Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 2)

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 2, 2018 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Maria Deeter, Soccer

A Seward native, Deeter earned GPAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after notching a pair of goals last week in 3-2 wins over Morningside and Dordt. Deeter emerged with a golden goal in double overtime at Morningside. Her nine goals are tied for the most among GPAC players.

Male: Zac Walter, Football

Walter, who hails from Lincoln, Kan., enjoyed a career best performance last week at Dordt. The junior linebacker recorded 12 tackles and a pair of interceptions. His first one set up a touchdown that gave the Bulldogs an early lead. Walter is second on the team with 38 tackles on the season.

Previous Athletes of the Week
Sept. 25 – Roger de la Villa (soccer) / Erin Lokke (shooting sports)
Sept. 18 – Lane Napier (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Sept. 11 – Ryan Durdon (football) / Marissa Hoerman (volleyball)
Sept. 4 – JP Verissimo (soccer) / Lauren Martin (soccer)
Aug. 28 – Garrett Perry (soccer) / Jenna Habegger (volleyball)

News and notes:

Men’s basketball energized by newcomers: Head coach Ben Limback’s squad will have a different look to it this 2018-19 season. The Bulldogs have welcomed in a bevy of newcomers, including three impact transfers in the frontcourt. The familiar names are Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup, both juniors. For more on the makeup of Concordia men’s hoops, click HERE.

Shooting sports readies for home event following Prairie Circuit Classic: The Bulldog shooting sports team is preparing to host its own event this Saturday and Sunday at Oak Creek Sporting Club in Brainard, Neb. Head coach Scott Moniot’s program is coming off a sixth high overall finish (out of 10 teams) at last week’s Prairie Circuit Classic, which involved competitors from five different states. Erin Lokke earned a spot on the all-conference team thanks to finishing second high overall among women. Additionally, freshman all-conference accolades were garnered by Wyatt Hambly, Emily Rasmussen and Sara Schwacher. Lokke and company have now competed in three events this fall. For results from the Prairie Circuit Classic, click HERE.

Baseball to host home run derby on Friday: The Concordia baseball program is getting set to host its annual home run derby at 5 p.m. CT on Friday. People of all ages are welcome to attend. For $10, contestants will get 10 swings. There will also be a contest to see who can throw with the highest velocity. For $5, entrants will get five throws that will be clocked with a radar gun. Plum Creek Park, home of Bulldog baseball, will serve as the venue for the event.

Tennis programs to wrap up fall schedule on Saturday: While the large majority of their competitions are held in the spring, the Concordia tennis programs have gotten the 2018-19 campaign underway this fall. Both the men and women will finish their abbreviated fall schedules on Saturday with a trip to Baldwin City, Kan. Both teams will play Tabor College (Kan.) and Baker University (Kan.). The men have yet to play in a dual match this season. Meanwhile, the women are 1-0 with the victory coming over Central College (Iowa) on Sept. 8. Both squads also competed in the GPAC Invite, a bracket-style event that featured singles and doubles matches on Sept. 14-15.

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 http://www.cune.edu/csn at game time. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Women’s Soccer

