Hawkins’ late goal lifts Bulldogs past Jimmies

SEWARD, Neb. – Visiting Jamestown (N.D.) rallied back from a 2-0 deficit only to have Concordia’s Madison Hawkins deliver the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to propel the Bulldogs to a 3-2 victory on Labor Day. Concordia improved to 2-1 in finishing up its three games in six days stretch.

“Unfortunately we gave up the conceding goal to allow them back in to it, but then answered right off the kickoff to go back up 3-2,” Henson said. “I’m real happy with their intensity there and their no-quit attitude.”

Hawkins’ game-winning tally came 51 seconds after the Jimmies’ Elyse Stewart knotted the score at 2-2 at the end of the 77th minute. The Bulldogs regained the lead when Hawkins, a Omaha native, drilled the back of the net from just outside the right corner of the 18-yard box. The shot beat goalkeeper Nicole Ladoucer to the left edge of the goal with just over 12 minutes remaining.

“No, not really,” Hawkins responded when asked if she knew the ball was ticketed for the goal when it left her foot. “I was just thinking to myself, ‘we definitely need to shoot and get some shots on the goal.’ I shot on frame and it went in.”

While Jamestown (0-4) put nine shots on target on Monday, no serious attempts came after Hawkins’ strike as midfielder Jordan Donohoue and company kept the Jimmie attackers at bay down the stretch.

Concordia built a 2-0 lead just 13 minutes into the action thanks to goals by juniors Katrina Muther and Ashlie Sklenicka. Muther became the fifth different Bulldog already to score this season (Hawkins later became the sixth) when she found herself in the right place after a Concordia shot caromed off the post. The junior midfielder from Rockford, Ill., corralled the ball and poked it to the left of Ladoucer for a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.

Not long after, junior Ashlie Sklenicka dribbled past a couple of defenders and tapped in her second goal of the season to provide a 2-0 advantage early in the 14th minute.

Jamestown closed the gap with a 21st-minute score from Hannah Langseth, who picked up her first goal of the season. That got the Jimmies within a single tally.

Both teams had several opportunities to register additional notches on the scoreboard. Concordia survived a few close calls off corner kicks and Jamestown narrowly escaped shots by Muther, Sklenicka and junior Melissa Stine. Ladoucer made a fine diving stab to her right off a Sklenicka penalty kick.

Concordia sophomore keeper Elyse Muhle made seven saves with six coming in the first half.

The Bulldogs now have 11 days until their next official match on Friday, Sept. 13 when they host Friends University (Kan.) at 12 p.m. Concordia will scrimmage at Iowa Western Community College on Sept. 10.

The layoff gives Henson’s team some time for a little rest but also time for plenty of conditioning and prep work on upcoming opponents.

“It’s going to be a little bit different,” Henson said. “We’ll get some more time on the practice pitch and a little time to get some legs underneath us. It will give us a little recovery before we get after it fitness-wise and start preparing for the next two matches.”