SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia Bulldogs open the 2020 season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, as they play host to the Bellevue Bruins with kickoff set for 8 p.m.
Wednesday’s contest will be carried live (video/statistics) on the Concordia Sports Network.
A year ago, the Bulldogs notched an impressive 3-1 win over the Bruins. The win was part of an impressive seven-game winning streak to open the season. 13th-year head coach Jason Weides would be satisfied if Concordia could duplicate last season’s start in 2020. Concordia and Bellevue have split their last four matchups dating back to 2016.
The Bulldogs will look to continue their streak of 10 consecutive winning seasons. Concordia returns three All-GPAC honorable mention performers, Sophomore Defender Renzo Bozzo, Sophomore Midfielder Moises Jacobo and Senior Midfielder Garrett Perry. Jacobo and Perry combined for 11 goals in 2019 and are expected to account for a significant of scoring as the team’s leading attackers. Newcomer David Moreno will be expected to provide leadership and production as well. Moreno appeared in 41 games at Northwestern Ohio before arriving in Seward.
One headline for the Bulldogs coming into the season is the goalkeeper position. With the departure of Eduardo Alba, Junior Callum Goldsmith and newcomers Santiago Esparza and Federico Simonetti are all in the mix for the starting job.
Bellevue started their season this past Saturday as they defeated William Penn in a 5-1 rout. During that matchup, the Bruins fired on all cylinders as they netted four goals in the first half. Overall, Bellevue out-shot William Penn 9-5 on shots on goal. Senior Defender Gabriel Giaotto headlined the stat sheet as he netted two goals and recorded an assist in the win.
After playing Bellevue, the Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 12, as they travel to MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.