor on Thursday. The Winnipeg, Canada, native has been named a to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Men’s Soccer first team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Bulldogs’ prolific goal scorer is a repeat selection having also earned recognition as a Capital One Academic Third Team All-American and Capital One Academic All-District® 6 recipient of the College Division last season after an outstanding junior season.

The Capital One Academic All-America® College Division soccer teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions. Including both men’s and women’s soccer college division All-America first teams, Douglas is the only honoree to come from a GPAC institution as well as the only All-America recipient from a school in the state of Nebraska. Douglas is part of an exclusive list that recognized 11 men’s soccer academic All-Americans.

Douglas, a 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, has consistently put up high marks in the classroom while also excelling on the soccer field. The physics major (math minor) set Concordia’s program record for career goals this season. He completed his career with 43 goals over four years, including a career high 14 in 2013.

This season Douglas ranked second in the GPAC in both goals and points (35) and fourth in assists (7). He has 11 career multi-goal games with three coming this season. Douglas has been named a first team all-conference performer in each of the past two seasons and was a second team choice as a sophomore in 2011.

Concordia men's soccer lands four on scholar-athlete list

6 DEC 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Two seniors and two juniors represented Concordia men’s soccer on the list of 2013 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as announced by the NAIA on Friday. Seniors Nathan Douglas and Skylar Lewis are repeat selections while juniors Brendan Buchanan and Dane Stahr receive scholar-athlete recognition for the first time in their careers.

In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status.

Douglas, a native of Winnipeg, Canada, was also a 2013 Capital One Academic All-American®. He is a two-time academic All-American and a two-time scholar-athlete.

Concordia ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 953 and counting. (This figure includes all 22 Concordia scholar-athletes announced on Friday. During the 2012-13 academic year, Concordia had 71 Scholar-Athletes and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams.

A total of 355 men’s soccer student-athletes across the nation were named scholar-athletes by the NAIA.

Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Neb., that currently serves over 2,200 students. Concordia offers more than 50 professional and liberal arts programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.

2013 Concordia men’s soccer scholar-athletes

Brendan Buchanan, Jr. | Broomfield, Colo. | Secondary Education
Nathan Douglas, Sr. | Winnipeg, Canada | Physics (Math minor)
Skylar Lewis, Sr. | Adel, Iowa | Sports Management/Business Administration
Dane Stahr, Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Graphic Design

Concordia star Douglas named first team all-region by NSCAA

10 DEC 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Already a 2013 first team all-conference and first team academic All-America selection, Concordia senior Nathan Douglas has received another honor courtesy of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). On Tuesday the NSCAA recognized Douglas as a NAIA all-Midwest region first team selection.

Douglas, a native of Winnipeg, Canada, is one of five first team choices from within the GPAC. Two additional GPAC players were placed on the second team.

The physics major (math minor) set Concordia’s program record for career goals this season. He completed his career with 43 goals over four years, including a career high 14 in 2013.

This season Douglas ranked second in the GPAC in both goals and points (35) and fourth in assists (7). He has 11 career multi-goal games with three coming this past season. Douglas has been named a first team all-conference performer in each of the past two seasons and was a second team choice as a sophomore in 2011.

To view all of Douglas’ career honors, click HERE.

Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is a non-profit organization with a mission to educate coaches, encourage excellence and serve the soccer community.

The NSCAA is the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization with members at every level of the game. The membership is primarily made up of coaches, but also includes administrators, referees and others in the soccer industry. The NSCAA provides its members ways to enhance the game of soccer by providing a national education program, interaction and networking opportunities, and membership benefits.

For more information about the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, visit the NSCAA website at NSCAA.com.

2013 NSCAA/Continental Tire NAIA Men’s All-Midwest Region

FIRST TEAM
GK – Alex Guyer, Hastings
D – Tyler Ortleib, Hastings
D – Kory McDonald, Columbia (Mo.)
D – Ross Alexander, Grand View (Iowa)
M – Thomas Boss, Hastings
M – Jake Essi, Hastings
M – Jonny Macadam, Grand View (Iowa)
M – Gustavo Soares de Souza, Grand View (Iowa)
F – Rafael Ramos, Columbia (Mo.)
F – Joao Junqueira, Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
F – Nathan Douglas, Concordia

