Seward, Neb. – Concordia is set to battle Morningside for its senior day on Saturday. The event will honor nine senior from the Women’s Soccer team in Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs claimed their second straight win with a 2-1 comeback victory over Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D. CUNE has a 5-5-1 overall record and 2-3 in GPAC play.
This Week
Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. Morningside (2-3-4, 1-2-2 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· The Tigers came into the conference with a 2-2 record and were able to gain confidence through an early second half score. Avery Black drove the ball into the box and was fouled earning a penalty that would start the second half response. Rios, a freshman out of Omaha, Neb., buried the equalizing free kick to reset the tie game with 23 minutes left to play. The Bulldogs didn’t let up and the of the press of the team caused the home team fits when in possession. Elena Ruiz’s press led to a great opportunity for freshman Sierra McElhannon. The Ewa Beach, Hawaii, native smashed the score into the top left corner to take the lead and Concordia would never look back taking the win all the way back to Seward. Angela Banks kept the Tigers at bay with six total saves. The two teams ended with 12 shots apiece and Rios led the Dawgs with four total shots.
· Concordia has scored 17 goals in 11 games while allowing 20 by the opponents. Averaging 8.6 shots per game, the Bulldogs have a .532 shots on goal percentage and a .181 shot percentage. Out of the 17 goals, 12 are assisted and with 94 shots Concordia is highly productive off a pass from teammates. Coach Smith has played 26 different players showing new depth in the 2024 season. Garner leads with nine goals and two assists with Savannah Andrews leading the team (three). Four others have scored starting with Haas (two), Rios (two), Katelyn Smith (one), McElhannon (one) and Andrews (one). The final shots have been fired predominantly by Garner (27), Andrews (15), Haas (10), Niah Kirchner (eight) and Sierra Springer (seven). The two with the highest shots on goal percentage are Kirchner (.750) and Springer (.714) followed by Garner (.667). Mainstays like Kirchner and Elena Ruiz have started all 11 games for the Bulldog side.
· The Bulldogs have lost the last four of five matches against the upcoming Mustangs. Sandwiched in the middle of the five years (2021), Concordia was able to best Morningside in a 2-1 overtime win on Oct. 6 in Seward. The Bulldogs celebrated in the 97th minute when Madeline Haugen delivered the golden goal on a breakaway. Haugen immediately leapt into the arms of teammate Mikeila Martinez in the afterglow of the victory over Morningside inside Bulldog Stadium. It was Concordia’s fourth time in extra minutes in the 2021 season. With overtime no longer existing, the two teams will only have 90 minutes to battle it out for the finish.
· The nine seniors honored this Saturday are Angela Banks, Lilley Barber, Mirarosa Gyllenswan, Emily Howard, Zoe Lavigne, Senna McMullen, Molly Roberts, Taylor Slaymaker and Katelyn Smith. Those seniors arrived in the fall of 2021 and have led the program to a 37-22-7 overall record and 21-13-7 in the GPAC through the majority of their time. The then juniors made their mark last year finishing second in the 2023 regular season conference standings.
· The Bulldogs jumped up two spots (82nd) in the Massey Ratings. After defeating the Tigers, their strength of schedule has moved to via Massey in the NAIA. The Mustangs are rated 95th after their 10 games but have a strength of schedule ranking that sits 50th. With a 2-4-4 overall record can be misleading because of the amount of quality opponents the visitors have faced.
Morningside
The Mustangs are 1-2-2 in the conference garnering their lone win versus College of Saint Mary (1-0) at home on Saturday. Morningside will face Dordt before coming to Bulldog Stadium on Saturday. The Mustangs tied Doane (1-1) and Briar Cliff (0-0) but fell to Hastings (3-2) and Midland (1-0). Morningside has score six goals while allowing eight. The Mustangs boast a conference high six shutouts, pulling teams into defensive battles the majority of its matches. Shooting 13.3 times per game, the Mustangs have a .483 shot on goal percentage and 41 total corner kicks. Sophomore Tuva Hammarlund owns half the goals (three) and has one assist on 15 shots, while Keyera Harmon leads the team with 31 shots. Sophomore Goalkeeper Kyla Syverson has a 0.61 goals allowed average and a .848 save percentage good enough for first and second in those categories. She also has four shutouts in 10 games.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will continue conference play visiting Doane and Waldorf next week. Concordia will travel to face the Tigers at Al Papik Field and the Warriors in Forest CIty, Iowa. The matches are listed below.
Wednesday, Oct. 16
5 p.m. – at Doane
Saturday, Oct. 19
5 p.m. – at Waldorf