SEWARD, Neb. – Seventh-seeded College of Saint Mary pulled off a GPAC quarterfinal upset over second-seeded Concordia University, Nebraska, 1-0, on Tuesday (Nov. 3). The Bulldogs peppered the Flames' goal in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net in the opening round of the conference playoffs.
First-year Head Coach Jason Weides and the Seward roster have posted a 10-4-3 overall record.
“We didn’t adapt to the elements very well in the first half,” Coach Weides said. “Despite not playing that well, we still had chances. We had a goal that was called off, and other chances that we couldn’t quite put away today. We had a great mentality and came out ready in the second half. We were knocking on the door, and just couldn’t find a way to punch through it. It’s tough. We were striving to have just three more days to practice together. We were focused on the journey and not the outcome. I love this team. We just fell a little short today.”
The elements were out in full force, with the blustery wind favoring the visitors in the opening half. CSM capitalized on the advantage and its bench support to control the contest for the majority of the first 45 minutes.
Coming out of the lockerooms, Concordia looked like a different animal, outshooting their opponents 12-3 in the second stanza.
A ball kicked in the air by the visitors was headed up in the wrong direction by the Bulldogs. Flames’ Mia Godwin made good on the chance, finding a go-ahead score in the 84th minute.
Concordia was relentless in the final six minutes, forcing three corner kicks but lacking the final touch in the crowded box.
The Bulldogs bombarded the opposing goal with 11 shots on target compared to CSM’s three. Some of Concordia’s best chances came around the 56th minute, as the home squad unleashed three shots in less than 60 seconds. Flames goalkeeper Jenna Brown pawed away all three attempts in her 11-save performance.
The final tallies heavily favored the Bulldogs in shots (18-8), shots on goal (11-3) and corner kicks (11-2). The leaders in shots were Kianna Perez (six), Charli Preister (four), McKennah West (two) and Molli Kalsbeck (two).
College of Saint Mary (9-8-1) relied heavily on Brown in the second half as Godwin scored on her lone attempt. Abby Ostergaard and Makena Kramer fired two shots apiece. The Flames will travel to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on third-seeded Morningside on Saturday.
Weides continued, “We will have time to reflect on it, because there were a lot of great things that happened this season. At some point, we will look back and take pride in this journey too. Right now, all we feel is pain.”
With Concordia’s early exit from the GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs will await the tournament's final result to determine their postseason fate. If No. 1 seed Hastings wins the tournament, Concordia, as the regular-season runner-up and No. 2 seed, will receive the conference's second berth.