Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 1)

By Concordia University, Nebraska on Oct. 1, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: AJ Jenkins, Footballl

Jenkins, a native of Wilcox, Neb., played a key role in a 16-14 homecoming win over Briar Cliff. Jenkins had a hand in three of the seven Charger turnovers. He picked off a pass, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. The freshman safety also made six tackles and was named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Female: Rebekah Hinrichs, Cross Country

Hinrichs, who hails from Gladstone, Mo., led the way for a women’s cross country squad that took first place at last week’s Dean White Invite. Individually, Hinrichs placed fifth out of 109 runners by finishing the 5k race in 19:33.70. Hinrichs and the Bulldogs are now rated as the No. 1 team in the GPAC.

Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Sept. 24 – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Kendra Placke (golf)
Sept. 17 – Moises Jacobo (soccer) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Sept. 10 – Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Amie Martin (cross country)
Sept. 3 – Eduardo Alba (soccer) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)

News and notes:

Hall of Fame officially inducts new members: An official induction ceremony was held on Sept. 27 for the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2019. The new inductees include Ron Bork ’70, Gentri (Brown) Tollefson ’07, Erik DeHaven ’01, JaMaine Lewis ’09, Michael Saalfeld ’10 and the 2004-05 softball team. The Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1994. For additional details on the new inductees, click HERE.

Bork’s journey to the Hall of Fame: Dr. Ron Bork’s induction into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame came roughly 50 years after his final collegiate race. During his running days in the late 1960s as a Bulldog, Bork had few equals in the region. He set many new school standards for his time and was the first Concordia athlete to ever break in under a 10-minute two mile. For more on Bork’s journey to the Hall of Fame, click HERE.

Shooting sports places fourth at Prairie Circuit Classic: In an event that served as a conference championship competition, the Concordia University shooting sports team finished fourth high overall at the Prairie Circuit Fall Championship (Sept. 28-29) in North Platte, Neb. Team scores are based on the top five overall individual performances for each school. The Bulldog top five combined to hit 2,213 targets. Broken down by disciplines, Concordia’s best placements were second in trap (486), second in sporting clay (431), third in double trap (448), third in skeet (484) and third in double skeet (471). Erin Lokke earned all-conference honors while three Bulldogs landed on the freshman all-conference teams: Chris Birkshire-Lewis, Emma Singer and Breanna Tarras. For more information on Concordia shooting sports, click HERE.

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.

