SEWARD, Neb. – In week three of the regular season, the Concordia University Men’s Soccer team will focus its attention on a single match. The Bulldogs are getting set to welcome Benedictine College (Kan.) to Bulldog Stadium for an 8 p.m. CT kickoff on Wednesday. Back on March 20, the two programs met in Atchison, Kan., with the result being a 2-0 victory for the Ravens.
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 8 vs. Benedictine (1-2), 8 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats
Note for fans: Advance tickets can be purchased online via Concordia’s HomeTown Ticketing page. Face coverings are optional inside Bulldog Stadium but must be worn when entering any on campus indoor facilities.
Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad has gotten out to a 2-1-1 start. In last week’s action, Concordia dropped a 2-0 decision at Grand View University (Iowa) and then settled for a 1-1 double overtime draw at Kansas Wesleyan University. Max Bisinger emerged with the lone Bulldog goal last week. So far this season, Concordia is 2-0 at home with the victories coming over York College and Tabor College (Kan.). The Bulldogs own a record of 4-0-1 over their last five home games.
Through four games, Concordia has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 9-5. Six different Bulldogs have found the back of the net at least once – Bisinger (two), Garrett Perry (two), Isaiah Shaddick (two), Martin Herrera (one), Carlos Orquiz (one) and Ryan Wokutch (one). Just like last season, Concordia will likely feature a balanced attack. Shaddick led Concordia last season with six goals and is a candidate for a breakout season. Shaddick (four shots, two on goal) and Yessine Bessaïes (four shots, three on goal) were most active in the game at Grand View. The attack sputtered at Kansas Wesleyan, generating only 12 shots over 110 minutes of play.
Weides has a good problem in that he has two very capable goalkeepers in Callum Goldsmith and Federico Simonetti. The latter was named a Second Team All-GPAC honoree last season as a freshman. So far this season, Concordia has deployed three different keepers: Goldsmith (261 minutes), Simonetti (110 minutes) and Efren Flores Fierro (nine minutes). A native of Sevenoaks, England, Goldsmith entered this season having made 13 career starts. Simonetti started 16 of the 18 games last season and recorded a goals against average of 1.07 and a save percentage of .754.
A member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, Benedictine went 9-8-1 overall last season and is 1-2 so far in 2021. The Ravens were handed defeats by scores of 3-0 to John Brown University (Ark.) and 7-1 to No. 8 Bellevue University. They picked up their first win this past Saturday – 3-1 over Bethel College (Kan.). Benedictine last reached the national tournament in 2013 when it advanced to the final NAIA national championship final site. Head Coach John Sosa is in his third season leading the program.
In next week’s action, the Bulldogs will play at No. 8 Bellevue on Sept. 15 before beginning GPAC play on Sept. 18 when Mount Marty will make its way to Seward. The game versus Bellevue will mark the final nonconference match of the regular season.