  • The second week of conference play brought a pair of 3-2 victories as the program continued its unbeaten streak in GPAC regular-season action. Concordia escaped Morningside with a 3-2 double overtime win on Sept. 26. Three days later the Bulldogs returned home and claimed a 3-2 victory over Dordt in a game they led 3-0. Sixth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad now stands at 7-1-2 overall and at 4-0 in conference play. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Dating back to last season, the Bulldogs are now 18-0-1 over their last 19 GPAC regular-season games. The team’s most recent conference loss was a 3-1 home defeat against Midland in October 2016. Following that loss, Concordia rebounded by winning their final five conference regular-season games in 2016, leading into the 2017 GPAC regular-season championship run. The Bulldogs have had unbeaten conference regular seasons in both 2014 (7-0-3) and 2017 (9-0-1).
  • Senior Maria Deeter went on a goal scoring binge last week. She recorded a pair of goals in both victories. With the game at Morningside seemingly on the verge of ending in a draw, Deeter emerged with the golden goal in the 109th minute. On that particular play, Deeter won a scramble in the box and kicked the ball into the goal with her back to the goal. Last week’s splurge pushed Deeter’s season goal count to nine, one off the career high she set last season.
  • Concordia now has the conference leader in both goals and assists. Entering the week, Deeter’s nine goals equal the total put up by Midland’s Nayeli Rodriguez for a conference best. Meanwhile, Lauren Martin’s 12 assists are far and away the most among GPAC players (next closest has five assists). Martin is also tied for the NAIA national lead in assists. She added a goal and an assist in the win over Dordt.
  • Following up on a four-goal week, junior Brynn Suddeth contributed three assists during last week’s action. Suddeth has become a fixture in the starting lineup of late. The transfer from Allen Community College burst onto the scene with a hat trick in the win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 19. Suddeth totaled 23 goals over her two seasons at the junior college level. Her 11 points (four goals, three assists) rank third on the team behind Deeter (20) and Martin (18).
  • Henson has used 15 different starting lineups through the season’s first 10 games. Kaylee Brown and Mikeila Martinez returned to the starting 11 in the win over Dordt. All five Bulldogs have started all 10 games: Lindsey Carley, Tori Cera, Deeter, Taylor Roby and Cheyenne Smith. The only game missed by the Martins (Ashley and Lauren) was due to a family commitment. In goal, Carley has covered every minute expect for two in the game at Bellevue.
  • They meet again. Powerhouses within the conference Concordia and Hastings have battled each other in memorable games with high stakes. The Bulldogs made it a much more competitive rivalry in 2014 when they surprised the Broncos by beating them twice. The second victory that season came in the GPAC tournament. Since the start of 2014, Concordia is 3-2-2 against Hastings. The two ties came in conference tournament play. The Bulldogs won a shootout at Hastings in the 2015 GPAC semifinals and dropped last year’s shootout in the GPAC championship contest.
  • Concordia will stay at home this week and welcome No. 18 Hastings (7-0-1, 4-0 GPAC) on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. CT kickoff and Presentation (1-10-1, 0-6-1 GPAC) for another 5:30 start on Saturday. The Saints are new to the GPAC in the sports of men’s and women’s soccer only. Eight games remain on the regular-season schedule for the Bulldogs.