Cross Country

  • The Concordia women’s team enjoyed a breakout performance last week at the Dean White Invite (Sept. 28) hosted in Crete, Neb., by Doane. The Bulldogs raised some eyebrows by winning the meet and beating out conference rival and 11th-ranked Dordt and NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney (out of eight teams). Meanwhile, the men placed fifth among the eight squads that paced the 8k course. The meet marked the third this season for head coach Matt Beisel’s squads. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • The last time the Bulldog women won a meet, All-American Sarah Kortze was still representing the navy and white. Previously, Concordia’s most recent meet title involving a competition with at least five teams came on Sept. 10, 2011 when it won the Nike Heartland Pre-Regional in Sioux Falls, S.D. That particular Bulldog team went on to place second in the GPAC and then 17th at the NAIA national championships. At that time, the Concordia women’s program had finished in the top 20 nationally in 17 out of 18 seasons.
  • In the most recent NAIA national poll released on Sept. 19, the Bulldog women checked in just outside of the top 25 (tied for 27th). After unseating No. 11 Dordt last week, Concordia appears poised to move into the new top 25 poll that will be unveiled on Thursday. If the Bulldogs do leap into the top 25, they will have done so for the first time since October 2015. Top 25 mentions have been common in the program’s history. In fact, former head coach Kregg Einspahr’s 2004 team climbed all the way to No. 1 in the final regular-season ranking of that year (finished as the runner up at nationals).
  • The Concordia women’s team has had a different No. 1 runner each meet this season. Senior Rebekah Hinrichs paced the squad last week with a fifth-place overall finish (out of 109 runners). Hinrichs completed the 5k in 19:33.70. She was followed at the Dean White Invite by teammates Kylahn Heritage (19:47.48; 7th), Alyssa Fye (19:50.43; 8th), Sydney Clark (20:05.38; 11th) and Amie Martin (20:09.69; 13th). Another three Bulldogs finished in the top 30: Lydia Cook (20:25.97; 23rd), Miranda Rathjen (20:30.55; 26th) and Abi DeLoach (20:39.94; 30th).
  • The Bulldog men wanted to prove they are better than the sixth-place team in the GPAC, as they were listed in the official conference poll put out on Sept. 16. At the Dean White Invite, Concordia placed higher than a Midland team it had been ranked behind and also beat out Hastings. The Bulldogs were only one point behind fourth-place Grand View University (Iowa). Concordia knows it has some ground to make up within the GPAC. Dordt (first), Doane (second) and Northwestern (third) each placed above the Bulldogs.
  • For the second meet in a row, junior Jordan Lorenz paced the men’s team. Last week Lorenz placed 22nd overall (out of 105 runners) by clocking in at 27:42.30 on the 8k course. The rest of the top five featured sophomore Wyatt Lehr (27:52.02; 27th) and then three freshmen: Camden Sesna (28:11.53; 34th), Antonio Blaine (28:12.52; 35th) and Owen Dawson (28:34.77; 49th). The team’s No. 6 runner at the Dean White Invite, Ethan Pankow (29:09.85; 57th) is also just a sophomore.
  • The ultimate goals from a tangible success standpoint are to get back to competing for GPAC championships and to earning team berths to the national championships. The women now have the look of a legitimate GPAC title contender. During the GPAC era (2000-present), the women’s program has had eight conference runner up finishes, but has not claimed the GPAC title since 2005. Meanwhile, the men’s program last won the conference championship in 2012.
  • The Bulldogs will be in action again on Saturday when they take part in the Briar Cliff Invite. The meet will get underway at 10 a.m. CT from Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D. At the same event last season, the Concordia women placed fourth out of 14 teams while the men finished sixth out of 12 squads.

Golf

  • The fall schedule is nearly complete for the Concordia golf programs. Both the men and women competed in their most significant events of the fall over the past four days. In GPAC championship rounds this past Friday and Saturday (Sept. 27-28), the men carded a two-round total of 336-329–665 and are currently in seventh place. The women then played 36 holes on Monday (Sept. 30) at the GPAC Championships and are in third place (336-345–681), eight strokes behind Briar Cliff for second place. Head coach Brett Muller’s squads will play two more rounds of conference championship golf this coming April. For more information on Bulldog golf, click here: Men | Women.
  • The first two rounds of the GPAC women’s championships were condensed into one day to the threat of rain on Tuesday. The event took place at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D. A top-three finish for the women would represent a significant leap forward from the program’s seventh-place claim in 2018-19. Muller’s lineup on Monday featured sophomore Kendra Placke (78-84–162; sixth), senior Murphy Sears (83-86–169; T-14th), junior Andrea Peterson (83-89 – 172; T-18th), sophomore Britney Jepsen (94-89–183; T-39th) and freshman Lauren Havlat (94-89–183; T-39th). The latter three in the lineup each turned in a personal best 18-hole score.
  • This fall has been a solid one for the women, who have collected two team trophies, in addition to their third-place standing within the conference. Behind Placke, the tournament individual champion, Concordia won the Nebraska Wesleyan Fall Classic on Sept. 17. It also took second place at the Midland Fall Invite on Sept. 9. In addition, the Bulldogs have cut their team scoring average by more than 12 strokes as compared to the 2018-19 season. It currently sits at 348.1. The 336 Concordia shot in the first round of the conference championships was four strokes off the school record.
  • Placke and Sears both stand a strong chance of again earning All-GPAC accolades, as they did last season. A Crete native, Sears is actually a three-time all-conference performer. The 84 Placke shot in round two on Monday hurt her chances, but she still may make a push for a GPAC title. She stands 10 strokes off the leader, Maria Nava of Morningside. In the team race, it’s going to be a challenge for anyone to catch the Mustangs, who had each of the top four individuals on Monday.
  • The men are not quite in the position they hoped to be after the first two rounds of the GPAC Championships. On the plus side, they did manage to move up two spots from ninth place after day one to seventh place at the close of day two. There is ground to be made up, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Bulldogs (665 team total) to catch some of the squads in front of them, such as Dakota Wesleyan (636), Northwestern (629), Jamestown (628), Midland (625) and Doane (622). Morningside (588) also has a significant edge on the men’s side.
  • Muller’s conference championship men’s lineup was paced by senior Tylar Samek (80-81–161) at the top. The David City, Neb., native is hoping to make a push for the first All-GPAC award of his career. He is tied for 20th in the conference. The rest of the lineup included freshman Jay Gunaseelan (82-81–163; T-26th), sophomore Jack Williams (89-80–169; 38th), freshman Drew D’Ercole (85-87–172; 39th) and sophomore Landon Walkenhorst (101-98–199; 51st). They each navigated Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, Neb., last week.
  • The Concordia men are certainly capable of placing higher than ninth in the GPAC, as they did a season ago. In terms of overall scoring average, the results have been similar to 2018-19. Samek and company own a scoring average of 319.1 through eight rounds (the team average in 2018-19 was 311.8). The Bulldogs certainly miss Nolan Zikas, a 2019 graduate who collected all-conference honors all four years. So far this season, the lowest team round was a 303 at the Siouxland Invitational.
  • The only thing left this fall for either team is the men’s Nebraska Intercollegiate scheduled for Oct. 11-12 at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. The event annually features many of the Nebraska college men’s programs from all over the state. Both teams will resume their 2019-20 seasons in the spring. Schedules are not yet finalized, but the GPAC Championships are set. The women will play April 24-25 at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Meanwhile, the men will play April 27-28 at Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D.

