SEWARD, Neb. – With the first notch in their 2023 belt, Concordia will open the current week hosting two KCAC opponents starting with York University (Aug. 30) and Tabor College (Kan.) on Saturday (Sept. 2). The Bulldogs fought for a season opening tone-setting win against Graceland defeating them 2-1 on Saturday night (Aug. 26). The defense may not have came out strong in the first three minutes but the men’s soccer team made it difficult on the Yellow Jackets in their attacking third the final 87 minutes conceding no more goals.
This Week
Wednesday, Aug. 30 vs. York (0-0-1), 5:30 p.m.
-Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium
Saturday, Sept. 2 vs. Tabor (6-9-2), 8 p.m.
-Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium
By the numbers
· Like many teams on their first match of the season, Concordia didn’t look like a finished product in the first match versus Graceland. It was a gritty (2-1) win in which the defense gave up an early 3’ goal on a set play by the Yellow Jackets. Carter Hinman and a pack of Bulldogs ran back on a fast break to quickly respond with a goal only three minutes later on the sixth career assist by Ryan Wokutch. Hinman led the dogs with four shots with Victor Meneses right behind with two. The physicality rose throughout the match with eight cards given in 90 minutes as Graceland’s Manny Zambrano recorded his second yellow leaving them down a man for the rest of the half. After a foul inside the box, Victor Meneses took advantage of a penalty kick scoring the eventual game winner and recording his sixth career goal. Adrian Wambua and Iker Casanova bolstered the back line helping Gabriel Mendoza to only have two shots on goal in the 90 minutes.
· 2022 Second team All-GPAC Matt Schultz decided to take full advantage of his fifth year (Covid) of eligibility. The Lincoln, Neb. native has played in 54 games as of Saturday and has played in double digit games since he was a Freshman. By the offensive numbers, his Sophomore season and his Senior season were his most notable. As a Sophomore, he tallied two goals and two assists with one game winning goal. In his Senior (traditional) year, he had one game winning goal and four assists in his 11 shots. His most memorable moment could easily be his lone goal in his Junior season where he scored in the GPAC quarterfinals against Morningside in Sioux City.
· Six Freshman saw a significant amount of playing time against Graceland as with one getting the starting nod in Okan Erkou. Born in Kiel, Germany, he played a significant role in the midfield winning the ball multiple times over the 90 minutes. Coming out of Lincoln, Neb. Lane Kruse was able to contribute one shot in his debut for the Bulldogs as he entered later halfway through the first half for Hinman. Along with Kruse, entered Michael Owens and Kai Olbrich getting their first playing time as a Bulldog. The two couldn’t have more opposite personalities as Owens comes out of Lima, Peru and features a quiet demeanor and Olbrich , out of Bennington, Neb., brings a dominant personality to the locker room. Other Freshman featured early in their career are Youseff Heggy and Ferdi Hagen.
York
The KCAC Panthers tied their only game so far this 2023 season against Concordia’s GPAC conference foe Doane. The two teams tied 1-1 last Tuesday (Aug. 22) as Alexandre Motta scored the lone goal for York. They were in single digits for shots making it a defensive affair bringing the physicality with 33 total fouls in the match. They ended with a 6-6-7 in the 2022 season with wins over Doane, Presentation, and tying with Northwestern (1-1). The only GPAC team from last year to best the Panthers were the Bulldogs in a 2-0 victory in early Sept. in York, Neb. Returning Isaiah Shaddick scored one of the two goals that sealed the win against the close counterparts. If the physicality trend continues, the Panthers will not hold back because of cards earning 6 to Concordia’s one last match. York lost their only double-digit scoring threat from last season but returned their second leading scorer in Patrick Nunes who now wears number nine after the exit of Johan Rodriguez. Nunes and Matias Madriaga are the only returning starters from their final game of last season. The first matchup took place in 2006 with York getting the better of Concordia but now the Panthers are on a three game losing streak to the Bulldogs with CUNE owning the history with a 21-5. York has only won twice in Bulldog Stadium with the last win coming in 2006.
Tabor
The Bluejays have yet to take the pitch in 2023 as they are scheduled to play University of Science and Arts Oklahoma this Tuesday (Aug. 29). They return from a 6-9-2 overall record last year going which was down form their 2021 season. They were 1-1 against GPAC competition defeating Briar Cliff (1-0) at home early in the season. A week later they faced the Bulldogs in front of their home crowd eventually falling (3-2) bringing their record to 0-2 against CUNE all time. Grant Brubacher enters his 17th season as head coach of the Bluejays men’s program. They return KCAC honorable mention honoree Sam Butler leading goal scorer who had six goals and Owen Bellamy the assists leader (3) for Tabor in 2022. Maybe the biggest return is fourth year starting goalkeeper Jesus Rondon.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time this season traveling to Bellevue (Aug. 5) then return home to host another nonconference match on Saturday (Sept. 9). The matches are listed below and will be hosted at Bellevue Soccer Club and Bulldog Stadium.
Wednesday, Sept. 5
7:30 p.m. – vs. Bellevue
Saturday, Sept. 9
5:30 – vs. McPherson