Golf

  • At the time of this release on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 2), the women’s program continued GPAC championship action from The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D. Led by freshman Kendra Placke, the Bulldogs turned in a season low score on Monday (Oct. 1) and sat in third place among the 12 GPAC squads. Placke entered Tuesday in first place on the individual leaderboard. Meanwhile, the Concordia men are in sixth place in the GPAC after competing in two conference rounds last week. For more information on the Bulldog golf programs: Men | Women.
  • Led by junior Tylar Samek, the men’s team made a positive step on the second day of the GPAC championships contested at Willow Run Golf Course in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Tuesday (Sept. 25). The Bulldogs moved from seventh to sixth place in the conference standings by shaving nine strokes off their total from Monday while competing at the same course. Eighth-year head coach Brett Muller’s squad finished the two-day run by carding a score of 309-300–609. Concordia had hoped to be closer to the 293 it turned in at the Siouxland Invitational on Sept. 14.
  • A native of David City, Neb., Samek is enjoying the best run of his career in conference championship play. Samek has turned in GPAC place finishes of 22nd as a freshman and 32nd as a sophomore. On Sept. 25, Samek carded an even-par 70 and moved into a tie for sixth on the individual conference leaderboard (74-70–144). Samek’s previous career best round was an even-par 71 in the first round of the GPAC championships a year ago. He has lowered his season average to 74.0.
  • In his first three rounds this fall, senior Nolan Zikas carded scores of 70, 69 and 69, respectively. Unfortunately he was unable to duplicate those performances last week. He finds himself in a tie for 20th place in the GPAC (76-74–150) as he makes a run at a fourth all-conference award in a row. The remainder of the Bulldog lineup at Willow Run included newcomers in juniors Josh Schaefer (79-77–156; 36th) and Colton Zulkoski (81-79–160; T-40th) and sophomore Jayden Neal (80-83–163; T-44th).
  • Placke has been one of the major stories of the fall season for Concordia golf. She is already establishing herself as one of the top golfers in the conference. In the four tournaments that preceded this week’s GPAC championships, Placke turned in place finishes of fourth (Mount Marty Fall Invite), third (Midland Fall Invite), eighth (Lila Frommelt Classic) and second (Matthew Goette Invitational). Placke then outdid herself by shooting a career low three-over-par 75 in Monday’s round. It was good enough to beat out the rest of the 58 golfers who competed on Monday.
  • A top 10 placer in the GPAC last season, junior Murphy Sears (two-time all-conference) carded an 83, putting her 14th on the conference leaderboard. Sears is the lone returner in Concordia’s GPAC lineup. The rest of the group on Monday included freshman DJ Bokelman (86; T-25th), sophomore Andrea Peterson (90; T-38th) and freshman Britney Jepsen (101; T48th). There are 59 golfers in the GPAC field. The 86 from Bokelman was critical in separating the Bulldogs from other squads at the No. 3 position in the lineup.
  • In the GPAC team race, the Bulldog women entered Tuesday only one stroke behind second place Dakota Wesleyan (333). Morningside is on top after shooting an impressive 310. Concordia will need to put together another good round on Tuesday to keep in front of Briar Cliff (336), Jamestown (336), Northwestern (337) and Mount Marty (344). The Bulldogs have their sights set on making a big leap forward after placing 10th in the conference in 2017-18.
  • The fall golf season is almost in the books. After today (Oct. 2)’s GPAC women’s championship round concludes, both squads will have only the Nebraska Intercollegiate to look forward to this fall. The men’s Nebraska Intercollegiate will come first (Oct. 12-13) and take place at Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Neb. The women’s event will get started two days later (Oct. 15-16) and will be held at Meadowlark Golf Course in Kearney, Neb.

Men’s Soccer

  • After a draw and a loss to open up conference play, the Bulldogs got on the board with their first GPAC win of the season over the weekend. The 5-1 home rout of Dordt on Sept. 29 followed a 2-1 loss at Morningside three days earlier. Eleventh-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad is now 5-3-1 overall and 1-1-1 in conference play. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The five goals versus the Defenders were a season high for the Bulldogs, who have twice totaled four goals in a game this season. In a typical balanced effort for this team, the five goals were produced by five different players – Garrett Perry (27’), Matthew Ho (29’), Jack Arra (48’), David Carrasco (52’) and Konrad Sinu (79’). The outburst pushed Concordia’s season average to 2.56 goals per game (No. 4 in the GPAC and No. 49 among all NAIA teams).
  • The balanced goal scoring has made the Bulldogs a difficult team to prepare for. There is not one clear cut top goal scorer. Currently, Konrad Sinu leads the team with five goals. Not far behind are Jack Arra (four), David Carrasco (four) and Roger de la Villa (three). Sinu was the only Concordia player to find the back of the net in both contests last week. Six Bulldogs have combined to score the team’s seven goals over the first three GPAC games.
  • Concordia has conceded exactly one goal in each of its conference outings. All of those games have featured freshman Callum Goldsmith at goalkeeper. He continues to keep the seat warm while seasoned senior Jack Bennett recovers from injury. The Bulldogs have done a commendable job of making life easier on the rookie goalkeeper. Concordia was especially dominant after going down 1-0 versus Dordt. Over the final 68 minutes of the game, the Defenders managed just four shots.
  • While junior Carlos Ferrer has yet to get on a goal scoring tear, he remains one of the team’s steadiest and most reliable players. He earned credit for an assist in the Dordt game, pushing his team high season total to six (tied for third most among GPAC players). That figure is already a career high. A starter from day one, Ferrer has played in 49 collegiate games and has amassed 10 goals and 13 assists (33 points) in his career.
  • Weides has at times tinkered with his lineup. Seventeen players have started at least one game. Just three of them have started all nine: Angel Alvarez, Ferrer and Aries Fung. Carrasco is an example of someone who has been a super sub. He’s started only once, but has often made an impact off the bench. He ranks third on the team with nine points (four goals, one assist). Bennett would likely be in the category of having started every game if it were not for the injury he endured in the 3-2 overtime win over McPherson College (Kan.) on Sept. 12.
  • The results last week mean that Concordia is still waiting to record its first clean shut of the season. A shutout won’t be easy to come by when Hastings (4.13 goals scored per game) makes its way to Bulldog Stadium on Wednesday. After ranking first in the GPAC last season in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.80), the Bulldogs have slipped to sixth (1.89) so far in 2018 with an average that’s more than a full goal higher.
  • The Hastings game has arrived. The sixth-ranked Broncos (7-2, 4-0 GPAC) will be at Bulldog Stadium for Wednesday’s 8 p.m. CT kickoff. Concordia will also host new GPAC soccer member Presentation (0-11, 0-6 GPAC) at 8 p.m. on Saturday. In other words, the Bulldogs will see the conference’s first place team and last place team.