Volleyball

  • It was a fruitful week within conference play as the Bulldogs took care of both Doane and No. 25 College of Saint Mary in straight sets. Both opponents were rated above Concordia in the official GPAC poll that came out on Sept. 9. The two wins were a positive response after the Bulldogs had dropped back-to-back GPAC matches – against No. 9 Midland and at Morningside. Head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has improved to 15-2 overall and to 4-2 in conference play (currently in fourth place). For more on Concordia volleyball, click HERE.
  • During the GPAC era (2000-present), only one other Bulldog volleyball team has posted 15 or more wins through its first 17 matches. The 2005 squad coached by Rachel Miller raced out to an 18-0 start before finally falling for the first time that season. More recently, the 2015 team that went on to qualify for the opening round of the NAIA national championships started out 14-3 on its way to a 26-9 overall mark. The 26 overall wins are a program best during the GPAC era.
  • Improvement is evident in this fact alone: Concordia has nearly equaled its GPAC win total from the entire 2018 season. A year ago the Bulldogs did not pick up their fifth conference win until the very last match of the regular season – Oct. 31 at Doane. Going back further, the 2017 Concordia team finished at 3-13 in conference play. If this year’s edition is to make a run at a GPAC title, the Bulldogs will have little margin for error going forward. They currently look up at Northwestern (6-0), Jamestown (5-1) and Midland (5-1) in the standings.
  • It’s hardly a shock for anyone who has followed Concordia this season – senior Emmie Noyd enjoyed another beastly week. The star middle blocker totaled a combined 23 kills (on 44 attempts) and 12 blocks while hitting .455 over the two victories. A two-time second team All-GPAC selection, Noyd appears on track for first team honors this season and may also push for All-America accolades. Among all NAIA players, she ranks sixth in hitting percentage (.374), 25th in kills per set (3.82) and 26th in blocks per set (1.11).
  • Boldt has placed an emphasis recently on setting the ball to sophomore right side Arleigh Costello. The returns have been undeniably positive. Over the past four matches, Costello has gotten at least 12 attack attempts each time and has posted a combined 32 kills. She burned College of Saint Mary for nine kills on 12 attempts. The 5-foot-11 native of Gothenburg, Neb., has improved her hitting percentage significantly, bumping it from .203 as a freshman to .248 so far as a sophomore.
  • Costello and Noyd are two of a plethora of options setter Tara Callahan has at her disposal. Noyd be the headliner, but she has plenty of help. In the win over College of Saint Mary, Callahan beautifully sprayed the ball around for her 35 assists. Noyd (11), Kara Stark (10), Costello (nine) and Camryn Opfer (nine) each had nine or more kills as part of a balanced offense. Five Bulldogs have more than 100 kills on the season: Noyd (214), Opfer (141), Kalee Wiltfong (130), Stark (125) and Costello (105).
  • Concordia has a massive hitting percentage advantage of .268 to .129 over its opponents this season. That .268 clip ranks No. 3 among all NAIA squads. The Bulldogs also check in nationally at No. 4 in kills per set (14.16). Meanwhile, the opposition averages just 9.74 kills per set. The success defensively has been a result of both an improved block and back row. Marissa Hoerman has been stellar in the back. She had 20 digs at Doane and averages 3.74 digs per set.
  • This is likely to be the week that the Bulldogs finally do get some love in the national poll. Concordia has not been ranked/received votes since checking in at No. 20 in the 2016 NAIA preseason poll. However, the Bulldogs have been a constant in the top 20 of Massey Ratings this season. They are currently listed at No. 12, just behind No. 11 Midland. Conference play has helped Concordia’s strength of schedule jump up to No. 60 in the NAIA.
  • A big week of GPAC road matches awaits the Bulldogs, who will be headed to Hastings (7-8, 2-3 GPAC) for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve on Wednesday. Concordia defeated the Broncos in four sets in Seward on Sept. 4. The Bulldogs will also be trek to Fremont on Saturday for another battle with No. 9 Midland (13-4, 5-1 GPAC). It’s set to get started at 3 p.m. CT. Concordia fell to the Warriors in five sets on Sept. 14.