SECOND TEAM
GK – Erik Hundevad, Grand View (Iowa)
GK – Logan Miller, Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
D – Tommy Catania, AIB (Iowa)
D – David Masicza, Grand View (Iowa)
D – Nil Lamana, Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
M – Adis Mujic, AIB (Iowa)
M – Milan Kovacs, Mount Mercy (Iowa)
F – Jack Andrews, AIB (Iowa)
F – Josip Druzijanic, Mount Mercy (Iowa)
F – Jake Ramsay, Hastings
F – Isaac Beber, Doane

Concordia men's soccer lands four on All-Nebraska team

26 DEC 2013

SEWARD, Neb. – Senior Nathan Douglas headlines the list of Concordia men’s soccer representatives on the Omaha World-Herald NAIA All-Nebraska team, as announced on Christmas day. Douglas was one of 14 named to the main All-Nebraska squad while Chris DeFeyter, Sean Doran and Gideon Soenksen were recognized as honorable mention choices.

Douglas ended his four-year run with a career best 14 goals in 2013, giving him a program record 43 for his career. Douglas also set a career high with seven assists and 35 points.

DeFeyter, who hails from Scottsdale, Ariz., busted out in 2013 with a career best six goals to go along with two assists. On the defensive side, Doran again provided an intimidating center back presence and contributed two goals and one assist. Meanwhile, Soenksen chipped in two goals and three assists while playing in all 19 games.

2013 Omaha World-Herald NAIA All-Nebraska Men’s Soccer Team

F: Adam Wood, Midland, So.
F: Nathan Douglas, Concordia , Sr.
F: Leigh Veidman, Bellevue, Sr.
F: Isaac Beber, Doane, Jr.
M: Thomas Boss, Hastings, Sr.
M: Sam Blackman, Midland, Fr.
M: Jake Essi, Hastings, Sr.
M: Manuel Lira, Bellevue, Jr.
D: Tyler Ortlieb, Hastings, Jr.
D: Nick Saunders, Midland, So.
D: Quinn Selby, Doane, So.
D: Alan Carr, Bellevue, So.
G: Alex Guyer, Hastings, So.
G: Lewis Wilcox, Midland, Jr.

Honorary captain: Alex Guyer, Hastings

Honorable mention: Jake Cawsey, Tobias Maertzke, Ben Martin, Lee Woolmore, Bellevue; Chris DeFeyter, Sean Doran, Gideon Soenksen, Concordia; Gabe Garbin, Jake Miller, Chris Watson, Doane; Leon Brudy, Jake Ramsay, Hastings; Alan Craig, Gary Giffin, Nate Mishou, Harri Rogers, Midland; Santiago Castano, Carlos Fernandes, York

Douglas takes road less traveled to Concordia

3 FEB 2013

By Jake Knabel, Sports Information Director

Shielded in a part of North America known much more for hockey than soccer, Nathan Douglas didn’t exactly have drooling college soccer coaches fighting to bring him to their respective campuses. Even though the Winnipeg, Canada, native possessed a world of talent, soccer scholarships more often went to American-born players or those from soccer-crazed nations with more exposure at major showcase events.

“I had some options but it might sound a little crazy that I didn’t have many options,” Douglas said. “In Canada you don’t get recruited much. We have university soccer, but when I was in high school we didn’t even have a university that had a soccer team in Manitoba.”

And so the supremely confident Douglas went to work in an effort to extend a soccer career that had begun at the age of four when his parents, Randy and Sandy, decided that Nathan would take up the same sport his two older brothers had. The expenses related to playing hockey meant that soccer was a better fit for the Douglas family. That was just fine with Nathan, who would see the game in part as a ticket to experience something different.

That something different ended up being Concordia. While during his formative soccer years Nathan developed grand designs on playing at the highest level possible, current Bulldog head men’s soccer coach Jason Weides sold Nathan on just how much Concordia wanted him.

And so he arrived on campus in August 2010, taking a chance on a program still trying to find its way on the heels of a 4-13-1 season in 2009. Little did he know at the time, Nathan was embarking on a stay that would last four years, during which he would completely alter the attitude of Concordia men’s soccer. After four seasons, 73 games played and 43 career goals, Douglas’ impact upon the program is undeniable.

