SEWARD, Neb. – Like a pack of wild Dawgs, the Seward side launched into aggressive offensive play to shut out York University (4-0) on Wednesday night (Sept. 17). Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer battered every part of the opposing goal with a 28-3 shot advantage. Kierstynn Garner scored her 20th career game-winning goal in the contest.
Head Coach Nick Smith and the bloodhounds have yet to taste defeat, boasting a finished 5-0-2 non-conference record.
“Our focus was on ball tempo,” said Coach Smith. “We wanted to move the ball quickly because York was going to be defensively organized. Teams have really struggled to open them up. We were fortunate that we got some good looks and good goals tonight. We largely ran the show in terms of possession. When they had some opportunities, the defense performed how they were required to. Ultimately, it was down to ball retention tonight.”
In the 40th minute, Sierra Springer sent a through ball to a streaking Garner. With a Panther on her right hip, she kicked a left-footed shot to the opposite side of the net to put the Bulldogs on the board. The Kearney High alum scored her 8th goal of the season and her 57th goal of her career.
The Bulldog midfield gobbled up every loose ball and pushed it into the attacking third as the offense rattled off seven unanswered shots in the first 21 minutes of play. The ball winners were led by Niah Kirchner, Evie Keller, Savannah Andrews, Elena Ruiz and Charli Priester. Kirchner, a senior out of Millard West High, led the high-intensity pressure against the Panther midfield as a lead Dawg. The center and defensive third stifled the York offense with zero shots on goal in the 90 minutes.
“We have been working on exploiting the outside areas moving forward and getting shots off our crosses. Our defense was doing a really good job of getting balls out of the air and settling them down, playing with our feet. It is really exciting for us. We are running through our whole entire squad. We are still fresh on our legs and it’s going to be a good season.”
Coming out of the locker rooms with a one goal lead, Concordia looked to build on the first half's 12-0 shot differential. Lupe Sanchez continued her red-hot scoring campaign with her fifth goal (assist by Garner) in seven games. The Bulldogs piled on with Kyana Rios (assist by Ruiz) and Priester (assist by McKennah West) notching their third and fourth goals, respectively.
Goalkeeper Aliya Vidro garnered her first career shutout with the help of the backline, having to make zero saves. The Bulldogs would have a 16-3 shot advantage in the second frame and a total 13-0 shots on goal tally.
Concordia (5-0-2) will travel to Orange City, Iowa and take on Northwestern (4-2) on Saturday (Sept. 20). The Bulldogs are set to take the field at the NWC Soccer Complex at 3:30 p.m. CT. The two teams had a back-and-forth match in their last meeting with the Red Raiders winning on the road (4-3).