Bulldog Weekly Report (Aug. 27)

By Concordia University, Nebraska on Aug. 27, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week for 2019-20 will be named beginning next week (Sept. 3). At the conclusion of each month, members of the Bulldog Athletic Association will vote for BAAM Athletes of the Month.

News and notes:

Hall of Fame class of 2019 announced: On Monday (Aug. 26), Concordia announced its Hall of Fame class of 2019. The class includes Ron Bork ’70, Gentri (Brown) Tollefson ’07, Erik DeHaven ’01, JaMaine Lewis ’08, Michael Saalfeld ’09 and the 2005 Bulldog softball team. These honorees will officially join the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame at the induction ceremony to be held Sept. 27. For more on the 2019 class, click HERE.

Walz At 10: As part of a summer project, we reached out to many people who played prominent roles in making the Walz Human Performance Complex a reality on Concordia’s campus. The Walz facility first went into use in 2009 and has been a game changer for Bulldog Athletics and the university as a whole. For insight from those with the most intimate knowledge of what it took to bring Walz to life, click HERE.

Fall season previews: Our season previews for the sports of football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball have hit the web in recent weeks. To read them, check out the links below. Cross country and golf season previews are scheduled to run later this week.
-Football
-Men’s Soccer
-Women’s Soccer
-Volleyball

Bigger than basketball: The summer edition of Concordia University’s Broadcaster magazine featured a profile on the championship women’s basketball program. Instead of focusing solely on the winning, the piece takes a look at what makes the program special beyond what happens on the court. Said Quinn Wragge, a senior on the 2018-19 national title team, “I love this team. I love all of the players I got to play with over the past four years. I just really love Concordia basketball.” To read the entire piece, click HERE.

Football camp update: The Concordia football program welcomed the public to an intrasquad this past Friday (Aug. 23) while closing out the two-a-days portion of preseason practice. Head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad still has to wait until next week (Saturday, Sept. 7) before kicking off the 2019 season. We caught up with Daberkow to discuss developments over the first two weeks of practice. The coaching staff continues to evaluate a large group of quarterbacks for an offense that looks to be more explosive this fall. For an update on preseason camp, click HERE.

Fall sports season opening dates:
Volleyball – Aug. 21 vs. York College (W, 3-0)
Women’s Soccer – Aug. 24 vs. Missouri Valley (L, 0-2)
Men’s Soccer – Aug. 24 at Oklahoma City (W, 2-0)
Men’s Golf – Sept. 3-4 at Blue River Classic, 11 a.m./10 a.m.
Women’s Golf – Sept. 4 at Matthew Goette Classic, 10 a.m.
Men’s/Women’s Tennis – Sept. 5 at William Jewell, 3 p.m.
Cross Country – Sept. 6 at Augustana Twilight Meet, 8:30 p.m.
Football – Sept. 7 vs. Doane, 6 p.m.
Shooting Sports – Sept. 14-15 at Fort Hays State Shoot, 9 a.m. both days

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fourth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2018-19 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his fourth season calling Concordia volleyball.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics is partnering with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Volleyball

