SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs completed the first perfect (10-0) conference run for the first time in school history. Newly tabbed 22nd-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer knocked down every GPAC opponent, finishing with Midland, 3-1, on Wednesday (Oct. 28) night.
First Year Head Coach Bernie Ochoa and his Dawgs roll to an 11-game winning streak, having not seen a loss since early September.
"I'm just really happy for the guys and what they've accomplished,” Coach Ochoa commented. “One game at a time has been our mentality, and they deserve every bit of it. Mentally, it was tough clinching early and knowing that we had already secured the championship, but we knew we needed to finish it off because we were so close. These guys battled adversity and every situation possible. At the end of the day, we stayed composed and were able to finish it out. Scoring that last goal shows our character and what this team is all about."
The Bulldogs wanted to put their feet on the gas from the outset and leave no doubt. In the 2nd minute, Kai Olbrich punched in the first score with an unassisted finish. Later in the half, Joe McCarroll dialed up a wicked corner towards the back post, and Niko Nareike made good on a header on the back end.
The first half physicality set the tone as eight yellow cards would be handed out in the opening stanza. Concordia (seven) would own the majority of the 10 total clock stopping fouls. The home squad outclassed the Warriors in shots in the first 45 minutes, 18-5.
Coming out of the break, Midland picked up the pace in its attack and was awarded a penalty in the 59th minute. Akseli Partanen punished the Bulldogs for the free kick, and the lead was instantly cut in half.
With Midland taking some of the momentum, Concordia didn’t shy away from trying to put the match to bed. Milo Hegarty put the final nail in the coffin and secured the unblemished league season.
The Seward roster continued to go deep into the bench playing 20 Bulldogs. With the defense shutting down the Warriors, and rotating guys, Michael Wyvill and Hugo Garrote were the two making the complete 90-minute trek.
“It feels incredible,” Wyvill said. “Obviously, before the season starts, that’s the goal. But I mean, you never really expect to go 10-0. We have talked to the guys, and our job is not finished. We have three games that our coming up that are more important than the regular season.”
The final shot count ended with a Concordia advantage (29-19) with a much closer second frame.
The Bulldogs were the first to win a GPAC regular season championship and did so in undisputed fashion.
Concordia (12-4, 10-0 GPAC) has earned the No. 1 seed and will host in-state No. 8 seed Doane (4-9-3, 3-6-1 GPAC) on Saturday (Oct. 31). The Bulldogs will take the field at 7 p.m. CT. They defeated the Tigers, 2-1, on Sept. 23 in Crete. The complete GPAC tournament bracket can be found via the GPAC website.
Ochoa continued, "We talk about the road to nationals. We have to win the next three games, and that's our mentality. It's win or go home. We've had that mentality from day one."