SEWARD, Neb. – Two rivals will go head-to-head on Tuesday with a spot in the GPAC championship game on the line. The third-seeded Concordia University Women’s Soccer team has begun preparations to host seventh-seeded Midland in a conference tournament semifinal clash set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT. Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad will quickly turn around after defeating Dakota Wesleyan, 2-1, in the quarterfinals over the weekend.
GPAC Semifinal Game Info
Concordia (10-6-1) vs. Midland (7-5-3)
Tuesday, April 6 | 7 p.m. CT
Bulldog Stadium | Seward, Neb.
Webcast/Live Stats: Concordia Sports Network
Commentator: Frank Greene
Tickets: https://www.cune.edu/athletics/tickets (also sold on site)
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s will be admitted free of charge.
Fan policy: Bulldog Stadium will welcome fans for Tuesday’s game (up to 75 percent capacity). Per GPAC policy, fans are required to wear face coverings and are encouraged to distance themselves from other family groups.
By the numbers
· Dating back to the final outing of the fall portion of the season, the Bulldogs have played five-straight games that have been decided by one-goal margins. That run started with a 1-0 win over a Briar Cliff team that is currently ranked 18th in the NAIA. It continued with defeats at the hands of Southwestern College (Kan.), 1-0 (2 OT), Benedictine College (Kan.), 1-0, and Grand View University (Iowa), 2-1 (2 OT). Concordia got back in the win column last week with the triumph over Dakota Wesleyan.
· Each of the aforementioned losses came against nonconference opponents. On the other hand, the Bulldogs own an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1) over GPAC foes. The only tie during that stretch occurred at Midland, 2-2, on Nov. 4. The wins have come against Jamestown, College of Saint Mary, Hastings, Doane, Presentation, Briar Cliff and Dakota Wesleyan. By knocking off DWU, Concordia affectively avenged one of its two GPAC regular-season defeats from the fall.
· As one can tell by the scores, the Bulldogs had been struggling to find the back of the net heading into postseason play. Goines has said it will take a by-committee approach to get things done on the attack. Over 17 games this season, 16 different Concordia players have combined for 37 goals. Center back Callie McNary became the 16th unique goal scorer when she put the Bulldogs up 1-0 in the 19th minute versus DWU. Then in the second half, Aliyah Aldama broke a 1-1 tie with an impressive strike from roughly 30 yards out (for her third goal of the season). Aldama is one of five Bulldogs with at least three goals this season.
· The program is no stranger to GPAC postseason success. Last season was an exception when Concordia was beaten, 4-0, in the quarterfinals by Jamestown. Prior to 2019, the Bulldogs had reached the GPAC postseason championship game five-straight years with titles coming in 2014 and 2016. During that five-year run, Concordia and Midland twice met in the GPAC semifinals (2016 and 2018) with the Bulldogs claiming 1-0 wins in both instances.
· The hope is to continue to extend the career of senior goalkeeper Lindsey Carley (in her fifth year in the program), one of the top keepers in school history. On the program’s all-time career keeper lists, the native of Urbandale, Iowa, ranks first in goals against average (0.927), second in shutouts (22), second in save percentage (.805), second in games played (71) and third in saves (277). Carley was named the 2017 GPAC Defensive Player of the Year.
The opponent
Midland has been a strong program under Head Coach Greg Jarosik, who led the Warriors to a sweep of GPAC regular season/postseason titles in 2019. Midland lost a lot of firepower from that ’19 squad, but it has allowed only 15 goals in 15 games this season. The Warriors landed two players on the 2020 All-GPAC second team: forward Dana Gomez and midfielder Brittany Llanes. In last week’s upset of No. 2 seed Morningside (receiving votes nationally), Llanes came through with the game’s only goal. Midland is an athletic team and a dangerous No. 7 seed.
GPAC tournament results
Quarterfinals
(1) Briar Cliff def. (8) Dordt, 4-1
(5) Jamestown def. (4) Hastings, 2-1
(3) Concordia def. (6) Dakota Wesleyan, 2-1
(7) Midland def. (2) Morningside, 1-0
The Concordia/Midland winner will advance to play either Briar Cliff or Jamestown in the GPAC championship game on Friday, April 9.