DeFeyter goal salvages 1-1 tie in double overtime affair with Doane
SEWARD, Neb. – Playing in a rivalry that has frequently resulted in overtime affairs, the Concordia University men’s soccer team battled Doane for 110 minutes before settling for a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night. The latest Concordia-Doane tilt marked the eighth time in the last 10 meetings that the two sides have needed overtime to decide the outcome.
The Bulldogs finished the night at 6-4-2 overall and 2-1-1 inside conference play (tied with Doane for fifth).
“It’s a passionate rivalry. We’ve been playing each other for a long time,” head coach Jason Weides said. “The last 10 years have been really tight games typically decided by a goal in overtime. This is one of the few times it’s actually ended in a draw.”
After trailing 1-0 for nearly 30 minutes of second-half action, Concordia got the equalizer on a great ball from Marcos Leon that traveled roughly 40 yards. Senior midfielder DeFeyter controlled it from just wide of the left post and fired it into the back of the net to score for the fourth time over the past three games. The 81st-minute goal allowed Concordia to force overtime and eventually secure the tie and one point in the league standings.
“It’s a run. Runs don’t last. I don’t like looking at it like that,” DeFeyter said of his recent goal-scoring binge. “Overall it’s good team play. Everybody’s been moving the ball and I’ve just been finishing. I know other people will step up and finish.”
In a contest in which offensive chances were at a premium (10-7 shot advantage for Concordia), the two overtimes saw physical play but only occasional serious threats. Doane nearly knocked in the golden goal late in the second overtime when a clear look for Aaron Carman hit the cross bar.
Bulldog senior goalkeeper Brendan Buchanan made two important saves earlier in the game. He preserved a 0-0 tie at the 60-minute mark with a nifty save of a bullet of a shot off the right leg of Isaac Beber. Buchanan’s quick reflexes allowed him to deflect the ball up over the cross bar.
Just a couple of minutes later, the Tigers cracked the scoreboard on a perfectly executed free kick delivered by Gabe Garbin that found TJ Kulawik, who headed the ball past Buchanan in the 53rd minute.
But for most of the night, both defensive efforts dominated a rough and tumble game that included a combined 28 fouls.
“Between us and Doane, we always fight,” DeFeyter said. “There’s always a scrap. Today we came out even but hopefully we’ll meet them in the playoffs and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
Just after Doane’s goal, junior Gideon Soenksen broke behind the defenders and found himself one-one-one with goalkeeper Casey Clark, who dove on the ball as Soenksen tried to unwind on the shot. Other than DeFeyter’s goal, Soenksen’s run at the net was about as close as Concordia got to putting another tally on the board.
Overall, Weides came away pleased with his team’s energy in yet another nip-and-tuck game that has been common this season.
“It was a hard-earned point,” Weides said. “It was disappointing to not get three points and get a win, but we can’t fault the effort of our guys. I thought we took a step forward as a team.”
The Bulldogs now enjoy the weekend off before returning to action on Wednesday, Oct. 15 when they play at Nebraska Wesleyan (4-7, 1-4 GPAC). In last year’s meeting in Seward, the Bulldogs defeated the Prairie Wolves, 4-2.