Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 4, 2016)

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 4, 2016 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Female: Sami Birmingham, Soccer

Birmingham, a native of Johnston, Iowa, continued her scoring exploits last week with a goal in both contests last week as the Bulldogs split a pair of GPAC road games. The freshman leads Concordia (6-4-1) with eight goals on the year. Birmingham ranks in a tie for fifth among the top goal scorers in the GPAC.

Male: Mark Horsburgh, Soccer

Horsburgh, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, recorded a total of nine saves last week while up against two GPAC teams that entered the week with one combined loss. The 6-foot-3 senior ranks No. 12 among all NAIA players in goals against average (.560) for a team that ranks as the 10th most difficult to score upon in the nation (in terms of goals allowed per game).

News and notes:

Homecoming week on campus: It’s homecoming week on the Concordia University campus. Some of this weekend’s highlights include the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 6-9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday’s slate of home action, which begins with football versus Briar Cliff at 1 p.m. Women’s and men’s soccer will follow by hosting Mount Marty at 5:30 and 8 p.m. A more complete homecoming weekend schedule can be viewed HERE.

Four individuals and one team set to join Hall of Fame: The Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame will grow by four individuals and one team on Friday night. Each of the following were chosen as members of the 2016 Hall of Fame class.
-John Puelz (’92), men’s basketball
-Phil Seevers (’90), baseball/football
-Sean Stewart (’05), football
-Whitney (Stichka) Daberkow (’09), women’s basketball
-1994-95 men’s basketball

Hedlund represents best of Bulldog football: Senior linebacker Michael Hedlund tackles ball carriers at a rate that places him among the most productive defensive players in the country. The native of O’Neill, Neb., took a circuitous route before landing at his current position. Not just a star on the field, Hedlund is a leader and an example for what Concordia football represents. For more on Hedlund, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is already underway in its second year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 6 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 TuneIn Radio app and searching “Max Country.” Throughout the 2016-17 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country.

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.

Men’s Soccer

  • Concordia was tasked with going on the road against a pair of conference rivals that entered last week with a combined total of one loss all season. The Bulldogs acquitted themselves well, dropping a 1-0 decision at fourth-ranked Hastings on Sept. 28 before responding with a 3-0 victory at Morningside three days later. A third of the way through the conference season, ninth-year head coach Jason Weides’ squad sits at 5-2-2 overall and 2-1 in the GPAC. Concordia’s six conference points are enough to put them in a three-way tie for second behind undefeated Hastings. For more information on Concordia men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The loss at Hastings halted a seven-game unbeaten run versus GPAC opponents. Even with the defeat, the Bulldogs are an impressive 6-1-2 over their past nine contests against conference foes. The run includes the win over then No. 19 Hastings in the 2015 GPAC tournament championship game. Concordia has put itself in better shape after three league games than the 2015 team did. Last season the Bulldogs went 0-2-1 to open up the conference schedule. The last Concordia men’s soccer team to win at least three of its first four GPAC games was the 2013 edition that started out 4-1 in conference play.
  • The powerful Broncos had scored at least two goals in every game this season until running into the Bulldogs, who rate as one of the most difficult teams in the nation to score upon. With the team’s fifth shutout of the season coming at Morningside, Concordia jumped up to No. 10 among all NAIA teams in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.56). The Bulldogs still have yet to allow a team to record more than two goals in any game and have conceded a grand total of five goals through the season’s first nine matches.
  • After being blanked at Hastings, Concordia responded with three goals – all from different individuals – in a comfortable win at Morningside. One of those goals came from Marcelo Hernandez, a native of Quito, Ecuador. Weides hopes the floodgates have opened for Hernandez, who has tallied three of his four goals since conference play began. Hernandez supplied both Bulldog goals in the 2-1 GPAC-opening win over Northwestern.
  • Hernandez was joined in the goal scoring column at Morningside by Lewis Rathbone and Aries Fung. Rathbone has now equaled his goal scoring output from 2015 with two goals this season. For Fung, it marked his first goal of 2016 and second of his collegiate career. Fung is the seventh different goal scorer this season for Concordia, which has totaled 14 goals as a team.
  • The three goals scored at Morningside were just one off a season high for the Bulldogs. With the way Concordia has defended, it hasn’t needed a dominant striker. The Bulldogs rank as just the eighth-highest scoring team in the GPAC. However, they rank No. 1 in the conference under the category of fewest goals allowed per game. In its two losses, Concordia fell by identical 1-0 scores.
  • The overall impressive defensive effort this season has made life easy on senior goalkeeper Mark Horsburgh, who has made 26 saves and sports a save percentage of .839. Morningside put only two shots on frame while taking a total of four shots in last week’s matchup in Sioux City. Concordia’s opponents have averaged just 8.6 shots per game.
  • The Bulldogs will break from conference play on Wednesday when they travel to play Bellevue University (4-6-2) in a 3 p.m. CT contest at Bellevue Soccer Club. The Bruins were ranked 17th in the preseason, but have since dropped from the national coaches’ poll. Then on Saturday, Concordia will welcome Mount Marty (3-7, 0-2 GPAC) to town for an 8 p.m. CT matchup that will close out the homecoming week on campus.