Football

  • The fortunes of the 2019 season have changed dramatically over the past two weeks. The Bulldogs are soaring with confidence now with back-to-back GPAC victories in hand. The latest came by a 16-14 score in a defensive homecoming battle with Briar Cliff. Head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad also dominated Hastings, 44-0, a week earlier. Concordia has improved to 2-2 overall and to 2-1 in conference play. For more on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • There’s likely never been a game at Bulldog Stadium quite like the one that took place last week. By the time the first quarter had ended, Briar Cliff had turned is over five times. The Chargers wound up with seven turnovers, including one on the final play of the game. Concordia recovered all five Briar Cliff fumbles (two on special teams) and snagged interceptions courtesy of Derek Tachovsky and AJ Jenkins. However, the Charger defense often bailed out the offense. The Bulldogs managed only three points off of all those takeaways.
  • Even without the turnovers, the Concordia defense likely would have given its team a shot. That unit has been terrific through the first four games. After allowing Briar Cliff just 191 total yards, the Bulldogs moved up to No. 15 nationally in total defense (282.5). They also rank 15th in scoring defense (14.5). Opposing teams have rushed for an average of only 65.8 yards per game. Concordia has also forced 14 turnovers and has recorded 12 sacks.
  • The Bulldogs entered this season already knowing what they had with their star-studded linebacker crew. As compared to a year ago, Concordia has tightened things up throughout the rest of its defense. The coaching staff has rotated six defensive linemen in its 3-4 scheme and may have found a big playmaker at safety in freshman AJ Jenkins. He forced a fumble and picked off a pass as part of last week’s stout defensive effort. Johnny Johnson has moved from safety to a corner spot to help solidify that position.
  • This is shaping up to be the best group of Bulldog receivers in a long time – perhaps ever. Last week it was Korrell Koehlmoos who emerged with the big day. He hauled in eight receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Koehlmoos found the end zone for the third time this season via a 55-yard strike from Jake Kemp. Cayden Beran also had a nice day in snagging six passes for 70 yards. On the year, Beran has 27 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns while Koehlmoos has 23 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
  • The running game is still a work-in-progress, meaning Kemp and the receiver group take on added importance. With 871 passing yards through four games, the signal caller from Decatur, Texas, stands a legitimate chance to set a new program standard for passing yards in a single season. Only once has a Concordia quarterback thrown for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Jarrod Pimental owns the school record with the 2,150 passing yards he put up during the GPAC championship season of 2001. Now a member of the coaching staff, Von Thomas ranks second on that list with the 1,947 yards he threw for in 2013.
  • Just based upon field goal kicking alone, it’s unlikely the 2018 team would have won a game like the one that took place last week. Doniphan-Trumbull High School product Jordan Spilinek is gaining confidence in the kicking role. Last week he drilled field goals from distances of 34, 29 and 35 yards. The final one came in the fourth quarter and proved to be the game winner. On the season, Spilinek is now 6-for-10 on field goals and 9-for-10 on extra point attempts. His six made field goals are tied for the GPAC lead. Spilinek became the first Bulldog to make three field goals in a game since Kenny Zoeller in 2012.
  • The Concordia defense has also been stellar on third downs. Briar Cliff converted only 1-of-13 third down tries last week while being stifled by the Bulldogs. Concordia currently ranks sixth nationally in third down defense with an opponent conversion rate of 20.4 percent. The Chargers picked up only five first downs with one coming via penalty. A big chunk of the Briar Cliff offense came on one play – a 63-yard pass.
  • The Bulldogs hope to pack their momentum for their longest road trip of the season. They will be headed to Jamestown, N.D., for Saturday’s 1 p.m. CT battle with the Jimmies (0-5, 0-3 GPAC). Concordia also ventured to Jamestown last season and came away with a 16-13 win. The Jimmies have dropped each of their first three conference games by 17 points or more. They are coming off a 45-6 loss at No. 8 Northwestern.

