SEWARD, Neb. – In recent years the Concordia University women’s soccer program has dominated rival Doane. However, Wednesday (Oct. 30)’s chilly affair inside Bulldog Stadium turned into another nail-biter for head coach Chris Luther’s bunch. Ultimately, Michaela Twito fought off a swarm of teammates after heading home the golden goal in the 107th minute. The Bulldogs got past the Tigers, 3-2, in double overtime.
In terms of conference tournament standing, Concordia needed this one as it tries to secure a spot in the eight-team GPAC tournament. Luther’s squad moved into seventh place at 5-4-2 in GPAC play (5-10-2 overall).
“One of the things we keep talking to the girls about is trusting the process,” Luther said. “In practice this week we moved some personnel around to try to give us a different look in the attack and it really played out well for us tonight.
“We feel statistically like we dominated that game. Doane put together a decent game in their attack as well. The game winner in double overtime is just such a relief to see the ball hit the back of the net.”
Never before in her life had Twito celebrated a golden goal of her own. That changed when the Bulldogs perfectly executed a free kick in the second extra session. Tori Cera fed Twito in behind the Doane defenders and a drawn-out keeper. Twito simply headed the ball into the empty net to ignite a mob of teammates right in front of the goal.
Any victory is a good one for a team that has often lived on the edge (five of its last six games have gone to double overtime) and has struggled to consistently put goals on the board. This would could have been a bit less exciting – Concordia ruled the shot count, 23-9 – but the Bulldogs are just pleased to get the victory.
“I have been trying to score a header for so long,” Twito said. “Tori and Cheyenne (Smith) do a great job putting it exactly where it needs to be and I’m so grateful I got to finish it tonight.”
As mentioned, Luther made some tweaks to his team’s attack that appeared to pay off. Freshman Kaley Heinz got loose for a goal with the help of pass ahead from Mikeila Martinez in the 15th minute. Cera also registered a goal in the 28th minute as part of the run of play. Concordia never really got comfortable as Doane answered both of the aforementioned goals with equalizers – Samantha Urena in the 19th minute and Abby Maxwell in the 66th minute.
The Tigers (5-9-1, 1-8-1 GPAC) have improved considerably from the 2018 season when they allowed 48 goals over a three-win campaign. The three goals it surrendered on Wednesday actually equaled a season high for Doane’s GPAC opponents.
The Bulldogs will put a bow on the regular season on Saturday with a journey to Dakota Wesleyan (5-9-1, 2-8-1 GPAC). Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. CT from Mitchell, S.D. In last season’s matchup, Concordia cruised to a 4-0 home victory over the Tigers. The Bulldogs are 11-4-1 all-time versus DWU.
Said Twito, “Through the ups and downs, I think we still have a chance to make some noise.”