Women’s Soccer

  • Continuing a difficult stretch to begin conference play, the Bulldogs split last week’s pair of conference road tilts while up against the two teams picked Nos. 1 and 2 in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll. After nearly upsetting 11th-ranked Hastings in a 2-1 defeat on Sept. 28, Concordia picked itself back up with a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Morningside on Oct. 1. The weekend tilt in Sioux City was a rematch of the 2015 GPAC tournament championship game that went in the Mustangs’ favor. Fourth-year head coach Greg Henson’s squad now sits at 6-4-1 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Seven games remain on the GPAC regular-season slate. For more information on Bulldog women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • During Henson’s tenure, Concordia has become all too familiar with Lloyd Wilson Field in Hastings. The Bulldogs have made six trips to Lloyd Wilson since the start of the 2013 season. Three of those contests were GPAC tournament games, including the 2014 championship game that saw Concordia celebrate a 1-0 victory. The Bulldogs also stunned the Broncos last year in Hastings by winning a penalty kick shootout in the conference semifinals. Of the six meetings in Hastings since 2013, only one was decided by a margin of more than one goal.
  • While the 2014 team brushed a monkey off the program’s back by beating Hastings twice, this year’s squad finally found a way to win at Morningside, something that hadn’t happened since 2011. Last season Concordia fell by one goal on two separate occasions in trips to Sioux City. In addition, the Bulldogs were 0-3-1 this season on the road prior to the triumph at Morningside.
  • The goal scoring exploits of freshman Sami Birmingham continued last week. Her efforts this season are reminiscent of what Jessica Skerston did in 2014 when she piled up 17 goals her freshman season. Birmingham notched a goal apiece at Hastings and at Morningside to run her team high season goal count to eight. That figure places the Johnston, Iowa, native in a tie for fifth on the conference leaderboard.
  • While Birmingham has been the team’s biggest offensive weapon this season, Skerston remains No. 1 among current players in terms of career goals. Skerston surfaced with the equalizer last week after Concordia had fallen behind, 1-0, at Morningside. It marked her 29th career goal. After posting 17 goals in 2014, she added 10 in 2015 and two so far in 2016. The native of St. Charles, Mo., was instrumental in the 2014 team’s championship run. She scored one goal in all three GPAC tournament games that season.
  • After surrendering three goals last week, Concordia lost its grip on the conference lead for fewest goals allowed per game. With an average of 1.09 goals given up per contest, the Bulldogs rank second in the conference behind Hastings. Among GPAC teams, Concordia ranks fifth in goals scored per game (2.27). The Bulldogs own a goal differential of plus-13 through 11 games.
  • The win at Morningside marked the second time this season that Concordia has surrendered the first goal of the game and then came back to win. The same scenario occurred on Sept. 10 when the Bulldogs defeated Friends University (Kan.), 2-1, in a double overtime game. Concordia also rallied from a 2-0 deficit at MidAmerica Nazarene University and earned a 2-2 draw. The Bulldogs are 4-1 in games when they score first. The lone loss under such circumstances was last week at Hastings.
  • Concordia has a mid-week bye before welcoming Mount Marty (0-6, 0-3 GPAC) to Seward for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The struggling Lancers entered this week with an active losing streak of 22 games. The Bulldogs are a perfect 14-0 all-time versus Mount Marty. Last season’s meeting was decided by a 5-0 score.

