SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University Nebraska Women’s Soccer played in one of the four games on Homecoming weekend in Seward, Neb. Coming into the contest winless in the conference, the Bulldogs showed grit to pull out a 1-0 performance in front of the home crowd. After three closely contested matches, Concordia found the elusive GPAC win column.
CUNE sits at 4-5-1 overall and 1-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Head Coach Nick Smith commented on getting the first GPAC win and Kyana Rios sealing her first goal.
“The Briar Cliff we got today was defensively really organized. We expected it. It was about us having the patience to pick and choose the right moments to take the right opportunities. The most important thing for us tonight was to get the result. It feels good to get that win. I’ve been telling Kyana Rios all season long that she has goals in her. She hit, probably, our goal of the season so far. Really excited for her to knock that out and get her first goal of the season.”
The game winner came off a deflection coming to the feet of Emily Howard, as she made the most of the ball with a pass to freshman Kyana Rios. The Omaha South product drilled her first collegiate goal from 25 yards out to take the lead in the 49th minute. Earning more playing time over the years, Senior Howard tallied her first point with the assist.
Rios said postgame, “It’s amazing coming into this level. There are amazing players and amazing teammates that I have. I’m just fortunate to score a goal here today. Our team was committed to get the win today. You know, we haven’t been playing our best but at the end of the day a result is a result and that’s all that matters.”
Goalkeeper Angela Banks was instrumental in the win, garnering her second clean sheet of the season. The Downey, Calif., native collected six saves tying her career high.
Concordia mustered up four shots but by four separate players including Rios, Hannah Haas, Sierra Springer and Ashlee Trujillo. The Chargers were led by Vivian Olson and Addison Frisch with two shots apiece and seven total in the match. The Bulldogs saw more set pieces in the final third via a 3-0 corner kick advantage and fouls right outside the box.
After 90 minutes, 18 players were given the nod by Coach Smith and with Savannah Andrews, Mirarosa Gyllenswan and Kierstynn Garner (in-game) out, the Bulldogs relied on new or unfamiliar faces to get the home victory. Emily Howard, Laine Michael, Olivia Pyle, Trujillo and Katelyn Smith saw their minutes jump in today's match, with Michael getting her first of the season.
Briar Cliff (0-7-2, 0-3-1 GPAC) will stay winless on the season after a brutal nonconference schedule. The Chargers will have their next chance against Mount Marty at Faber Field in Sioux Center.
Concordia (4-5-1, 1-3 GPAC) will have a midweek break on Wednesday before returning to the field against Dakota Wesleyan (3-4, 2-2 GPAC). The two teams will meet in Mitchell, S.D. at 3 p.m. CT next Saturday.