Volleyball

  • Life in the GPAC is a bear. After a stretch of five days in a row without a match, the Bulldogs traveled north for a weekend getaway in the Dakotas. In Sept. 28 action at Jamestown, Concordia fell in straight sets, 25-21, 25-17, 25-21. The next day the Bulldogs were toppled in four sets by Dakota Wesleyan, 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-18, in Mitchell, S.D. First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad enters the week having lost seven consecutive matches. Concordia is now 12-7 overall and 2-7 in conference play. For more on Bulldog volleyball, click HERE.
  • The loss at Dakota Wesleyan may end up having a big impact on Concordia’s GPAC tournament chances. The path to the eight-team postseason event has become trickier with the league now at 12 teams. According to Massey Ratings, eight GPAC squads rank in the top 55 nationally. As it stands right now, there’s a logjam around eighth place in the conference with Dakota Wesleyan, Doane and College of Saint Mary all at 2-6 in league play. The Bulldogs are just a half-game behind them.
  • Boldt likes to use the phrase “be the woman.” The one who has been the woman on many occasions this season is junior middle blocker Emmie Noyd. Despite the losses last week, Noyd’s play remained solid. She hit .261 with seven kills at Jamestown and then .406 with 18 kills at Dakota Wesleyan. Her season hitting percentage of .323 ranks 25th best in the NAIA and third best among GPAC players. Noyd is also No. 4 in the GPAC in blocks per set (1.0).
  • The setting opportunities have largely been split in half between sophomore Tara Callahan and junior Kaci Hohenthaner this season. That changed at Dakota Wesleyan, where Callahan piled up 45 assists in the four-set match. A native of Brady, Neb., Callahan was an immediate impact player last season as a freshman. While sharing the setter role this season, Callahan has averaged 5.8 assists and 0.74 blocks per set. Her career assist total stands at 1,224.
  • Following the weekend trip, Boldt identified the team’s serving and passing as areas that need more fine tuning. The raw numbers from the service line failed to help the cause. In the matches in the Dakotas, Concordia had a combined four aces and 16 errors on services. A reduction in errors was part of what allowed the Bulldogs to jump out to a 12-0 start. A ramp up in schedule difficulty has provided some lessons for Concordia, which last won a match on Sept. 8.
  • Senior Kelsey Baarck took advantage of her increased playing time at Dakota Wesleyan and put down a season high 11 kills that came on 22 swings (.409 hitting percentage). The transfer from Mott Community College is in her second season as a Bulldog. Last season she totaled 138 kills. Her career high for kills in a match is 15 (vs. Chadron State College on Sept. 1, 2017). Before the match at Dakota Wesleyan, Baarck had 10 kills on the season.
  • For the most part, Concordia has been good enough from an attacking perspective to be able to win matches. The Bulldogs rank 29th nationally in hitting percentage (.222) while featuring a collection of hitters that has been paced by the 3.1 kills per set from senior Jenna Habegger. Noyd isn’t far behind at 2.8 kills per set. Still on the rise as a sophomore, Kara Stark has pounded 2.2 kills per set. Her role has been evolving. She contributed 14 kills and hit .333 at Dakota Wesleyan.
  • Concordia will have plenty of prep time for its next match. In their only action of the week, the Bulldogs will host Briar Cliff (10-7, 4-4 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday. Concordia is 7-3 when playing inside Walz Arena this season. The Chargers coming off a win over their in-town rival Morningside that occurred on Sept. 29. Briar Cliff also owns GPAC wins over Dakota Wesleyan, Mount Marty and Doane.