Volleyball

  • The meat grinder of a GPAC schedule carries on for Concordia, which recently finished a stretch of three-straight matches versus top 20 ranked conference opponents. In last week’s action, the Bulldogs rebounded from a four-set loss at No. 4 Hastings on Sept. 28 with a straight-sets home victory over Briar Cliff in a match that included intensely close second and third sets. Fifth-year head coach Scott Mattera’s squad now stands at 11-10 overall and 3-4 in GPAC play. For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, click HERE.
  • The loss at Hastings marked the seventh-straight defeat that has come at the hands of an opponent rated 17th or higher in the NAIA national coaches’ poll. The seven losses have come versus No. 4 Hastings, No. 6 Midland, No. 8 Eastern Oregon, No. 8 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), No. 9 Dordt, No. 15 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and No. 17 Doane (rankings are based on polls at the time of the match). The win over Briar Cliff was the first of this season against an opponent that was either ranked or receiving votes.
  • Taking a game from Hastings has been no small feat of late. The Broncos (15-2, 6-1 GPAC) own a nine-match win streak, during which they have dropped just two sets – one being to Concordia. It appeared the Broncos would end the Sept. 28 meeting quickly after winning the first two sets by identical scores of 25-11. The Bulldogs then held the powerful Hastings attack to .098 hitting in the third set that ended, 25-22, in Concordia’s favor.
  • The Bulldogs have had to make adjustments on the fly as injuries have mounted. With senior setter Alayna Kavanaugh forced out of action for the past three matches due to injury, freshman Emma Brand has filled in. The native of Springfield, Mo., turned in her best performance in the win over Briar Cliff. She amassed 41 assists while helping four of her teammates accumulate eight or more kills. Brand made her first career start on Sept. 24 versus Dordt.
  • Double-figure kill totals were turned in last week by Tiegen Skains (13 at Hastings), Paige Getz (15 versus Briar Cliff) and Alex La Plant (12 versus Briar Cliff). Getz has recorded 10 or more kills 13 times this season and is on track to fly by her career high kill total of 346 from last season. Getz has put down more than 300 kills every year of her career. Skains also appears poised to eclipse her career high of 279 kills that she posted in 2015. Getz (1,188) and Skains (737) have combined for 1,925 career kills.
  • Getz and Skains have been key figures in the program resurgence that has taken place over the past few years. The current senior class owns a combined record of 74-45 since arriving in 2013. It marks the most wins in a four-year period for the program since the 2004-07 teams went a combined 81-54. The 2016-17 senior class was also instrumental in helping the Bulldogs get to the national tournament for the first time ever, a feat that was accomplished last season.
  • Junior Jocelyn Garcia has continued on her path to another season of more than 500 digs. She added 35, including 21 in the win over Briar Cliff, to her total during last week’s action. She’s averaging a career best 5.2 digs per set, a figure that ranks 40th best among all NAIA players. She has 1,124 career digs over 301 sets played since 2014. Garcia is also passing serve receive at a 94.5 percent rate.
  • The schedule will not lighten up this week as two more nationally-ranked opponents lie in wait. The Bulldogs will travel to take on No. 18 Bellevue University (16-7) for a 7 p.m. CT first serve on Wednesday. Concordia will then play twice on Saturday, beginning with a 1 p.m. CT start at Northwestern (12-12, 4-3 GPAC) prior to a 3 p.m. match versus No. 3 Westmont College (Calif.) (18-0). Both of Saturday’s matches will take place in Orange City, Iowa, on the Northwestern campus.

