Concordia University 2, Hastings College 0 (view stats)
The Concordia University women’s soccer team earned an impressive 2-0 win over Hastings College on Tuesday evening in Seward. It was the first-ever win for the Concordia women in the series against Hastings College. The Bulldogs improved to 5-5-2 overall and 3-3 in the GPAC with the win. The Broncos dropped to 8-2-2 overall and 3-1-2 in the GPAC with the loss.
Both teams had good scoring chances in the first half, but the game remained tied 0-0 until early in the second half. In the 57th minute, Concordia’s Mallorie Blanck scored her seventh goal of the season to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Sarah Hoffmann had the assist on the first Concordia goal.
Concordia added an insurance goal in the 74th minute to take a 2-0 lead. Blanck connected with Carolyn Chrzan on a downfield pass, and Chrzan found the net with her fifth goal of the season for the Bulldogs.
After the game, Blanck talked about the overall effort of the team. “We wanted to get them on their heels and hurt their confidence,” said Blanck. “We played good defense, and our first goal really changed the momentum of the game. It feels great to get this win.”
Hastings College held a 22-10 advantage in shots over Concordia. The Broncos had four corner kicks compared to three for the Bulldogs. However, the Concordia defense stayed strong throughout the game, and Bulldog goalie Ariel Harris (4-5-1) made 12 saves to earn her second shutout of the season.
Chrzan discussed the importance of the win. “This is a tremendous boost in confidence for us,” commented Chrzan. “We proved that we can do it, and it feels awesome to beat one of the top teams in the conference.”
Concordia head coach Rob Giesbrecht also commented on the victory. "We're delighted with the win this evening," said Giesbrecht. "The girls did everything that we asked of them tonight, and I'm very proud of this team and the effort they played with."
Concordia will travel to Briar Cliff University on Oct. 10 for a 1 p.m. contest against the Chargers.