Football

  • Though they showed some positives in the evolution of the passing game, the Bulldogs did not do enough to capitalize on four forced turnovers in their latest GPAC conflict. Host Dordt used its power run game to help pull away with the 38-19 victory in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Sept. 29. Second-year head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has dropped back-to-back games and now stands at 2-2 overall and at 1-2 in the GPAC. For more on Concordia football, click HERE.
  • The passing game made some significant strides in quarterback Jake Kemp’s fourth career start. Unfortunately, Kemp had to leave the game prior to the fourth quarter due to a hand injury. Prior to the injury, Kemp went 21-for-34 through the air for 224 yards and three touchdowns. He connected on scoring tosses of 15 yards to Logan Kreizel, 34 yards to Korrell Koehlmoos and 18 yards to Vincent Beasley. It was a big leap forward for a passing game that entered the game averaging 111.7 yards per contest.
  • Beasley was often the beneficiary of Kemp’s fine day. A senior from Manvel, Texas, Beasley had career highs of 11 catches and 89 yards at Dordt. Through four games, Beasley has made 20 grabs for 202 yards as Kemp’s favorite target. Kreizel, who also left the game early because of an injury, made six catches for 54 yards. The touchdown was the first of his career. It was also the first career score for Koehlmoos, who had two catches for 54 yards at Dordt.
  • The defense surrendered an average of 7.2 yards per play at Dordt, but it made up for it to some degree with the turnovers. It was a big day for junior linebacker Zac Walter, who intercepted a pair of passes and collected a team high 12 tackles. Additionally, sophomore linebacker Caydren Cox also came up with a pick, a forced fumble and a sack. Walter (38 tackles) ranks second to Lane Napier (42 tackles) for the team high in tackles.
  • Napier was another in the long line of Bulldogs who left the game at Dordt with an injury. The injuries have mounted across many position groups. Three projected preseason starters on the offensive line each missed the season’s first three games. Senior guard Stuart Kolpin, a converted tight end, returned to the field at Dordt. Sophomore Brady Fitzke has fought through pain to continue to punt. However, his injury has prevented him from playing tight end.
  • The sledding has been much tougher inside conference play for Ryan Durdon, who busted out a 250-yard rushing performance in the season opening win over Buena Vista University (Iowa). Since then, Durdon has rushed for a combined 190 yards on 46 carries. Eighty-four of those yards came on the final play of the first half versus Midland. Durdon currently ranks 15th nationally with an average of 110.0 rushing yards per game.
  • The 325 total yards at Dordt were a season high for the Concordia offense. Only 68 of those yards came on the ground with the Defenders focused on stuffing the run. Kemp and backup quarterback Andrew Perea helped lead the team to a 257-yard passing performance. That effort pushed the Bulldogs up to 74th nationally in passing yardage per game (148.0).
  • Concordia will be back at home on Saturday to welcome Dakota Wesleyan (1-4, 0-3 GPAC) to Bulldog Stadium for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. The Tigers are winless in conference play and coming off a 20-13 loss at Briar Cliff this past Saturday. In last season’s matchup in Seward, Durdon ran for 201 yards in a 38-16 Bulldog victory. While Dakota Wesleyan has not been particularly efficient in the passing game (47.0 percent completion rate and eight interceptions), it has piled up an average of 295.4 passing yards per game. Receiver Daniel Libolt (25 catches, 479 yards, four touchdowns) has been their big play threat.

