SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia Women’s Soccer celebrated senior night versus Morningside in Seward on Saturday night (Oct. 12). The Bulldogs connected on every level and used its sixth sense for each other to scorch the visiting Mustangs (3-1). The nine seniors that were honored were Angela Banks, Lilley Barber, Mirarosa Gyllenswan, Emily Howard, Zoe Lavigne, Senna McMullen, Molly Roberts, Taylor Slaymaker and Katelyn Smith.
The Bulldogs are 6-5-1 overall and are now .500 (3-3) in GPAC play after winning three straight. Leader of the Bulldogs, Nick Smith, commented on getting a win on senior night and playing well as a team.
“It meant everything. The main thing we talked about was having a performance that allowed the seniors to feel proud about their time here. What a better way to go out and play the way we did tonight, to get a bunch of them on the field, it was really good to get a result for the seniors. The week leading up was really good with the team. The adjustments we made tonight, when we made them, made a big difference for us. To get three separate goal scorers was huge for us tonight.”
The Mustangs came out trying to put a damper on the celebrations with a goal less than five minutes in. Like someone trying to walk a wild Dawg, Concordia became dangerous for the remainder of the 85 minutes of play.
Less than two minutes later, Kierstynn Garner capitalized on a defender’s mistake as she pressed a pass back to the keeper. The Kearney High School product intercepted the ball and scored the quick response equalizer for her 10th goal of the season. With the score, Garner has 37 career goals, just one shy of the top five in program history.
The continuous energy was palpable from anywhere inside Bulldog Stadium as the home team tacted on two more in the second frame. Garner would connect with Savannah Andrews via header and the Gretna, Neb., native so red the eventual game winner. Sierra Springer scored her first goal of the year putting the match away in the second half.
Every build starting from the back, seemed to have a chance with connected passes dicing up the Mustangs. The collective Concordia defense would have its way with Morningside, allowing two shots on goal after the early score. One came on a penalty with less than two minutes left as senior goalkeeper Angie Banks denied the free kick.
Kyana Rios and Sadie Mares were the other two Bulldogs to get off shots but Rosie Gyllenswan, Hannah Haas, Elena Ruiz and Triniti Rowe all made huge plays in the 90 minutes.
Mainstays like Hannah Kile, Niah Kirchner, Senna McMullen and Taylor Slaymaker backed down the Mustang offense giving minimal chances to the visitors. McMullen and Slaymaker commented postgame on the senior day win.
“(Slaymaker) It was awesome! Morningside is a really good program, so it was good to get a win on senior day. It was honestly a solid win against them. (McMullen) This year, more than any other year, there is a lot more togetherness. Each of us, actually enjoying what we are doing in practice. It gave us the win tonight.”
Concordia (6-5-1, 3-3 GPAC) will travel to in-state conference rival Doane (5-6-3, 3-1-3 GPAC) this coming Wednesday. The Bulldogs are set for the first kick at 5 p.m. CT at Papik Field. CUNE defeated the Tigers, 4-0, in its match in 2023.