SEWARD, Neb. – So far so good for Concordia University women’s soccer, which remains unbeaten and unscored upon during conference action. On Saturday (Sept. 30) afternoon, the Bulldogs trampled visiting College of Saint Mary, 6-0, inside Bulldog Stadium. Five different Concordia players recorded a goal in the blowout victory.
Fifth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad also owns conference victories over Dakota Wesleyan and Mount Marty. A five-game unbeaten streak has moved the Bulldogs to 7-2-2 overall and to 3-0 in the GPAC. Concordia has won each of its last 11 contests against conference opponents.
“Each game for us in conference is very important,” Henson said. “We knew Saint Mary is a good team and it would be a good test for us. We wanted to get off to a good start and I thought we did that early in the first half. We got a great free kick from Jeannelle Condame and Michaela Twito finished it. From there it just went well for us.”
The Bulldogs took their chances well, scoring goals on six of their first seven shots. The goal-scoring outburst began when freshman Michaela Twito headed in a free kick off the foot of Condame. The fireworks continued with Esther Soenksen scoring 12 minutes later before Maria Deeter knocked in her first of two goals on the day. Kaitlyn Radebaugh got loose for a goal late in the first half and Lauren Martin added the contest’s final tally with a goal in the 49th minute.
Defensively, Concordia minimized the Flames (5-6, 2-1 GPAC) attacking opportunities. The biggest threat occurred when College of Saint Mary drew a foul in the box. The ensuing penalty kick in the 33rd minute from Cassie Dauber was saved by Lindsey Carley, who dove to her right. Carley played 65 minutes in goal and made four saves before giving way to Jessica Knedler.
It was easy for Carley and Knedler to make themselves comfortable while watching their teammates pile up goals.
“It gives you a lot more confidence,” Carley said. “It lets the nerves go down even more. You just have to keep playing confidently either way. It definitely makes you feel more comfortable.”
The Bulldogs and Flames were actually even in the shot department with 11 apiece. Three days earlier Concordia fired off 41 shots in a 5-0 win over Mount Marty. Deeter was the most active, unleashing four shots. She also added an assist. Freshman Victoria Cera set up the fourth and sixth goals. In her first action of the season, junior Ashley Martin chipped in an assist. As did her twin sister Lauren.
The Bulldogs will be on the road twice next week. Next up is Wednesday’s (Oct. 4) trip to Briar Cliff (6-4, 0-2 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. Concordia defeated the Chargers twice last season, once in the regular season and again in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals.
“It’s always difficult to go on the road in this conference,” Henson said. “It’ll be two tough road games on grass with Briar Cliff and Northwestern. We’ll spend a lot of time on our grass practice field this week to get ready for that. I’m really just looking for us to continue to build off the momentum that we started in the first three games.”