SEWARD, Neb. – Inigo Chavarria locked down the Dordt attack finding quality attempts but couldn’t respond to the two scores by the Bulldogs in the second frame on Saturday (Oct. 25). Jasper Hofland slid in the game-winner just after the halftime break and the Seward side would never surrender the lead following the go-ahead.
Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer has won four of its last five, with a 6-3 conference showing and reaches .500 (8-8) with one game remaining.
“It was good to put the ball in the back of the net,” Head Coach Jason Weides said. “We didn’t do it in the first half but I thought the first 15 minutes were good. We caused ourselves some problems in the first half. It was a good start to the second half to get a goal early on and we just never looked back.”
After a flurry that would come to nothing for the Defenders at the end of the first half, Mattis Hollnagel pushed the ball forward with a Karlo Rodriguez touch to keep the ball in play for Hofland. The Papendrecht, Netherlands, native outran his defender and buried the side-shot score for his fourth of the season.
Oliver Balazs found a ricochet off the keeper and streamlined the insurance score into the back of the Dordt net. The midfielder, out of Budapest, Hungary, notched his second on the scoresheet this year.
Goalie Chavarria and the Bulldog defense spurned every Dordt offensive try with two big rounds of shots coming in each half. The Harding University transfer sealed off the posts and saved three just before the midway point and two after the first goal for Concordia. Making impressive stops, the Spaniard earned his first clean sheet and has totaled a 5-2 record in his seven games.
Said Weides, “There were a couple of those that were double saves. It was really important moments where a keeper makes a save and has to get up and make another save. He was big and came out and did what we needed him to do, especially in moments where we made mistakes. What we need to get results sometimes is for a teammate to cover up for another’s mistake and he came through in those moments.”
Multiple saves were made not just by Chavarria but by Niko Narike, Adrian Wambua, Mike Wyvill and Slade Leicht as the net was in danger in different parts of the contest. The Dawgs had a slight shot disadvantage, 14-12, (5-5 SOG) with Cleme Suarez (four) and Hofland (three) taking the majority of the chances, constantly looking for more final strikes. CUNE earned a 7-6 corner edge.
The Defenders’ midfielder Pablo Martin Domingo led the team in shots and goalkeeper Shad Jaeger had three saves. Dordt (4-6-6, 1-4-4 GPAC) will finish its regular season with rival Northwestern in Sioux Center on Wednesday.
Concordia (8-8, 6-3 GPAC) will also face its in-state rival Doane (2-9-4, 1-4-4 GPAC) on Wednesday. The two teams will step into Bulldog Stadium at 5:30 p.m. CT.