Women’s Soccer

  • The Bulldogs are in the midst of a unique stretch in which they have four games in a row each spread a week apart. After sitting idle since its 1-0 home win over Northwestern on Sept. 21, Concordia returned to action on Sept. 28 and played to a 2-2 double overtime draw at Dordt. The tie means head coach Chris Luther’s squad remains unbeaten within conference play at 2-0-1 (2-6-1 overall). For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Concordia is one of four GPAC squads that has yet to suffer a conference loss this season. The others are Jamestown (3-0), Briar Cliff (2-0) and Dordt (3-0-1). GPAC defeats have been few and far between for a Bulldog program that regularly placed at or near the top of the standings under previous head coach Greg Henson. Over its last 30 conference games, Concordia has a record of 24-1-5 with the only loss coming at home to Briar Cliff last season. That stretch also spans the 2017 season when the Bulldogs were an impressive 9-0-1 in the GPAC and won the regular-season title.
  • This squad has a ways to go before reaching the level of the ’17 team, but it certainly has made strides over the past few weeks. The program endured a nasty stretch of six games without a goal (including the first five games of this season). It’s not exactly an explosion, but Concordia has mustered seven goals over its past four games. Freshman winger Jaiden Beecher has found the back of the net once in back-to-back outings. Her goal at Dordt gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
  • Kaley Heinz became the fifth Concordia player to score a goal this season when she knocked one in just before halftime at Dordt. Her goal provided a 2-1 Bulldog advantage at the time. Beecher and Katie Miles share the team lead with two goals apiece. Allee Downing and Madeline Haugen also have a goal apiece. Of the aforementioned names, Haugen is the only one who had scored a goal in a collegiate game prior to the start of this season.
  • The two goals surrendered to Dordt were the most the Bulldogs have allowed since their 2-1 overtime loss to Bellevue on Sept. 11. With senior Lindsey Carley in goal, Concordia recorded shutout wins over Presentation and Northwestern to open up conference play. In the game against Bellevue, Luther switched things up by giving Jessica Knedler a start at keeper. Carley has gotten the nod in the rest of the eight games (740 minutes). From a statistical standpoint, Carley is one of the top keepers in program history. She has 15 career shutouts.
  • The hope now is to have a more settled lineup, although all seasons typically bring different twists and turns. Freshman Ellie Eason returned to the starting lineup last week. The Bulldogs were without Callie McNary, but will get her back this week. Five Concordia players have started all nine games: Downing, Haugen, Mikeila Martinez, Morgan Raska and Cheyenne Smith. A returning first team all-conference center back, Tori Cera missed three games earlier this season due to injury.
  • The Bulldogs have another mid-week bye, meaning they are looking ahead to Saturday’s home game versus Mount Marty (2-2, 1-2 GPAC). The Lancers opened their season with a 1-0 win over Presentation, but have been beaten handily by No. 10 Hastings, 11-0, and No. 20 Midland, 5-0. Concordia is 17-0 all-time against Mount Marty. Last season’s contest in Yankton ended with a 12-0 final score.