Cross Country

  • The Bulldogs broke the usual tendency of competing every other week by going on the run for the second Saturday in a row prior to having this past weekend off. The last time out, Concordia traveled to nearby Crete for the Dean White Invitational (Sept. 22) hosted by Doane. The Bulldog men placed third (112 points) out of 11 teams while the women finished fifth (107 points) out of 15 squads in the field. Third-year head coach Matt Beisel’s squads have also competed at the Augustana Twilight (Aug. 31) and the Bronco Stampede (Sept. 15). For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • In the latest official GPAC polls released on Sept. 18, the Bulldogs checked in at tied for third on the men’s side and fifth on the women’s side. The No. 3 placement marked a big jump for the men, who were listed at No. 7 in the preseason. The Concordia men made the leap after winning the Bronco Stampede, a meet that included conference rivals Doane and Hastings. On the other hand, the women remained in the same spot they landed at in the preseason.
  • The rankings pegged the Bulldogs about right, at least at this juncture in the season. The only teams to defeat the Bulldog men at the Dean White Invite were 19th-ranked Dordt and Northwestern, a team receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. Concordia knocked off conference foes Morningside (fifth), Doane (seventh), Hastings (eighth) and Mount Marty (11th). Meanwhile, the Concordia women defeated four GPAC opponents in Crete: Dakota Wesleyan (seventh), Doane (eighth), Mount Marty (11th) and College of Saint Mary (12th).
  • For the second meet in a row, senior Josiah McAllister paced the men’s team. He placed 12th at the Dean White Invite, navigating the 8k course in 27:11.55. Fellow senior Taylor Thomas jumped in line next, clocking in at 27:43.89 (20th). The team’s top seven also featured freshman Wyatt Lehr (27:48.05; 21st), sophomores Christian Van Cleave (28:02.15; 29th) and Jordan Lorenz (28:39.82; 38th), senior Evan Asche (28:56.37; 48th) and freshman Ethan Pankow (29:14.87; 54th). Lehr was the team’s top runner at the Augustana Twilight.
  • Senior Taylor Grove continues to lead the pack on the women’s side. She finished ninth in a time of 19:52.40 on the 5k course. Grove has been the team’s top runner at each of the first three meets this season. The rest of the top seven for the Bulldogs included junior Rebekah Hinrichs (20:10.76; 15th), freshman Abi DeLoach (20:11.11; 16th), junior Hannah Rebmann (20:52.24; 30th), sophomores Lydia Cook (21:08.72; 40th) and Alyssa Bierwagen (21:21.50; 47th) and senior Jacy Johnston (21:28.27; 53rd). It marked the first race as a Bulldog for Rebmann, who transferred from NCAA Division II Pittsburg State University (Kan.).
  • The men have now run a 7k (Augustana Twilight) and two 8k races this season. Each of the women’s races have covered the normal 5k. Through the first three meets, the Concordia men have posted team meet time averages of 24:20.18 (7k), 28:21.87 (8k) and 27:53.10 (8k), respectively. Meanwhile, the women have recorded average times of 20:23.24, 20:59.53 and 20:27.05, respectively. Thus, the Dean White Invite set new season standards for both squads.
  • Beisel’s Bulldogs are back at this weekend. They will be headed to Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday. The meet is scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. CT. Only two races are left on the schedule prior to the GPAC championships on Nov. 3.