SEWARD, Neb. – Having gone unbeaten (5-0-1) in the last six matchups, Concordia will be challenged by two foes who sit near the top of the GPAC. They will open their week against Morningside in Bulldog Stadium on Wednesday (Oct. 4), then make the trek up north to the 2022 regular season GPAC champions, Jamestown, on Saturday (Oct. 7). Coach Nick Smith’s young squad is 8-2-1 overall and 4-0-1 GPAC, leaving the Bulldogs the only unbeaten team remaining in conference play. Grace Soenksen, Niah Kirchner, and Kierstynn Garner led the team to a draw (1-1) versus a talented Midland team on Wednesday (Sept. 27) and scorched Dakota Wesleyan (6-1) on the road this past Saturday (Sept. 30).
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 4 vs. Morningside (5-2-3, 2-1-2 GPAC), 8 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium
Saturday, Oct. 7 at Jamestown (3-4-3, 3-1-2 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Jimmy Turf Field (Jamestown, N.D.)
By the numbers
· With both teams unbeaten in the conference, Midland walked into Bulldog Stadium vying for the top spot against the Bulldogs. The match ended with a 1-1 after 90 minutes, as the Warriors would fall (1-0) later last week (Sept. 30) to CSM. The lone score from Concordia shot off the foot of Grace Soenksen like a rocket, giving two-time GPAC Defender of the Week, Hannah Tillson, no chance to make the save. This gave Soenksen her first goal of the season and sixth goal of her career. What Grace did on the other side of the field was more eye opening, as she stunned the conference’s third leading goal scorer (Hannah Schimmer) with her skill on the defensive end. Proving her long list of first-team all conference awards, Soenksen and the back line held Schimmer to one quality shot through 90 minutes. The Dawgs had a dominant first half outshooting the Warriors (8-1) and scoring their one goal. Midland responded in the second half with an early goal in the second half and the teams would even out in the last 25 minutes.
· Garner and Andrews went back and forth, scoring five of the six goals in the match (Sept. 30) against Dakota Wesleyan. Kassidy Johnson scored her first goal of the season in the 34th minute via a feed from Hannah Haas. The dynamic offense had four unanswered goals in less than 24 minutes. The Bulldogs outshot the Tigers 10-4 in the first half, but it only amounted to having a one shot advantage after some poorly by their opponents. Dakota Wesleyan held the edge in corners (4-1). The back line was able to block out the shots as Soenksen, Taylor Slaymaker, and Hannah Kile, Shelby Rugg and Sadie Mares played well, limiting them to one score.
· Midfielder Niah Kirchner, named “the engine” by the coaching staff, works tirelessly to be forward on offense and runs back to help on defense. Playing a position that doesn’t always gain stats (one goal vs Mount Marty), she is one of the hardest working players on the field. She is the constant link between the offense and defense every time she steps on the grass. Her job is to continually look for the ball, and it requires her to always run to the right spots, giving her team the best chance to be successful. She has played the second most minutes (behind Soenksen) and plays with a level of selflessness that is needed for the position. Her attitude and smiley personality have drawn the team closer on the field and off. The Millard West product may have the hardest spot to have garnered trust from her current head coach, as she fills his former position in the lineup.
· The updated leaderboard in goals and points still has Garner and Andrews at the top of the GPAC. Kierstynn has 12 goals and 27 points (three assists) through 11 games with a .500 shot percentage in conference play. She also leads the league in game winning goals with four overall and two in conference matchups. Savannah sits right behind her with 11 goals and 24 points (two assists) and a .318 shot percentage in the GPAC. She has tallied the fifth most shots in the conference. Sierra Springer will look to get back on the assists board, as she sits in fifth place (four) in the league.
Morningside
The Mustangs come into Wednesday’s matchup with a 5-2-3 overall record and 2-1-2 in the GPAC. They lost in their last match (4-2) versus No. 19 Hastings on Saturday (Sept. 30). Morningside has wins over Viterbo University (3-1) of Wisconsin, Waldorf (3-1) and Northwestern (7-1). The team seems to travel having a better away record (4-2) than at home. They sit atop the team leaderboard in shots averaging 19.7 per game, on 197 total. They have scored 23 goals in 10 games and have assists on 13 of them. The Mustangs two leading goal scorers are Keyera Harmon and Roselynn Bosman, as they have six and five respectively. Bosman and Melissa Tsatiris both have a team high three assists. Isabel Ter Weeme has played 730 minutes of their 900 a the goalkeeper, allowing 14 goals. She has a goals allowed average of 1.73 and a save percentage of .650.
Jamestown
The Jimmies come into this week with a 3-4-3 overall record and 3-1-2 in the conference. The defending conference champions are on a three game win streak and have not lost in five matches (since Sept. 14). In that streak, they have tied Hastings (1-1) and won over Doane (1-0), Waldorf (2-1), and Northwestern (4-0). They have only had two games at home so far and are 1-0-1 on the Jimmy Turf Field. They average 7.8 shots per game putting them towards the bottom of the conference. The team has an .500 shot on goal percentage and has nine assists in their 13 goals. Miarosa Gyllenswan leads the team with three goals, as three others sit behind her with two. Sidney Mikes, Haley Nelson, and Vega Canada all tie for team high in assists (two). Tea Pence has played 847 minutes between the posts allowing 17 goals and 1.81 goals allowed per game with a save percentage of .790.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will step on the field at home versus CSM on Wednesday (Oct. 11), then will travel to Hastings, Neb. on Saturday (Oct. 14) to face off against Hastings. The matches are listed below and will be hosted at Bulldog Stadium and Lloyd Wilson Field.
Wednesday, Oct. 11
7 p.m. – vs. CSM
Saturday, Oct. 14
8 p.m. – vs. Hastings