Men’s Soccer

  • The unbeaten ride came to an end last week, but the Bulldogs remain a strong contender for a prime finish in the GPAC standings. Concordia got outplayed and was beaten, 2-1, in overtime by Kansas Wesleyan on Sept. 25. A 2018 national qualifier, the Coyotes had been 0-5 prior to the contest. The Bulldogs returned to their winning ways on Sept. 28 by drubbing Dordt, 5-0, in Sioux Center, Iowa. Head coach Jason Weides’ squad now stands at 8-1 overall and at 3-0 in league play. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Not only did the seven-game win streak come to an end, so too did a run of nine-straight overtime contests without a loss (5-0-4). That string dated back to October 2017 and included the GPAC tournament quarterfinal PK shootout triumph over Midland. The 2018 Bulldogs played in seven overtime games. In the first game this season that went to extra time, Concordia got a golden goal from Roger de la Villa to defeat McPherson College (Kan.), 3-2, on Sept. 11.
  • One streak has carried on. With the win over Dordt, the Bulldogs have now gone 10 GPAC regular-season games in a row without enduring a loss. They are 8-0-2 during that stretch. The most recent conference regular-season defeat was a 2-0 home loss suffered at the hands of then fourth-ranked Hastings on Oct. 3, 2018. By going 5-0-2 over the final seven GPAC regular-season games of 2018, Concordia was able to secure the No. 4 seed and a home game in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
  • Through the first three GPAC games of this season, the Bulldogs have allowed a grand total of one goal. The Defenders nearly scored late in this past Saturday’s contest, but a potential goal was disallowed. That meant Concordia had recorded its fourth shutout of this season. Both Eduardo Alba and Callum Goldsmith saw action in goal at Dordt, but they were tested very little. The lone Defender shot on goal was saved by Goldsmith. Entering this season, there were question marks regarding the keeper and back line positions. The Bulldogs have answered the questions by allowing only seven goals in this season’s first nine games.
  • Concordia also has the ability to score goals from a variety of sources, but freshman Moises Jacobo seems to have emerged as the team’s most dangerous attacker. His speed up top has been a welcome addition to the lineup. Jacobo began the year by coming off the bench, but has earned his way into the starting lineup. He pushed his team high season goal count to six by knocking in a goal in the 42nd minute at Dordt. A native of Grand Island, Neb., and product of Grand Island Senior High School, Jacobo collected super state second team accolades as a prep senior.
  • Considering his career to date, junior Garrett Perry was not necessarily expected to be a prime source for goals at Dordt, but he wound up finding the back of the net twice. It marked the first time that Perry had turned in a multi-goal game as a Bulldog. He now has five goals and eight assists showing on his career totals. Matthew Ho and Josue Fernandez also registered a goal apiece in the blowout of Dordt. Ho has five career goals while Fernandez netted his first with Concordia.
  • Because the GPAC is not perceived as one of the better NAIA men’s soccer leagues nationally, the Bulldogs have little margin for error if they are to make waves in the national polls. At 7-0 last week, Concordia did not garner any votes in the coaches’ poll. The loss to Kansas Wesleyan will also hurt the Bulldogs’ case for inclusion this week. However, Massey Ratings currently lists Concordia as the No. 28 team in the NAIA (No. 2 in the GPAC). In records kept by the NAIA that date back to 2000, the Bulldogs have never cracked the top 25. They have received votes at various times, as they did at the end of the 2015 GPAC tournament championship season.
  • This may be a good time for a mid-week bye with several players having been nicked up during the first full month of the regular season. Concordia will return to action on Saturday when it will host Mount Marty (2-5, 1-2 GPAC) at 3:30 p.m. CT. The Lancers have historically lived at the bottom of the league standings, but they have shown to be competitive recently with a 1-0 double overtime loss versus No. 6 Hastings and a 2-0 loss at Midland. In last season’s matchup, Concordia defeated Mount Marty, 3-1, in Yankton.