Football

  • Up against perennial GPAC power and sixth-ranked Morningside last week, Concordia dug itself a 24-0 hole in the first quarter and never recovered in a 55-13 loss inside Elwood Olsen Stadium in Sioux City, Iowa. The Bulldogs committed four turnovers and were outgained by the Mustangs, 465-319. Eighth-year head coach Vance Winter’s program had attempted to defeat Morningside for the first time since 2003. Instead, Concordia dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play following a second-straight road loss to a team ranked inside the top 10 nationally. For more information on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • On the plus side, senior running back Bryce Collins became the third player in program history to exceed 3,000 career rushing yards when he carried the ball 15 yards for a first down during the second quarter of action at Morningside. Collins finished his day with 17 rushes for 78 yards. His career rushing total now stands at 3,062 yards on 662 carries over 35 games since the start of the 2013 season. Collins trails only Cleve Wester (3,867) and Gary Seevers (3,257) for the must rushing yards in Concordia football annals.
  • Senior safety Le’Dontrae Gooden turned in another productive game, registering 13 tackles at Morningside. He also intercepted a pass for the second-straight week, running his career interception total to seven since he transferred to Concordia via Southern Oregon University. Gooden, who hails from Sacramento, Calif., is the team’s second leading tackler behind Michael Hedlund. Gooden has made 49 tackles on the year. Gooden, Hedlund and Cory Evans have each picked off two passes this season.
  • Hedlund continues to climb towards the top of the list of leading tacklers who have played during Winter’s tenure as head coach (2009 to the present). Hedlund made 14 more stops last week, giving him 217 career tackles. That places him No. 4 among Winter-era players. The top three on the list are Ben Klein (246), Jerrod Fleming (237) and Tait Sibbel (234). Hedlund, a native of O’Neill, Neb., began his college career at quarterback before moving to safety and then inside linebacker.
  • It was another busy day for senior Trey Barnes, who punted eight times for an average of 37.8 yards per attempt. He landed two more punts inside the 20. The Seward High School product has been equally adept at pooch punts and at bailing his team out of bad field position. Eleven of his 33 punts this season have been downed inside the 20. Another six of his punts have gone for more than 50 yards, including a season long of 66. In terms of punting average, Barnes (39.2) ranks second among GPAC players.
  • Junior Tarence Roby remains one of the most dangerous kickoff returners in the nation. He took the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown in the win at Ottawa University (Kan.) on Sept. 10. Last week he had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown wiped out by a holding call. He still managed 130 kickoff return yards on five attempts at Morningside. Roby ranks seventh nationally in kickoff return yards per attempt (28.9) and 14th among all NAIA players in total kickoff return yards (318). Despite not playing on offense, Roby has four touchdowns in his career as a Bulldog.
  • Turnovers have been a primary reason why games the last two weeks have gotten away from Concordia. The Bulldogs have had a combined turnover margin of minus-five in their two losses. Last week Concordia gave itself little chance after having two interceptions returned for touchdowns. It now ranks 58th among all 85 NAIA football programs with a season turnover margin of minus-four.
  • Despite playing the GPAC’s top-two rated teams in consecutive weeks, Concordia remains highly rated on the defensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs actually held Morningside to 164 fewer yards than it had averaged over its first three games. Among all NAIA teams, Concordia ranks 16th in total defense (321.4), 24th in pass defense (187.4), 25th in pass efficiency defense (117.9), 28th in scoring defense (23.8) and 30th in rushing defense (134.0).
  • The Bulldogs will try to get back on track on Saturday when it hosts Briar Cliff (1-5, 0-3 GPAC), which is seeking its first conference victory. Concordia has owned this series, winning nine in a row against the Chargers, including last season’s 48-0 rout. The Bulldogs are 11-2 all-time against Briar Cliff since the two sides began playing each other in 2003. Saturday’s homecoming kickoff from Bulldog Stadium is set for 1 p.m. CT.

