Seward, Neb. – The wait of anticipation is almost over for the Concordia Women’s Soccer team with two upcoming matches on the docket entering its first week of play. The Bulldogs will start their season on the road against Graceland University (Iowa) and No. 12 Columbia College (Mo.). After finishing second in the conference his first year, Head Coach Nick Smith will look to build on a season ago with a now veteran group that boasts a deeper bench in his short time at CUNE.
This Week
Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Graceland (2-0-1), 5 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: John Rasmussen Soccer Complex (Lamoni, Iowa)
Saturday, Aug. 31 at No. 12 Columbia (2-0), 5 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: R. Marvin Owens Field (Columbia, Mo.)
Concordia has a roster with 23 players which are either juniors, seniors or 5th year players, giving a huge experience advantage to most teams they will face. Many of the notable junior class team members have two years of starting experience and have names that many who follow the program know. The Bulldogs return All-GPAC nominees Savannah Andrews, Kierstynn Garner, Hannah Kile, Niah Kirchner, Sierra Springer, Bradi Ore and Taylor Slaymaker. Many others with a wealth of experience return such as Angela Banks, Hannah Haas, Kassidy Johnson, Sadie Mares, Senna McMullen, Shelby Rugg, Elena Ruiz and Ashlee Trujillo. The program has added transfers and freshmen, making the roster potentially the deepest it has been in years.
After finishing at the No. 2 in the conference last year, the preseason expectations have risen to be the same. Concordia was picked to finish second as opposed to last year’s preseason poll (fifth). The Bulldogs went 13-4-3 overall and 8-1-3 in the GPAC in 2023. A late season tie at Briar Cliff eventually became a deciding factor for Concordia to lose the tie for first place with Hastings dropping to second. Nick Smith’s squad defeated Jamestown (2-1) in the quarterfinals but fell to Midland (2-0) in the semis on its way to a GPAC Tournament Championship.
Graceland
The Yellow Jackets come into the match with an unbeaten 2-0-1 record having played three consecutive GPAC opponents. By these three games anyone can see this isn’t the Graceland from a year ago. Having bested Mount Marty (4-0), Northwestern (5-3) plus tying GPAC preseason favorite Hastings (1-1), the Yellow Jackets have tied their season win total (two) from 2023 through only three games. Head Coach Randall Porter is also in his second year at the helm of the women’s soccer program. The home team has scored 10 goals in three games with freshmen Skye Hernandez (four) and Caitlin Lageman (two) leading the charge. Graceland has a mix of talent, but the freshmen have tallied seven of its 10 goals and four of the five assists. They have averaged 14.7 shots per game and a .705 shot-on-goal percentage. Goalkeeper Alexia Johnson got the starting nod in the previous game only allowing one goal through 177 minutes between the posts thus far.
Columbia
A powerhouse last season, the Cougars went 17-2-1 with a national tournament berth in 2023. Their dominant play has continued with a 2-0 record defeating GPAC foe Briar Cliff (4-0) and No. 24 Missouri Valley College (1-0). They will begin their week versus Campbellsville University (Ky.) before facing the Bulldogs on Saturday. Head Coach John Klein enters his 25th year as the frontman of Columbia. They have scored five goals in two games by Riley Porter (three) and Macie Lucas (two). The team has eight assists with Madeleine Shylanski and Delfina Zolesio having two apiece. Alba Vigo has played all 180 minutes as goalkeeper with two shutouts and eight saves.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will come home to host a nonconference match on Sept. 4. The match is listed below and will be played at Bulldog Stadium in Seward, Neb. CUNE will have next Saturday off from competition.
Wednesday, Sept. 4
5:30 p.m. – vs. Bellevue