“When he first got here there were a lot of players on our team that feared opponents,” Weides said. “They feared quality competition and didn’t necessarily picture themselves at the same level with some of the better teams. He’s been a part of that culture changing within our program. When we step onto the field we don’t have guys anymore who are fearful of the opponent. He’s helped push fear out the window.”

With Douglas providing the firepower, Concordia has rebounded with three-straight seasons of 10 or more wins (one of four GPAC schools to accomplish the feat). Regarded by many within the GPAC as the league’s top striker, Douglas’ résumé includes three all-conference honors, Capital One Academic All-America distinction, Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition and the title of Concordia’s all-time leading goal scorer.

“I’m somewhat satisfied. I definitely haven’t had a bad career,” says Douglas, known to set the bar almost unreachably high. “I should definitely count my blessings. I’ve been able to stay somewhat healthy for most of my career.”

The possibility of a career at Concordia seemed improbable at best throughout most of Douglas’ time as a prep at Westgate Mennonite in Winnipeg. Douglas knew nothing of Concordia and Concordia knew nothing of him until a dominant Canadian select team, including Douglas, showed up in Omaha for a showcase late in his high school career.

Douglas and company rolled through a field of accomplished hand-picked travel squads at the tournament that Weides happened to be attending. Douglas and several of his teammates were no longer a secret – at least among the group of onlooking coaches who were clearly impressed.

Still, Douglas may have been overshadowed by some of his teammates at the time – many of whom also went on to play collegiately.

“It was just a matter of not enough eyes seeing him,” Weides said. “He would have definitely had more opportunities especially if he were a kid playing here in Nebraska and going to showcases around the country. There would have been more coaches looking at him than in the spot he was up in Winnipeg. He also was playing on a really talented team.”

Weides soon got Douglas to visit Concordia. He arrived along with other international recruits Chris Podlich and Todd May, who would eventually become Bulldog teammates. Less than a week later, Douglas jumped fully on board – at least for one year.

As someone who tore up the Premier Development League as a 17- and 18-year-old, Douglas kept an open mind about the possibility of leaving Concordia for a perceived higher level of collegiate soccer. Over his first two seasons, Douglas and Weides talked often about the possibility of breaking apart.

But nagging injuries early in Douglas’ career limited his production to some degree as well as his potential transfer options. As it turned out, life as a Bulldog suited him just fine.

“Being injured all offseason there was no way I was going to be able to transfer,” Douglas said. “It kind of kept me here, but at the same time it was my decision to make. I decided to stay. I don’t regret it at all. I’ve made some fantastic friends here.”

Douglas says that Concordia came with several advantages he desired. Coming out of high school, he wanted to leave Canada but he also wanted to stay close enough to home that he didn’t have to fly. Plus he wanted the whole American college experience that would provide a close community feel while fostering fellowship and friendship on a campus setting. And as Douglas pointed out, “it’s definitely warmer in Nebraska than where I’m from.”

When Douglas showed up in ‘tropical’ Seward, Weides expected his prized recruit to anchor the midfield, or perhaps even the back line. But it did not take Bruce Arena to quickly realize he belonged elsewhere.

“I don’t think I ever saw him in the forward role so we really recruited him to be more of a midfielder and possibly a defender,” Weides said. “When we got him here it was obvious he had a knack in and around the goal. Right away off the bat he was a forward for us.”

And so began a four-year run of putting GPAC keepers to shame. Using his characteristic flair and swagger, Douglas did what he did best – put the ball in the back of the net.

“It’s my favorite feeling in the whole wide world,” says Douglas of scoring goals. “I play soccer first of all because I love it. Second – I love winning. I love the competition. There’s nothing better than winning and especially scoring and helping your team win. It’s a great feeling. I love it.”

As someone who “oozes confidence” as Weides put it, Douglas looks forward to a future just as bright as his present. The physics major does not know exactly what that future will hold, but what he feels now is no different than what he felt four years ago, still in Winnipeg working towards his shot at collegiate soccer.

Says Douglas, “I’m just going wherever the wind takes me.”

No matter where the wind takes him, Douglas will always be known to Weides as a winner who came down from Canada to lift up the program while positively impacting the lives of others.

“He helped instill hard-working values and beliefs and that winning mentality within the program,” Weides said. “I think he’s the type of player that brings out the best in teammates. A really good player does that. They’re not just good – they help the people next to them become better.”