Head Coach: Nick Smith (13-4-3, 2nd year)
2023 Record: 13-4-3, 8-1-3 GPAC (2nd)
Key Returners: MF Savanah Andrews; F Kierstynn Garner; MF Hannah Haas; MF Emily Howard; D Hannah Kile; F Kassidy Johnson; MF Niah Kirchner; D Sadie Mares; D Senna McMullen; GK Bradi Ore; D Shelby Rugg; MF Elena Ruiz; D Taylor Slaymaker; F Sierra Springer; F Ashlee Trujillo.
Key Loss: D Grace Soenksen.
2023 GPAC All-Conference: Grace Soenksen (First Team; Defensive POY); Savannah Andrews (First Team); Kierstynn Garner (First Team Team); Hannah Kile (First Team); Niah Kirchner (First Team); Sierra Springer (Second Team); Bradi Ore (Honorable Mention); Taylor Slaymaker (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
Concordia Women’s Soccer may have caught some of its GPAC rivals by surprise last fall, but Head Coach Nick Smith and company don’t expect to fly under the radar in 2024. Expectations are about as high for the Bulldogs as they’ve been since coming off a GPAC tournament championship in 2016. There’s also greater comfort for the veterans who now have a better understanding of what Head Coach Nick Smith expects on a daily basis. Smith took over the reins in 2023 and hit the ground running.
After the program vaulted from 10-6-2 in 2022 to 13-4-3 in 2023, Concordia appears in line to compete for a GPAC championship, just as it did last fall when it seemed to be ahead of schedule from a competitive standpoint. The only significant departure is a big one, GPAC Defensive Player of the Year Grace Soenksen, but the cupboard is well-stocked with talent.
“If you look at the playing roster that we had, the only player that we lost from last year's squad is Grace,” Smith said. “Since then, we've added ten new faces, so it's just an entirely different dynamic this year, having so many more players out in the field. I don't think any player right now feels comfortable, which is good. Every position now has some depth and we've got multiple players that are pushing each other to earn the starting spot and to earn the minutes on the field. Everyone has really embraced that. I don't think anyone has shied away from that, so there's really good energy right now within the group. I would say that the energy and the vibe that we have as a team is better than what it was last year.”
The returners will remember how agonizingly close the 2023 team was to earning a spot in the national tournament field. The Bulldogs finished a measly two points behind arch nemesis Hastings at the top of the GPAC regular season standings and then fell at home to Midland in the GPAC semifinals. Overall, the results were quite impressive considering the relative youth within the starting 11. Concordia brings back seven GPAC all-conference players, including four first teamers: midfielder Savannah Andrews, forward Kierstynn Garner, defender Hannah Kile and midfielder Niah Kirchner – each of whom are now juniors.
The junior class played a significant role in helping Concordia rip through its ’23 opponents by a combined total of 51-16. Of the 51 goals tallied, 50 were scored by players who return to the 2024 roster (a whopping 98.0 percent!). The dynamic Garner, or “KG” as she’s often called, peppered the back of the net with 19 goals as a sophomore and is a GPAC Offensive Player of the Year candidate heading into year three. Three of her teammates posted at least five goals: Andrews (13), Sierra Springer (five) and Elena Ruiz (five).
Of course opponents are going to want to mark Garner, but they’ll do so at the risk of letting Concordia’s many other dangerous attackers get loose. Said Smith, “This year for her is going to be about personal growth too. Teams are going to keep on keying on her. She's going to have to use that sometimes to let other people be the ones to step up for the goals. If she's occupying two or three defenders, that means she has space for everyone else that's out there on the field. That can be difficult for forwards because they want to be the ones scoring goals. There are going to be times when she's going to have to give the ball up because there are going to be teammates in better spots.”
KG and Andrews earned plenty of attention last season for their goal-scoring exploits, but Concordia was successful because it had a well-rounded team. Kirchner consistently draws rave reviews from the coaching staff for her work in the middle of the park while fellow junior Sierra Springer burst onto the scene and put her name on the All-GPAC second team. On the back line, Taylor Slaymaker serves as an anchor (along with Kile) with two years of starting experience. It would be three if not for the injury she endured early in her sophomore season.
Slaymaker headlines a senior class that includes the likes of Emily Howard and Senna McMullen, among those who have seen the most on-field action. There are also fifth-year players in the form of Hannah Haas, Kassidy Johnson and Bradi Ore. The seniors and fifth-year players will be counted upon for leadership on a team that will transition into one characterized by accomplished veterans.
Says Slaymaker, “It’s really awesome. Our team is relatively the same this year besides Grace. Plus, we have added 10 new people, whether that be transfers or freshmen. They’re all super talented. It’s exciting because we have the experience from last year, and we were already so talented last year. This year we have that same talent, plus more – we’ll have more depth. It’s just really exciting to think that we can do some awesome things this year.”
Another senior, Angie Banks may now be primed to get the nod at the goalkeeper position. She filled that role in the spring and has made major strides after starting three games in 2023. Ore opened 17 games at keeper last season and was recognized with Honorable Mention All-GPAC accolades. Collectively, Concordia will attempt to build upon the eight shutouts it registered last season.
A sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz., Sadie Mares made the largest impact among the 2023 newcomers. She started 15 games last season and is another key piece of the puzzle. The question becomes: who could be this year’s significant newcomer? Smith believes there will be several, including Jamestown transfer Mirarosa Gyllenswan, who has played in 56 collegiate games (35 starts). There are also a couple of transfers who have joined the junior class, Abigail Allen and Selah Draper, and the program welcomed in seven freshmen this August.
That junior class is seemingly endless. Third-year players Ashlee Trujillo and Shelby Rugg were additional major contributors. Rugg started all 20 games in 2023 but unfortunately, she’s out indefinitely with an injury.
Says Smith of the junior class, “The growth within that group over the last fall was outstanding. I do think we reached a point last year where some parts of the season where we looked young. One of our messaging points this last spring and in the preseason right now is that we're now a team that is becoming an older group. Now you've got a junior class that is now upperclassmen and it's time to behave like upperclassmen. They need to talk more and take more leadership roles, which is something that I don't think was expected of them as sophomores, and probably rightly so. Now that that group is largely some standard bearers within the team.”
According to the GPAC preseason poll, Hastings begins this season as the league favorite, but the Bulldogs have every reason to believe they can contend for a championship. They aren’t likely to be overlooked within the conference, but they are a bit off the grid when it comes to the national landscape. That could change quickly.
“If you talk to anyone who is a part of our team last fall, when we did lose that game in the semifinals last year, that stung,” Smith said. “That's a sting that hasn't healed itself. I think that's a big motivator for us. Everyone within the team right now understands that we're deeper. Everyone in the team right now understands that we've got a lot more internal competition. Our top to bottom depth has improved from last year to this year. We have every opportunity to be as successful or more successful than we were last year. We're constantly messaging two things to them right now. One, no one now is going to overlook anybody. We had our surprise year last year. Teams won't do that to us this year. We're going to be circled and teams are going to give us the best shot. Two, we've got to be able to embrace what those expectations are.”
According to Slaymaker, the closeness of the team will be a factor. Said Slaymaker of the best aspect of the women’s soccer program, “My teammates. A lot of people say we are the closest team on campus, and I fully agree with that. I love all the girls. We are super close. Concordia is like a family atmosphere. It is really refreshing to be on a campus that cares.”
Concordia will officially open the 2024 season with a road trip to Graceland University (Iowa) on Aug. 28. The complete schedule can be found HERE.