SEWARD, Neb. – Two undefeated teams remain in conference play, but the pair are set in opposition of one another for the chance take the early advantage at the top of the table. Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer will travel to unbeaten Mount Marty on Wednesday (Oct. 7). The Bulldogs will come back home to host Dakota Wesleyan over the weekend. CUNE has an overall record of 6-2-2 and a perfect 5-0 GPAC showing.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Mount Marty (7-0-3, 5-0 GPAC), 5 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Crane-Youngworth Field (Yankton, S.D.)
Saturday, Oct. 10 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (2-2-4, 1-2-2 GPAC), 1 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· Concordia is 5-0 for the first time in history in the GPAC, gathering the best start in conference history. The Bulldogs defeated Dordt (3-1), Doane (2-0), Morningside (2-1), College of Saint Mary (3-0) and Briar Cliff (2-0). Other teams that came close were in 2023 (4-0-1) as the team tied Midland (1-1) under previous head coach Nick Smith. The 2018 squad, under Greg Henson, went 4-0 before tying No. 15 Hastings (1-1) after two overtime periods. Similarly, the 2017 team went 4-0 then tied Northwestern (0-0) after two extra periods. The longest conference win streak in the program was in 2024, after the Bulldogs started 0-3, they rattled off 10 straight to make the national tournament.
· It was 30 minutes before the Bulldogs could break through, but Molli Kalsbeck snapped the scoreless tie with a high kick. Abby Haynes and Joey Long would tack on two more for Concordia to run away with the home contest against the Flames. Long finished with a goal and an assist marking the first points in her Bulldog career. In the game against the Chargers, Concordia would dominate the first half but came away empty until the opening minutes after the break. Gaudalupe Sanchez buried two goals in the 50th and 83rd minute. The Bulldogs shot count advantage would finish at a 19-7 edge. The defense grabbed its third clean sheet.
· In the latest NAIA RPI release, the Bulldogs jumped from No. 74 to No. 40 in the ratings. Having won six games in a row, Concordia has moved up a staggering 74 spots since its original RPI ranking of 114. The strength of schedule has been slotted at No. 56 out of 196 teams. The first ARC release from last Thursday (Oct. 1) has Concordia at No. 13 in the Midwest behind No. 6 Hastings, No. 8 Briar Cliff and No. 10 Morningside. Mount Marty is behind the Bulldogs at No. 16.
· Sanchez, with a two-goal game against the Chargers, has totaled six goals on the season, which puts her tied for fourth in the league in scoring. Sanchez leads the team in points (15) with three assists in her tally from 2026. The Grand Island, Neb., native has 13 goals and seven assists in her career total. The other leading goal scorers are Abby Haynes (four), Molli Kalsbeck (three) and Kiana Perez (two). The 2026 Concordia squad is 29th in the NAIA in shot on goal percentage.
· The league office announced Addie Snyder as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. The defensive midfielder helped Concordia to back-to-back shutouts on the way to an unprecedented 5-0 conference start for the Seward roster. The freshman out of Kearney, Neb., notched two assists against College of Saint Mary in the win over the Flames. The business administration major has scored a goal and dished two assists on the season to tally four total points. Snyder has competed in four complete games and started in nine of the 10 possible outings in her first year at Concordia. The team has four shutouts in the last six games. Goalkeeper Aaliyah Matthews has three complete shutouts and one combined. She is top-5 in conference in goals against (third), save percentage (second) and goals against average (fourth).
The opponents
In one of the best teams the program has ever had, the unbeaten Lancers (7-0-3) are 5-0 with three shutouts in conference play. Mount Marty has defeated Waldorf (5-0), College of Saint Mary (4-2), Northwestern (2-0), Midland (3-0) and Dordt (4-1) outscoring its league foes 18-3 so far. MMU has 30 goals on the season and a GPAC-leading 18 goals against conference teams. The offense fires conference competition highs in shots per game (19.2), assists (13) and a .188 shot percentage. With 13 different Lancers having scored, the leading finishers are Julianne Donnelly (five), Angelina Hopwood (five) and Rhyli Grim (four). Freshman Donnelly is out front with seven assists (first in GPAC) and 17 points (third in GPAC). Grim leads the conference with 49 attempts at goal. The defense has allowed six goals in 10 games with five shutouts only being scored on twice by the Flames. Goalkeeper Miranda Hood has allowed three goals (2nd in GPAC) in seven contests. Hood has 14 saves with a .47 goals against average (2nd in GPAC).
The Tigers are 2-2-4 overall and 1-2-2 in conference having tied Doane (1-1), Dordt (2-2) and lost to Hastings (5-1). DWU has scored 13 goals while allowing 14 in the eight games. Dakota Wesleyan fires 12.8 shots per game with a .608 shot on goal percentage. Hannah Petrucci is the leading goal scorer (four) with 29 shots (5th in GPAC) this season. Goalkeeper Danika Hoth has started eight games with 42 saves (5th in GPAC). Hoth has a .764 save percentage with 13 goals allowed on a 1-1-4 record. The Tigers are 0-0-4 on the road.
Next week
Concordia will host the reigning GPAC tournament champion Hastings on Wednesday and take its longest conference road trip against Waldorf on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be on the pitch opposite the Broncos inside Bulldog Stadium and at Bolstorff Field against the Warriors.