Bulldog Weekly Report (Sept. 3)

By Concordia University, Nebraska on Sep. 3, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Eduardo Alba, Soccer

A freshman from Katy, Texas, Alba has delivered shutouts in each of his first two collegiate starts as a goalkeeper. In last week’s action, Alba made eight saves in preserving the clean sheet in a 3-0 win over York College. Alba has made 12 saves on the season for the Bulldogs (2-0).

Female: Emmie Noyd, Volleyball

A senior from Shelby, Neb., Noyd has been a rock at middle blocker. At last week’s Bulldog Bash, Noyd totaled 34 kills and nine blocks while hitting .321 over three Concordia victories. On the season, Noyd is hitting .387 (No. 3 in the NAIA) and is averaging 4.1 kills per set (No. 16 in the NAIA).

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.

Fall season previews: Our season previews for the sports of cross country, golf 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
-Golf: Men | Women
-Football
-Men’s Soccer
-Women’s Soccer
-Volleyball

Tennis begins spring schedule: The Concordia men’s and women’s tennis squads will begin an abbreviated spring season of competition this Thursday when they take on William Jewell College (Mo.) in Liberty, Mo. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT. Head coach David DeSimone’s programs will also be at the Missouri Valley College Tournament this Friday and Saturday. The bulk of the 2019-20 tennis season will take place in the spring when all GPAC matches and the conference championships are contested.

Cross country getting set for Augustana Twilight: Head coach Matt Beisel’s cross country squads will officially open up the 2019 season on Friday when they take part in the Augustana Twilight Meet at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. The race is scheduled to get underway at 8:30 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs tuned up for the season this past Saturday by hosting their annual Blue-White Alumni Run. For more on Concordia cross country, 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.

Volleyball

  • Concordia storms into the opening week of GPAC play still undefeated at 7-0. After returning home from the Red Raider Classic (Aug. 23-24), the Bulldogs had five days without a match before hosting the annual Bulldog Bash. The event featured 11 total matches with Concordia earning victories over Waldorf University (Iowa), Mayville State University (N.D.) and Benedictine College (Kan.). The four-set decision versus Mayville State meant that head coach Ben Boldt’s squad had dropped a set for the first time in 2019. The Bulldogs proceeded to dominate the rest of the day. For more on Concordia volleyball, click HERE.
  • Entering the week, the Bulldogs are one of five NAIA programs with unblemished records, among those that have played at least seven matches (three of the five are GPAC teams). Those teams are Eastern Oregon University (10-0), Dakota Wesleyan (7-0), Indiana Wesleyan University (7-0) and Northwestern (7-0). There will not be a new NAIA national top 25 poll until September 11, but Concordia would appear worthy of garnering some national recognition at the moment. Massey Ratings currently has the Bulldogs at No. 11 in the NAIA.
  • The impressive attacking numbers are indicative of a Concordia team that is performing well in a lot of areas. After smoldering this past weekend, the Bulldogs are now No. 1 in the NAIA in kills per game (15.0) and sit at No. 2 nationally in hitting percentage (.319). The team’s hitting percentages in three matches at the Bulldog Bash were .192, .380 and .380, respectively. Concordia put away 74 kills in its four-set victory over Mayville State. Last season the Bulldogs hit .201 over their 27 matches.
  • In terms of kills per set, Concordia had the three most prolific individuals at the Bulldog Bash, which included a total of seven teams. Over the three matches, Kara Stark topped the team with 3.5 kills per set while Emmie Noyd (3.4) and Camryn Opfer (3.4) followed closely behind. Naturally, Tara Callahan led the way for Bulldog Bash setters with her 122 assists in 10 sets. Callahan was credited with 60 assists versus Mayville State.
  • Of course everything works more seamlessly when the serve and pass games are in proper order. Concordia’s back row refuses to give away any points. Through seven matches (22 sets), the Bulldogs have allowed their opponents a grand total of seven aces (compared to 38 service errors). To break it down further, only one opponent has managed to drop in more than one ace in a single match versus Concordia. A lot of credit rightfully goes to libero Marissa Hoerman, who has passed serve receive 82 times with only two errors.
  • A good chunk of Callahan’s assists versus Mayville State went to sophomore right side Arleigh Costello. The lefty from Gothenburg, Neb., pounded a career high 18 kills in that match. Costello was hardly a lone wolf. In the same outing, Noyd (15), Opfer (14) and Stark (14) also hit double figures in kills. Freshman Kalee Wiltfong was not far off with her nine kills. The Bulldogs recorded at least 17 kills in each of the four sets against the Comets. That offensive firepower helped Concordia overcome its 11 attack errors in the opening set.
  • The aforementioned Hoerman had a big weekend in the back row. She recorded 19 digs versus Waldorf, 18 versus Mayville State and eight versus Benedictine for a total of 45 (4.5 per set) at the Bulldog Bash. The native of Evergreen, Colo., stepped into a starring role immediately as a freshman in 2017. Since then, Hoerman has the most service receptions (788) and digs (662) of any active players on the roster. Her career high for digs in a match is 32 (last season in a win over McPherson College).
  • Concordia (3-0) and Briar Cliff (3-0) were the only two squads to go undefeated at the Bulldog Bash. The rest of the weekend field on campus (both Walz Arena and the PE Center Gym were used) included Mayville State (2-2), Benedictine (2-2), Waldorf (1-3), Bethany College (0-2) and Bethel College (0-2). Of the 11 total matches, seven were decided in straight sets, two finished in four sets and two went to five sets.
  • The first opportunity for the Bulldogs to prove they are gaining ground on their conference rivals comes Wednesday when they will host 14th-ranked Hastings (2-5) at 7:30 p.m. CT. Though the Broncos have suffered five defeats, each of them has come against nationally ranked opponents. After Wednesday’s match, Concordia will dip back outside of GPAC play and head to Baldwin City, Kan., for the Baker Invitational. The Bulldogs will take on Graceland University (Iowa) at 10 a.m. on Friday and then will play Haskell Indian Nations University (Kan.) at 11 a.m. on Saturday and host Baker University at 3 p.m. on Saturday to close out the week.

