Head Coach: Nick Smith (first year)
2022 Record: 10-6-2, 5-5-2 GPAC (7th)
Key Returners: MF Savanah Andrews; F Kierstynn Garner; MF Hannah Haas; F Kassidy Johnson; D Hannah Kile; MF Niah Kirchner; MF Elena Ruiz; D Taylor Slaymaker; D Grace Soenksen; D Shi-Lynn Yon.
Key Losses: MF Aliyah Aldama; D Allee Downing; D Ellie Eason; MF Lina Kirst; F Lisa McClain; GK Kalie Ward.
2022 GPAC All-Conference: Grace Soenksen (First Team); Kierstynn Garner (Second Team); Ellie Eason (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
The transitional phase for Concordia University Women’s Soccer began back in the spring when Nick Smith became the ninth head coach in the program’s history. Players within the program have gravitated towards Smith’s positivity and overall approach. The good news for Smith is that there is a recent history of success and a blueprint for winning GPAC championships at Concordia. Veterans such as Grace Soenksen were part of the unique spring GPAC tournament title run in April 2021.
The program’s year-to-year consistency factored into the Bulldogs being pegged fifth in the 2023 GPAC preseason coaches’ poll, one year after Concordia placed seventh. While the 2022 campaign was up and down during conference play, the Bulldogs proved they could compete with just about anyone and registered a memorable 1-0 upset at then 25th-ranked Benedictine College (Kan.).
This will be a new team with a new identity. Said Smith of the early returns in preseason training, “Encouraging. The girls did some work over the summer. That was clear. Through each day and each session we’ve had so far, you can tell there was growth. For the new players that have come in, the assimilation has been really good. We’ve had some newcomers who have really shown well. With the players we hoped would have an important role for us this year, those things are starting to look like they’re clicking. I’m excited about the first week.”
Smith’s biggest recruiting win to date was in convincing the three-time First Team All-GPAC center back Soenksen to opt in and use her ‘COVID year’ of eligibility. With 72 career games played, Soenksen is the clear leader of the bunch and an anchor for a club that has routinely been a difficult one to score upon. The Bulldogs also bring back leading goal scorer Kierstynn Garner (eight goals) as part of a loaded sophomore class. That group is both the present and the future for Concordia, which is in the process of replacing five seniors who started in the 2022 GPAC tournament.
While youth movement continues, Concordia will get additional leadership from fourth-year seniors such as Hannah Haas, Kassidy Johnson and Bradi Ore. A headliner among juniors, defender Taylor Slaymaker has returned after the season-ending injury she suffered in game No. 2 of 2022. Slaymaker played in all 18 games (12 starts) as a freshman in 2021. A former goalkeeper, Johnson netted a pair of goals last season while getting more comfortable in an attacking role. Smith is on the lookout for goal scorers after last season’s team struggled to put the ball in the back of the net in league play.
“One of the main themes we have on the attacking side this year is drilling into them that when we get into those spaces, I don’t want them to worry about conceding goals,” Smith said. “I want us to worry about scoring. We have to be aggressive, we have to be taking that space and moving forward. Hopefully when it comes to game time this season, we’re going to have numbers streaming forward into the box and getting into position where we can score goals. I think we have a large number of players on this squad who are goal scorers, that if given the opportunity they’re going to find the back of the net. Typically goal scoring comes with confidence.”
There’s a lot of confidence in Soenksen, who is going to be vital to the team’s ability to limit opposing attacks. She’ll be calling the shots and helping her teammates get into proper position. Despite the absence of the classmates she entered the program with, Soenksen is soaking up and enjoying the start of year five. One of her aims is to provide more goal scoring on set piece opportunities.
“How last season went, I didn’t feel I had my best season,” Soenksen said. “Coach Nick made me excited to play again. That was a big reason (for coming back) and things outside of school lined up where I was free. I didn’t have a prior commitment, so I figured I might as well play while I’m able to. It’s kind of weird looking around and not seeing my classmates. It’s been very positive on the field so far. I think we’re all having a lot of fun getting to know each other. I’m excited.”
Soenksen’s presence will be influential for that terrific sophomore group and for the program’s five freshmen. Garner immediately grabbed attention with her speed and quickness in the attack. She knocked in the lone goal in the aforementioned win at Benedictine. The sophomore class includes five others who were regulars in the starting 11 in 2022: Savannah Andrews, Hannah Kile, Niah Kirchner, Elena Ruiz and Shi-Lynn Yon. Each of them bring different skillsets to the table. Garner and Kile were two of five players on the roster to start all 18 games last fall. Both Kirchner and Yon made 15 starts.
“It was great that a large number of sophomores had such big roles as freshmen,” Smith said. “The thing you can’t replicate in training at the college level is in-game experience. To have so many players who were freshmen last year have large roles with this team – they come back and they are essentially juniors and seniors in terms of what their experience is compared to some squads. For that group I’m excited because I get three falls with them. The more that we can foster those relationships within that class, the stronger the team we’re putting on the field.”
The graduation of Kalie Ward means Concordia will have a first-time starting goalkeeper this fall. Ore and Angela Banks have both experienced some degree of game action. The other keepers on the roster are Zoe Lavigne and Grady Smith. The backline figures to be a strength once again, which should help ease the transition at keeper. Bulldog opponents have been limited to 20 goals or fewer in each of the past three seasons.
Coach Smith will attempt to continue the program’s identity as hard-working, blue-collar outfit. With a little energy pumped into the team’s attacking efforts, Concordia has the potential to surprise some teams in the GPAC. Smith is still working on maximizing the team’s talent. Says Soenksen, “He has a lot of ideas. Formation-wise, he has different set formations. His mindset and tactics differ a little bit, which I think will be good for us. He works with the skillsets that we have.”
Smith closely reviewed the film of every 2022 game and will have seen his squad in a series of spring and fall scrimmages by the time the official 2023 season opener arrives. At this stage of preseason, the Ohio native has a good idea of what things will look like from a strategic standpoint, although he calls the approach an “ever-changing picture.”
“I’ve got two general shapes that I think we’re going to run with as our primary shapes this year and then we have a third shape we’re going to be comfortable in as well,” Smith said. “The shapes we’re looking at lining up in are a little bit unique. There aren’t going to be many teams lining up the way that we do this year. The shapes we’re focusing on right now are built to allow our group to maximize the advantages within the team and minimize the things we don’t do so well.”
Those shapes will come into focus on Aug. 23 when the Bulldogs play at Kansas Wesleyan University to kick off the season. Concordia will make its 2023 home debut on Aug. 26 when Graceland University (Iowa) is set to visit Bulldog Stadium. The complete schedule can be found HERE.