SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs have earned their sixth GPAC final appearance under Head Coach Jason Weides as they will clash against No. 4 seed Morningside for the chance to clinch the lone automatic NAIA national qualifying bid in the GPAC. Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer defeated No. 7 seed Briar Cliff (3-2) to move on to the conference championship. CUNE has an 11-8 overall record through 19 games.
Next Match
GPAC Final: Tuesday, Nov. 11 vs. Morningside (12-6-2, 6-2-2 GPAC), 7 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s are admitted free of charge.
The Bulldogs have won the tournament two times under Coach Weides (2015, 2022) and will make their 16th GPAC tournament appearance (18 total) under the 18-year frontman. Concordia hosted the final for the first time in the program’s history in 2024 and will have it once again for back-to-back championships in Bulldog Stadium. Last year, the No. 2 seed Bulldogs were upset (1-0) by No. 5 Hastings in the GPAC final. With a mixed bag of experience and newcomers, Concordia will rely on the steady feet of Adrian Wambua, Hugo Garrote, Mike Wyvill, Slade Leicht, Oliver Benson and Mattis Hollnagel
In the 84th minute of the semifinal, Ricards Busmeisters barreled the game-winning penalty into the bottom left corner and shouted in celebration. A sophomore out of Riga, Latvia, Busmeisters got the offense going early, earning a tally in the first half as well via Oliver Benson. Cleme Suarez scored his first collegiate goal of the season. With Benson’s two assists, he has mounted five total, which leads the Bulldogs in dishes. Suarez (four), Busmeisters (four) and Hugo Garrote (three) led the team in chances taken. Mike Wyvill headed out many dangerous tries keeping Briar Cliff at bay in multiple moments.
Hugo Garrote. That’s the name. Going into the 94th minute of the tournament quarterfinal, the Spaniard sent a banger into the top near corner that left the opposing Broncos in awe and Bulldog nation screaming in instant triumph. Inigo Chavarria and the defense combined for a four-save shutout – his fourth of the season. The back line of Adrian Wambua, Mike Wyvill, Mattis Hollnagel and Slade Leicht kept the elite goal scorer Tim Berger and Hastings to zero in the net. In regulation, the Concordia offense gained momentum with each passing minute in the second half, outshooting the visitors 8-5 (13-9 total). With six corners in the last frame, the Bulldogs relied on quality chances from Garrote, Cleme Suarez and Ricards Busmeisters.
Starting 0-4 on the season and the first eight games 2-6, the first half of the season looking bleak might have been an understatement for Coach Weides’ worst start as head of the program. Yet with half the roster turning over, the old and the new began to gel and have rallied for a 9-2 showing in the last 11. On a five-match win streak, the Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight, including victories over Hastings (3-1), Waldorf (5-0), Dakota Wesleyan (2-1), Dordt (2-0), Doane (3-2), Hastings (1-0) and Briar Cliff (3-2). With one of its early mantras being uncommon, Concordia has truly shown a championship mentality in response to the early falters.
Hofland has started to show his mind for goals having scored his four of his season’s five in the last six games. The Blue Mountain Christian transfer has one game winning goal. The Bulldogs are 5-0 when Hofland scores for the side. In his 16 games played, he has 23 shots with a .217 shot percentage and .522 on goal. He has 10 total points in his initial campaign with the Dawgs.
Chavarria is the current two-time GPAC Defensive Player of the Week after three stellar performances versus Dakota Wesleyan, Dordt and Hastings. The Jaca, Spain native collected five saves and a shutout against the Defenders to earn his first conference honor. The senior transfer has a 8-2 record in his 11 games played with four clean sheets. In 852 minutes, Chavarria leads the conference in goals allowed (10) and save percentage (.818). He is second in goals allowed average (0.96).
On Oct. 4, 2025, Concordia and Morningside met in the regular season as the home team took the win (3-1) in Sioux City, Iowa. Guilherme Mota finished an attack in the back of the net as the only score in the first 84 minutes. A flood of three goals came in the last six, with Morningside’s Jordan Bickel notching one in the 85th and the 89th. Ricards Busmeisters scored the lone goal after the Mustangs’ second as the Bulldogs were bested in chances (19-9) and corner kicks (5-2).
In the newest NAIA RPI released on Monday (Nov. 3), the Bulldogs are rated 86th with a 0.515 RPI score. The Seward side has the 109th-ranked schedule in the rundown. The upcoming Briar Cliff is slotted to 95th in the ratings and have earned the score with the 102nd-ranked strength of schedule. Midland has the conference’s highest rating at No. 32 and has the 62nd strongest slate. Northwestern (63) and Morningside (73) round out the top 100 for the GPAC.
The opponent
The Mustangs are 12-6-2 on the season having not lost since September. With a 9-0-2 record from October, Morningside is on a six-game win streak and playoff wins against Dakota Wesleyan (3-2) and Mount Marty (4-0). Scoring 45 goals, the MSIDE offense is third in the conference and 32 assists on the year. Garnering 122 points, the Mustangs have a .139 shot percentage with 16.2 shots per game. The defense is third in goals allowed (23) just below Concordia. The team has the most shutouts (nine) with the main keeper Tim Teschner being a part of six shutouts (two complete). With 32 saves, he has allowed 19 goals with a .627 save percentage. Jordan Bickel leads the visitors with eight goals and five assists. Javier Ruchelli has scored six with three others right behind him with five. Gustavo Dos Santos has 15 total points with five assists and goals.
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 1
(8) Mount Marty def. (1) Northwestern, 0-0 (PK's 5-4)
(4) Morningside def. (5) Dakota Wesleyan, 3-2 (OT)
(3) Concordia def. (6) Hastings, 1-0 (OT)
(7) Briar Cliff def. (2) Midland, 3-2
Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 7
(4) Morningside def. (8) Mount Marty, 4-0
(3) Concordia def. (7) Briar Cliff, 3-2
Championship – Tuesday, Nov. 11
(4) Morningside at (3) Concordia, 7 p.m.