Men’s Soccer

  • The Bulldogs are in the midst of the longest in-season layoff that Jason Weides can remember during his 12 seasons as head coach. Concordia has been idle since taking a 3-0 home decision over York College on Aug. 27. Through two games, the season has started about as well as Weides would have scripted with the Bulldogs having also beaten Oklahoma City University, 2-0, on the road. Of course, Concordia will has some work to do if it wants to match the 2017 (started 10-0-1) for the program’s longest unbeaten run to begin a season. For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The two shutouts already surpass the shutout total of one recorded all season by the 2018 Concordia men’s soccer squad. At least so far, the Bulldogs have turned question marks about their back line and goalkeeper into strengths. Freshman Eduardo Alba won the keeper spot out of preseason training and does not appear to want to give it back. He made eight saves, including a couple for the highlight reel, to preserve the shutout of York. The native of Katy, Texas, has done a stellar job while working with Evan Hayden and Decker Mattimoe in front of him at the center back positions.
  • Last season the goals came from a variety of sources with six players netting at least four goals. Roger de la Villa led the way with his eight goals. Through two games, the Bulldogs have had five unique goal scorers for their five goals. In the win over York, de la Villa, freshmen Isaiah Shaddick and senior Miguel Munoz each got on the board for the first time in 2019. In the season opener at Oklahoma City, Renzo Bozzo and Moises Jacobo notched a goal apiece. Shaddick brought with him a bevy of high school honors, including the Lincoln Journal Star Prep State Player of the Year award.
  • The rivalry matchup with York has mostly been a one-sided battle in recent years. After falling by a 2-1 score at York in the 2007 meeting, Concordia went on to defeat the Panthers 10 times in a row. York finally ended that streak in 2018 by surprising the Bulldogs in another game that ended, 2-1. During the 10-game series win streak, Concordia outscored the Panthers by a combined total of 47-10.
  • The Bulldogs will certainly have a good idea of where they stand by the time the month of September draws to a close. In this month, Concordia will play two ranked nonconference foes in No. 14 Bellevue University and No. 18 Kansas Wesleyan University. In addition, the Bulldogs’ upcoming opponent, MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), was listed as receiving votes in the preseason national poll. Among GPAC squads, No. 15 Hastings is currently the only one garnering votes nationally.
  • Weides is essentially breaking in five new starters this season: Alba, Bozzo, David Carrasco, Jacobo and Mattimoe. Now a senior, Carrasco’s playing time increased dramatically last season when he played in 16 games and made one start. The native of Bogota, Colombia, often took advantage of the minutes he got. He contributed six goals and three assists as a junior. Meanwhile, Mattimoe has become a key component of that revamped back line.
  • The Bulldogs began to find their groove under Weides in 2011 and have been a consistent winner ever since then. Concordia, Hastings and Midland are the lone three GPAC squads to have won at least 10 games in each of the previous eight seasons. Overall, the Bulldogs are 92-50-17 since the start of the 2011 campaign. Highlights during that stretch have included the 2015 GPAC tournament title and a school record 16 wins in 2017. In addition, Weides reached 100 career coaching victories during the 2018 season.
  • The run of 10-straight days without a game will end this Saturday when Concordia welcomes MidAmerica Nazarene to Bulldog Stadium for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. The Pioneers are 2-1 with both wins coming by four-goal margins over Bethel College (Kan.) and Florida National University. MNU suffered a 1-0 loss at Hastings in its season opener.

