SEWARD, Neb. – The No. 2 seed Bulldogs have come out victorious in their last nine games and are set to battle No. 3 seed offensive juggernaut Dordt on Thursday. The two teams will grapple inside Bulldog Stadium after Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer finished off College of Saint Mary (3-0) in the conference quarterfinal, pushing their record to 12-5-1 overall.
Next Match
GPAC Semifinals: Thursday, Nov. 2 vs. Dordt (12-4-1), 7 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s are admitted free of charge.
By the numbers
· Concordia finds confidence in the past postseason success the program has enjoyed in recent years. Over the previous 11 GPAC tournaments, the Bulldogs have reached the semifinals nine times and have played in the championship game six times (five straight years from 2014 through 2018). The program celebrated GPAC postseason championships in 2014, 2016 and 2020. Midfielder Hannah Haas and goalkeeper Bradi Ore were a part of the 2020 championship squad. Coach Smith has a 2-1 record in the tournament run but will look to go further in his second showing.
· In the first meeting, Concordia scored four goals against CSM in the first half and none in the second. The quarterfinal bout was the opposite as the Bulldogs fired their first shot in the 58th minute. Only a minute later, the floodgates opened once again. Mirarosa Gyllenswan swung the doors wide cracking the ball past the Flame keeper for the eventual game winner. Savannah Andrews and Kierstynn Garner would pile on, whipping the visitors in the second frame. The defense would deliver yet another shutout and Angela Banks punched out her four saves in the playoff match.
· On Sept. 21, the Bulldogs (tied 2-2) were attacking to try to score in the final seconds in Sioux Center. The Defender’s Joslyn Terpstra cleared out a ball and it found the feet of the GPAC’s leading goal scorer Karinna Tel. The NAIA Offensive Player of the Week, Tel made a move and put the ball in the back of the net for the go ahead score with only two seconds remaining. After coming back down 2-0, Concordia fell short as Katelyn Smith and Garner tallied the goals adding up to the initial equalizer. The two teams were essentially even in the box score: shots (11-13), shots on goal (6-5), corners (6-4) and fouls (9-8).
· Garner has been on another level in the past four games, scoring eight goals and nine assists in the last 11 days. The two time GPAC offensive player of the week has totaled 20 goals (2nd in GPAC), 12 assists (2nd) and 52 total points (2nd) in the 2024 campaign. The Kearney, Neb., native is tied for 5th in the program’s single season records in goals scored (2016-Sami Birmingham) and assists (three others). Among the top goal scorers in the league, the Kearney, Neb., forward leads with the best shot percentage (.357) and shot on goal percentage (.732). Garner has totaled 47 career goals tying Gentri Brown (2003-06) at No. 4 in the program’s history. The go-ahead Garner has pushed the program’s record to 17 game winning scores in her career. She is currently No. 4 in single season points scored (52) and No. 5 in career points scored (111).
· Averaging 10.2 shots per game, the Bulldogs are dangerous when getting a kick on the ball, ranked No. 6 in the NAIA in shot percentage (.266). Those leading the pack (at least 10 shots) are freshman Kyana Rios (.364), Garner (.357), Andrews (.250) and Hannah Haas (.200). Concordia’s leader in goals scored: Garner (20), Andrews (eight), Rios (four) and Sierra Springer (three). There have been 13 Bulldogs score this year and 19 have contributed points in the deep roster.
· During the nine game dominant run, the Bulldogs have averaged 3.89 goals per game, while making it seemingly impossible to score for their opponents (0.33). They have proven to play superior to their last nine opponents in many statistics. Categories of dominance: goals (35-3), shot percentage (.330-.044), shot attempts (106-68), corner kicks (41-25) and assists (28-3). The Concordia protectors have made it tough in the defensive third almost doubling the conference foes in shots on goal (72-40).The defense has recorded five shutouts and four complete clean sheets by Angela Banks. The Saint Joseph High product has registered 34 saves, 0.38 goals allowed average and a .919 save percentage in the 703 minute stretch. Taylor Slaymaker, Triniti Rowe, Avery Black, Sadie Mares, Hannah Kile and Senna McMullen have clamped down on opposing offenses, only allowing 7.6 shots per game.
· Four teams remain in the GPAC tournament as first-seeded Hastings will host fourth-seeded Morningside on Thursday. The winners will face off in the GPAC championship on Tuesday night. With a Broncos and Bulldogs win, Concordia will be guaranteed a bid into the NAIA women’s soccer national championship tournament. CUNE is newly ranked 51st in the RPI ratings with Dordt just ahead at 46.
The opponent
The Defenders come into the semifinals on a three game win streak defeating Dakota Wesleyan (7-0), Northwestern (6-5) and Doane (3-0) in the quarterfinals. Dordt is 12-4-1 and 4-3-1 on the road this season. Scoring 67 goals as a team, with over half coming from Tel (34), DU has counted more goals (3.94 PG) than any side in the GPAC by a large margin. Averaging 18.1 shots per game, the Defenders have shot 307 times with a .218 shot percentage. They have let 21 scores slip through and held opponents to 15 assists all season. Goalkeeper Jenna Wright has played 1,255 minutes in the net and collected 80 saves on four shutouts and a 0.833 save percentage. Wright has allowed an average of 1.15 goals per 90 minutes.
GPAC tournament pairings
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 2
(1) Hastings def. (8) Midland, 4-0
(4) Morningside def. (5) Briar Cliff, 2-0
(3) Dordt def. (6) Doane, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (7) College of Saint Mary, 3-0
Semifinals – Thursday, Nov. 7
(4) Morningside vs. (1) Hastings, 7 p.m.
(3) Dordt vs. (2) Concordia, 7 p.m.
Championship – Tuesday, Nov. 12
Highest remaining seed hosts, time TBA