  • Head coach Ben Boldt’s program was the first Concordia squad to make its 2019 debut. The first serve of the new season occurred on Aug. 21 when York College visited Walz Arena. The Bulldogs breezed past the Panthers by hitting .474 for the match. The Bulldogs then made a splash at the Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa, where Concordia toppled Baker University (Kan.), Wayland Baptist University (Texas) and No. 19 Corban University (Ore.). At 4-0, the Bulldogs still have yet to drop a set. For more on Concordia volleyball, click HERE.
  • The victory over 19th-ranked Corban (25-16, 25-22, 25-23) was a significant one when considering the Bulldogs had not beaten a nationally ranked opponent since taking down then No. 17 Northwestern in a GPAC tournament quarterfinal match on Nov. 7, 2015. To be fair, last season’s Concordia team did knock off McPherson College (Kan.), which finished the season ranked 22nd. However, McPherson was unranked at the time it faced the Bulldogs. The aforementioned 2015 Concordia squad reached the opening round of the national tournament.
  • The win over Corban is perhaps an early sign that the Bulldogs may be ready to make a push again for national recognition. The conference opener is just eight days away and will signal the start of the GPAC grind. The conference slate will be the ultimate opportunity for Concordia to show how much it has grown. Take it with a grain a salt due to how early in the season it is, but Massey Ratings shows seven GPAC squads ranked in the top 30 nationally: No. 9 Northwestern, No. 10 Dordt, No. 11 Concordia, No. 13 Midland, No. 17 Morningside, No. 25 College of Saint Mary and No. 30 Dakota Wesleyan.
  • Middle blocker Emmie Noyd has been a beast in the early going of her senior campaign. Her respective kill totals through the first four matches have been 16, 13, 8 and 15. While racking up 52 total kills, Noyd has hit a sizzling .440 and has contributed 10 blocks. The native of Shelby, Neb., has been a force throughout her career. In 282 career sets played, Noyd has recorded 622 kills and 255 blocks to go along with a .306 hitting percentage.
  • With a wealth of returners on the roster, it wasn’t going to be easy for newcomers to crack the varsity roster. However, freshmen Camry Opfer (Seward) and Kalee Wiltfong (Doniphan, Neb.) are making an early impact. Opfer looks like she belongs. Through four matches, she has recorded 32 kills, 30 digs and a .362 hitting percentage from the outside. Meanwhile, Wiltfong has helped provide depth behind Noyd in the middle. Wiltfong is hitting .400 with 25 kills.
  • The Boldts have stressed the importance of winning the service and pass games, which will lead to success on the attack. So far the Bulldogs have had a decided advantage over their opponents in these categories. Concordia foes have combined for a grand total of just five aces. Executing the first contact has played a role in the Bulldogs hitting .320 (second best in the NAIA) through four matches. Ben Boldt would still probably like to see a better ratio of aces to errors (currently 26-to-26).
  • The individual national rankings are a reflection of the early team success. Among all NAIA players, Noyd ranks second in hitting percentage (.440) and third in kills per set (4.73). Junior setter Tara Callahan is No. 5 nationally in assists per set (11.42) while Opfer sits at No. 21 in hitting percentage (.362). Collectively, the Bulldogs rank No. 12 in the NAIA in kills per set (14.08).
  • Concordia has many capable contributors in the back row. The digs have been spread around with five players having collected more than 20 digs: Kaylie Dengel (37), Marissa Hoerman (36), Opfer (30), Callahan (23) and Erin Johnson (23). Hoerman has served as the team’s libero for much of her career. Her 617 digs are the most among Bulldogs since the start of the 2017 season.
  • Concordia has a breather to begin this week while looking ahead to this weekend’s Bulldog Bash, which has become an annual event. As part of the bash, the Bulldogs will take on Waldorf University (Iowa) at 7 p.m. CT on Friday before hosting Mayville State University (N.D.) at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Benedictine College (Kan.) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday. The Bulldog Bash will include 11 matches over the two days of the event.