Golf

  • Last week the Concordia women returned to action for the first time since the Lila Frommelt Invite (Sept. 16-17) while competing at the College of Saint Mary/Midland Fall Invitational. At the two-day event held in both Fremont and Omaha, the Bulldogs placed eighth out of 11 teams with a team total of 397-376–773. Meanwhile, the men entered the week having been idle since co-hosting the Blue River Classic, Sept. 20-21, in Lincoln. For more information on Bulldog golf: MEN | WOMEN.
  • Senior Amy Ahlers starred once again for head coach Brett Muller’s squad. She carded a two-round score of 79-80–159 (+14) while winning a tournament title for the first time this season and for the ninth time in her career. A native of Albion, Neb., Ahlers won at least two events each year from her freshman through junior campaigns. She took first three times as a freshman, twice as a sophomore and three times as a junior. Ahlers is the most accomplished golfer in the history of the women’s program. The three-time all-conference performer broke a program record last season for lowest single-season average (80.79).
  • Freshman Murphy Sears has been the team’s consistent No. 2 behind Ahlers. The native of Crete, Neb., sported a season 18-hole average of 85.67 through the first six rounds this fall. Sears has carded a personal best of 83 on three separate occasions, including the second round of last week’s tournament. All of her scores have been in the range of 83 to 91. Four additional Bulldogs competed at the CSM/Midland Invite: freshman Payton DeMers-Sahling (115-97–212), junior Lauren Sperry (112-109–221), sophomore Madison Pitsch (112-117–229) and freshman Paighton Barbre (115-116–231).
  • On Sept. 28, sophomore Nolan Zikas was named GPAC golfer of the week for the second time in his career. The honor came on the heels of Zikas’ second-place finish at the Blue River Classic. At the event, the native of La Vista, Neb., shot a two-round one-over-par 73-71–144, placing him just a second stroke behind the tournament medalist. Zikas has two career tournament wins to his credit and has placed inside the top five of two of three events this fall. His season average stood at 75.17 after six rounds.
  • Zikas is in a very close race for the top average on the men’s side. Entering the week, freshman Tylar Samek held a slight advantage with his mean of 75.0. Zikas (75.17), senior Reid Wiebe (75.33), junior Russell Otten (75.67) and senior Jared Knoepfel (78.83) come in next in line. The lowest single round this season was turned in by Wiebe, whose four-under-par 68 on day two of the Blue River Classic broke a school record that the native of Sutton, Neb., had already shared.
  • In a new format, the GPAC fall tournament opened up on Monday at Willow Run Golf Course in Sioux Falls, S.D. Previously, the conference isolated four separate GPAC rounds at the home courses of select conference schools. This season the GPAC switched to an alignment that features one site for the fall and one for the spring. The chosen site then hosts two rounds played out over consecutive days. The second round of action was scheduled to play out on Tuesday (Oct. 4), but inclement weather forced it to be postponed until the spring. A make-up date has not yet been announced.
  • In Monday’s opening GPAC round, the men carded a team score of 300, putting them in third place and seven strokes off the leader. The women turned in a team score of 386, landing them ninth among the 11 GPAC schools. Individually, four Bulldogs found themselves inside the top 10 after the first day: Samek (73, T-5th) and Wiebe (74, T-8th) on the men’s side and Ahlers (83, T-6th) and Sears (85, T-9th) on the women’s side.
  • The fall season ended on Monday for the women’s program. On the other hand, the men have one event left before looking ahead to the spring. They will be at Norfolk Country Club on Friday and Saturday for the annual Nebraska Intercollegiate. Friday’s round begins at 1 p.m. CT. Saturday tee time is 10 a.m.

