SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in six games, junior Brynn Suddeth spurned the opposition with a hat trick. Suddeth and her teammates breezed past short-handed Presentation College, a new GPAC soccer member, 6-0, inside Bulldog Stadium on Saturday night (Oct. 6). “Suds” also assisted a goal as part of her big night.
Sixth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad effectively responded emotionally after a 1-1 double overtime draw with rival Hastings three days earlier. Concordia is now 8-1-3 overall and 5-0-1 in conference play (21-game GPAC regular-season unbeaten streak).
“We talked about that specifically (not taking the opponent lightly),” Henson said. “It doesn’t matter how a team has performed in the past. It just matters that we come out and make sure we secure the victory and get three points. That’s what this time of the year is all about. Presentation has been on hard times of late, but we wanted to make sure that we came out and challenged them and had the same intensity, motivation and same drive that we had against Hastings.”
The Bulldogs punished the Saints (1-11-1, 0-7-1 GPAC) almost immediately after the opening kickoff. Freshman Mikeila Martinez buried her first career goal just 43 seconds into the game and the rout was on. Presentation managed only two shots (one on goal) the entire 90 minutes. Concordia was rarely on the defensive while earning its third clean sheet of the season.
Suddeth, a transfer from Allen Community College, has now knocked in all eight of her goals since conference play began. She recorded a goal apiece on Saturday in the 19th, 47th and 55th minutes. It seemed her hat trick against College of Saint Mary on Sept. 19 was all it took for Suddeth to get rolling.
“I think once I put that first one in the back of the net it’s just one after the other,” Suddeth said. “My team is helping me tremendously. They keep playing me great balls in. Ashley Martin and Lauren Martin have assisted several of my goals. Same with Maria Deeter. They’ve been fantastic.”
Deeter did in fact assist two of Suddeth’s goals. Deeter also put one in herself in the 16th minute to make it 2-0 at the time. The Seward native has now equaled a career season high with 10 goals (33 career). The fifth goal of the night was made possible by senior Taylor Roby who crossed a shot into the box. The ball was poked into the goal by a Presentation defender.
Concordia has now scored 21 goals in its first six conference games. The Bulldogs have proven they can be dangerous moving forward with the likes of Deeter, Lauren Martin and Suddeth sporting numbers that rank them right near the top of the GPAC.
“I think this year’s team is different than a lot of teams we’ve had in the past,” Henson said. “It’s very balanced scoring with a number of different weapons that can provide opportunities for us to score goals. Lauren didn’t get an assist tonight, but she did set up several goals. Then there are others who contribute off the bench.”
The bench got plenty of action in this contest. Henson called upon 17 substitutes and used three different goalkeepers. Starter Lindsey Carley saved the only shot on goal she saw in 57 minutes of action. On the flip side, the Saints had no reserves to turn to.
The Bulldogs will continue conference action on Wednesday with a drive to nearby Doane (2-10, 0-6 GPAC) for a 5 p.m. CT kickoff in Crete. The Tigers remain in search of their first GPAC win after Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Briar Cliff. In last season’s meeting, Concordia defeated Doane, 3-0, in Seward.