Men’s Soccer

  • The season began on a positive note this past weekend with a fruitful journey to Oklahoma City. On a day when Oklahoma City University renamed its field, the Bulldogs spoiled the party by earning a 2-0 victory. It marked the first time that Concordia has opened a season with a road game since 2012. Under now 12th-year head coach Jason Weides, the program has won its season opener six-consecutive years. For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Concordia begins a new campaign with the expectation of competing at or near the top of the GPAC. The Bulldogs have a built a reputation as a tough opponent to deal with having won at least 10 games eight years in a row and having hosted GPAC tournament quarterfinal games in each of the past three seasons. As a result, Concordia was picked by league coaches to finish third in the GPAC. The Bulldogs continue to seek that elusive conference regular season title. They did achieve a GPAC tournament championship in 2015.
  • A 2-0 decision would have felt like a blowout for the 2018 Concordia squad that frequently lived on the edge. Weides would likely prefer not to play seven overtime games (12 total overtime periods) as his team did a year ago. Twelve of the team’s 19 games were decided either by a one-goal margin or resulted in a tie. On the plus side, the Bulldogs did not lose a single one of the overtime contests it played in.
  • One of the biggest question marks for this year’s team involved how it would cope with the graduations of goalkeeper Jack Bennett and back line stalwarts in Angel Alvarez and Derek Eitzmann. The shutout of Oklahoma City would seem to be a confidence builder. Last season the Stars averaged more than three goals per game (ranked 11th nationally) under longtime head coach Brian Harvey. Incredibly, the 2019 Concordia team has already equaled its total number of shutouts from a year ago.
  • Sophomore Callum Goldsmith had the leg up on the competition at goalkeeper, in terms of experience, heading into preseason camp. However, freshman Eduardo Alba won the battle and got the nod in Oklahoma City. The native of Katy, Texas, made four saves while earning credit for the shutout. Should it be needed, Goldsmith could capably fill the role as well. Last season he started eight games while Bennett was sidelined by injury.
  • In recent seasons, the Bulldogs have found goals from a variety of sources. That could also prove to be a theme for the 2019 squad. The leading returning goal scorers are seniors Roger de la Villa (eight goals in 2018) and Carlos Ferrer (six goals in 2018). However, it was a pair of freshmen that emerged with goals in last week’s win. While making their first career starts, Renzo Bozzo (53’) and Moises Jacobo (76’) both found the back of the net. Last season Concordia averaged just over two goals per game (44 goals in 19 games).
  • Alba, Bozzo and Jacob were among the Bulldogs to make their debuts in Concordia colors last week. The others were substitutes in junior Josue Fernandez and freshman Mauro Figueroa. In addition, sophomore Decker Mattimoe made the first start of his collegiate career. The most experienced member of the current roster is Ferrer, who was a starter from day one. The native of Tijuana, Mexico, has played in 60 games as a Bulldog.
  • This week will also feature just a single game. Concordia is getting set to host York College tonight (Aug. 27) at 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs have typically had the upper hand over the Panthers (1-0) in recent seasons. However, York won last season’s meeting by a 2-1 score. The Panthers began this year by defeating Doane, 3-0, in Crete.

Women’s Soccer

  • A challenging run of nonconference games to open the season is underway for the Bulldogs. Chris Luther made his debut as Concordia women’s soccer head coach this past Saturday when Concordia hosted Missouri Valley College. A slow start doomed the Bulldogs, who surrendered both goals in the first eight minutes of what culminated in a 2-0 defeat. Four days earlier, the Vikings also defeated another GPAC foe in Jamestown. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Luther was elevated to the head coaching role after previous head coach Greg Henson left in July to take over the program at NCAA Division II Ferris State University. The transition was made more smoothly by the fact that Luther had assisted Henson during the 2018 season. In addition, Luther has been a college men’s/women’s soccer head coach for 13 seasons prior to 2019. The expectation is for the Bulldog program to continue to operate at a high level. Henson led Concordia to at least 13 wins in each of the previous five seasons.
  • Racking up such a lofty win total will be a challenge considering this is very likely to be the most challenging schedule ever faced by a Bulldog women’s soccer team. Missouri Valley proved to be a tough test in the opener and more difficult matchups await with No. 13 John Brown University (Ark.) and No. 19 University of Science & Arts (Okla.) coming up next. Concordia also hosts Bellevue University (Sept. 11), a program that garners votes in the national poll on a regular basis. On top of that, Midland (9th) and Hastings (12th) appear in the preseason national poll.
  • While things looked bleak in the opening eight minutes of last week’s contest, some perspective is required. Luther was breaking four freshmen into a revamped lineup against a team that already had a game under its belt. The losses to graduation from the 2018 squad were significant, including starters in Maria Deeter, Ashley Martin, Lauren Martin and Taylor Roby. The departures of Ashley Martin and Roby left holes at the outside back positions while the absences of Deeter and Lauren Martin left the Bulldogs without two of its most dangerous offensive options.
  • The four freshmen to make their collegiate debuts in the opener included Aliyah Aldama, Jaiden Beecher, Allee Downing and Ellie Eason. Beecher and Eason became the answers to the question regarding the outside back positions. They were positioned in the back along with center backs Tori Cera and Cheyenne Smith. The center of that alignment is seasoned along with goalkeeper Lindsey Carley, who is in her third season as a starter. Concordia held its foes to 20 goals in 21 games last season.
  • A product of Sioux City East High School, Downing is getting the opportunity to play up top. Luther is hoping for some goal scoring punch out of her. The two leading returning goal scorers came off the bench in the season opener – Brynn Suddeth (12 goals in 2018) and Becky Freeman (seven goals in 2018). Although she plays center back, Cera’s powerful leg also makes her an offensive contributor. Cera has 10 career goals in 43 games to her credit. The 65 goals scored by last season’s team were the third most in a single season in program history.
  • Seven of the 11 starters in last week’s lineup are either freshmen or sophomores and only one (Morgan Raska) is a senior. The sophomore starting group included Madeline Haugen, Mikeila Martinez and Smith. The three junior starters were Carley, Cera and Michaela Twito. Four players were used as substitutes: Freeman, Callie McNary, Suddeth and Sarah Wuthrich.
  • As stated above, the next games in line will provide stiff challenges. The Bulldogs will be headed to Siloam Springs, Ark., to play No. 13 John Brown at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday and then No. 19 Science and Arts at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Both games are part of the John Brown Classic. With two games apiece last season against Hastings/Midland, Concordia went 1-1-2 against top 25 opponents.