 Cross Country

  • Head coach Matt Beisel’s programs enjoyed the weekend off from competition. In the most recent outing for the Bulldogs, which came at the Dean White Invitational hosted by Doane (Sept. 24), the men placed second among six teams while the women finished third out of seven squads. For more on Bulldog cross country, click HERE.
  • A total of 13 men have competed at the season’s first two official meets for Concordia. All 13 have run both races. Their finishes for these two meets are listed below. Patrick Wortmann and Kohlton Gabehart have both placed inside the top 10 at the first two meets. Times were slower at the Doane course compared to the Hastings course at the season-opening Bronco Stampede (Sept. 17).
    • Patrick Wortmann – 27:11.67 (4th) – 27:54.89 (6th)
    • Kohlton Gabehart – 27:13.09 (5th) – 28:02.63 (9th)
    • Thomas Taylor – 27:47.12 (11th) – 28:39.15 (14th)
    • Chris Shelton – 28:00.88 (13th) – 28:49.86 (15th)
    • Evan Asche – 28:03.40 (14th) – 28:31.17 (12th)
    • Cameron Moes – 28:48.25 (17th) – 30:59.62 (34th)
    • Josiah McAllister – 29:23.70 (23rd) – 30:09.52 (25th)
    • Robbie Peterson – 30:53.21 (33rd) – 33:02.47 (50th)
    • Nathan Matters – 31:48.77 (41st) – 33:30.19 (51st)
    • Samuel Ferguson – 31:50.10 (42nd) – 32:16.66 (44th)
    • Chris Warneke – 32:56.31 (47th) – 34:55.78 (57th)
    • Christian Egger – 34:17.84 (53rd) – 33:47.76 (54th)
    • Isaac Golke – 37:41.63 (56th) – 39:11.76 (62nd)
  • The Bulldog women have had a total of 12 runners represent them over the first two races. Their finishes for those races are listed below. Emily Sievert and Taylor Grove have served as the team’s frontrunners at both races. Emily Wetzel turned in a personal best at the Dean White Invite. Liliana Barrientos made her debut at Doane on Sept. 24.
    • Emily Sievert – 19:11.88 (3rd) – 20:25.49 (8th)
    • Taylor Grove – 20:00.59 (9th) – 20:32.09 (9th)
    • Marti Vlasin – 20:16.92 (11th) – 21:16.72 (15th)
    • Abby Protzman – 20:29.63 (13th) – 21:28.19 (18th)
    • Rebekah Hinrichs – 20:44.16 (16th) – 22:10.00 (27th)
    • Jacy Johnston – 20:47.48 (17th) – 21:38.82 (20th)
    • Erin Lindeman – 21:50.88 (29th) – 21:55.51 (22nd)
    • Miranda Rathjen – 22:39.80 (36th) – 23:11.36 (32nd)
    • Paige Borcherding – 22:58.25 (43rd) – 24:11.43 (42nd)
    • Emily Writebol – 23:23.16 (45th) – 24:26.57 (45th)
    • Emily Wetzel – 24:09.51 (54th) – 23:26.02 (36th)
    • Liliana Barrientos – 27:21.86 (57th)
  • Race No. 3 of the 2016 season beckons on Saturday when the Bulldogs compete at the Briar Cliff University Invite in Sioux City, Iowa. The first race is set to get started at 10 a.m. CT. The final outing before the GPAC Championships (Nov. 5) will be the Seminole Valley Stampede hosted by Mount Mercy University (Iowa) on Oct. 22. The NAIA recently announced that the national championships (Nov. 19) will be relocated from the originally planned host site of Charlotte, N.C. A new location has not yet been announced.