Women’s Soccer

  • It’s been a tough run against tough competition thus far for the Bulldogs. Concordia is now 0-3 after this past weekend’s journey to Siloam Springs, Ark., included 3-0 losses to both No. 14 John Brown University (Ark.) and No. 19 University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma. Head coach Chris Luther’s squad began the season on Aug. 24 with a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Missouri Valley College. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Dating back to last season’s GPAC championship game, the program has now lost four games in a row. Such streaks had been a rarity for an outfit that won a pair of GPAC tournament titles and one GPAC regular season championship under previous head coach Greg Henson. It’s also true that none of those squads opened up with a schedule quite this daunting. There isn’t a whole lot of data yet this early in the season, but Massey Ratings currently lists the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule at No. 15 in the NAIA.
  • Concordia continues to seek its first goal of the season and first since it captured a 1-0 GPAC semifinal win last season at then 17th-ranked Midland. Obviously the Bulldogs are still working on figuring out where the goals are going to come from after graduating two top attackers from last season in Maria Deeter and Lauren Martin, who combined for 24 goals and 22 assists in 2018. Concordia was unable to create many chances last week in Arkansas, where it was limited to a combined six shots over the two games.
  • The youth movement took hold last week. In the final game of the trip, Luther used four freshmen in the starting lineup and another three saw action off the bench. The younger sister of former Bulldog Esther Soenksen, Grace Soenksen made her first career start versus Science & Arts. She was joined in the starting 11 by fellow rookies in Jaiden Beecher, Allee Downing and Ellie Eason. Freshmen Aliyah Aldama, Kadyn Lane and Isabel Sloss also got minutes as reserves. Nineteen Bulldogs got playing time over the two-game road trip.
  • The team’s most experienced field player is junior center back Tori Cera, who did not play this past Saturday’s game. Concordia also has experience at keeper with junior Lindsey Carley, the 2017 GPAC Defensive Player of the Year, holding down that spot. Carley was tested a lot during the recent trip where Bulldog foes combined to attempt 34 shots, including 17 that were on frame. Carley made 11 saves in Arkansas and now has 167 in 40 career collegiate games.
  • From a statistical perspective, there has not been any one individual who has been especially active from an offensive standpoint. Madeline Haugen and Mikelia Martinez have taken the most shots with three apiece on the season. Downing has been given the opportunity to play up top as a striker and is still looking that first crack at a goal. The leading returning goal scorer is Brynn Suddeth, who found the back of the net 12 times (three hat tricks) last season.
  • This week will provide two new opportunities to get into the win column. The Bulldogs will host Friends University (Kan.) at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday before traveling to play Tabor College (Kan.) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Concordia also played both Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference members last year with the results being a 1-0 win at Friends and a 4-1 home victory over Tabor. Only three nonconference games remain on the regular-season slate.

Football

  • The wait to begin the 2019 season is almost over for head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad. Many teams around the NAIA opened up the campaign with games last week. The Bulldogs will finally begin 2019 by hosting Doane this Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff. Doane opened up the new year last Thursday and was thumped in Crete by Ottawa University (Ariz.), 48-7. 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 61st 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 was one of four GPAC teams that played last Thursday night. Another four will also got things started this past Saturday. GPAC squads with wins on the board so far this season are Hastings, Midland and defending national champion Morningside. 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.
  • The Tigers suffered a season opener to forget last week. Ottawa led 34-0 at halftime and cruised to the 48-7 win at Papik Field. The Spirit owned massive advantages up and down the stat sheet. It outgained Doane, 567-186. Ottawa quarterback Austin McCullough torched the Tiger defense with 426 yards passing and three touchdown tosses. On the flip side, Doane used three different quarterbacks who combined to go 8-for-25 for 92 yards and an interception. In the run game, the Tigers totaled only 94 yards on 37 attempts (2.5 yards per attempt).