Football

  • The wait to begin the 2019 season continues for head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad. Many teams around the NAIA will open up the campaign with games this week. The Bulldogs will finally begin 2019 by hosting Doane on Saturday, Sept. 7 for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff. Doane will have had one game under its belt by then. The Tigers are readying to host Ottawa University (Ariz.) this Thursday evening. For more on Concordia football, click HERE.
  • As a result of the 3-7 record last season, the Bulldogs are beginning this season largely off the radar. Concordia was picked by both league coaches and media to place eighth in the GPAC. In the Massey Ratings formula, the Bulldogs currently sit 46th nationally out of 94 teams in the NAIA. Concordia has plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball having ranked 87th in total offense and 60th in total defense in 2018.
  • The Bulldogs boast a returning star performer on both sides of the ball in the form of running back Ryan Durdon and linebacker Lane Napier. Both have a chance to go down as two of the best players in program history at their respective positions. As it stands now, Durdon ranks sixth in school history for career rushing yards (2,068). During the GPAC era, no Concordia football player has reached 300 career tackles. Just a junior, Napier (239 career tackles) could fly by that mark at some point this season.
  • There is no shortage of options when it comes to filling the quarterback role. Ten quarterbacks have been in competition for the starting role. At this point it appears that three or perhaps four remain serious contenders to earn the QB1 spot. Decatur, Texas, native Jake Kemp won the battle out of fall camp a year ago and appears to be one of the leading candidates at the moment. The quarterback competition was described in our update on fall camp HERE.
  • A longtime GPAC observer and contributor to Victory Sports Network, Barry Fouts provided some takeaways on each GPAC team following media day in late July. Here’s what Fouts wrote about Concordia: “Coach Daberkow started with his four returning linebackers and ended with a remark about confidence heading into 2019 due to throwing lots of youngsters into the fire last fall. Another QB battle will be waged in Seward and the hope is the O-line that played young last year will mature. RB Ryan Durdon returns for his senior season, probably to push into the top five all-time Bulldog rushers list. CU was picked 8th, but may surprise a few.”
  • Only a few national publications or entities preview the NAIA football landscape. One that does so is the College Football America Yearbook. This particular source named Napier to its preseason NAIA Starting Lineup. Napier was not mentioned on the preseason All-America team released by Street and Smith’s magazine. As pointed out by College Football America, the NAIA is the fastest growing division in all of college football. New NAIA football programs in 2019 include Clarke University (Iowa), St. Thomas University (Fla.) and Thomas More University (Ky.).
  • Doane is actually one of four GPAC teams that will play this Thursday night. Another four will also get things started on Saturday. The Concordia-Doane game on Sept. 7 will be the first GPAC conference clash of the 2019 season. It will also mark the first night game at Bulldog Stadium since Sept. 12, 2015 when Hastings visited Seward.