SEWARD, Neb. – A two-goal first half advantage slipped away as top-seeded Concordia University, Nebraska Men's Soccer fell in a dramatic penalty shootout to fourth-seeded Dakota Wesleyan in the GPAC semifinals on Friday night (Nov. 6). The Bulldogs struck twice in the opening 26 minutes, but the Tigers clawed back with two early second-half goals. After 110 minutes ended in a 2-2 deadlock, DWU prevailed, 5-4, in the dramatic shootout at Bulldog Stadium.
Head Coach Bernie Ochoa and the Bulldogs moved to 13-4-1 overall following the postseason battle.
“Once you go into penalty kicks, it’s 50-50,” Coach Ochoa said. “At that point, you hope you can execute. We chose to shoot first to apply a little pressure on them. At the end of the day, it comes down to the shooters making their shots and our keeper coming up with a big save. Unfortunately, we just didn’t come up with that save or that shot to finish it off.”
In the standoff, the visitors edged Concordia to secure their place in the GPAC championship match. Dakota Wesleyan goalkeeper Carter Hanson stopped the final penalty in goal. Sean Stratman, Joe McCarroll, Mattis Hollnagel and Lucas Montino made the first four shots for the Bulldogs in the shootout.
The home squad came out firing on all cylinders, overwhelming the visitors with an 11-5 (7-0 SOG) shot advantage in the opening 45 minutes. The aggressive offensive approach paid dividends in the 15th minute when Joe McCarroll broke the scoreless tie. Hugo Garrote provided the assist as McCarroll buried his ninth goal of the season.
The Bulldogs doubled their advantage less than 12 minutes later. Niko Nareike found the back of the net in the 26th minute off a feed from Kai Olbrich. The fourth goal of Nareike's campaign gave Concordia a commanding 2-0 halftime lead.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically coming out of the locker rooms.
Dakota Wesleyan wasted little time mounting its comeback. In the 51st minute, the Tigers’ Evan Bolster cashed in on a chance created by Maximilian Nolle to cut the deficit in half. The visitors continued their pursuit of the equalizer, finding it less than four minutes later. Luis Waeschle delivered the game-tying strike in the 55th minute, erasing Concordia's cushion in 10 minutes.
The visitors flipped the script in the second stanza, outshooting the Bulldogs 9-3. Goalkeeper Florian Quast made four saves in the period to prevent DWU from completing the comeback in regulation.
Despite the result, Concordia held advantages in total shots (18-14) and shots on goal (10-6). Kai Olbrich spearheaded the Bulldog attack with six shots, including four on target. McCarroll followed with four attempts, while Nareike converted one of his two shots on frame.
Dakota Wesleyan’s Hanson collected eight saves with the most impactful in his final guard. The Tigers will travel to second-seeded Dordt for the championship. They have advanced in both rounds via penalties.
No. 22 ranked Concordia will look to receive an at-large bid to nationals with an unblemished 10-0 GPAC record, bolstering their resume with a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1). The selection show is set for Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. CT.
Ochoa continued, “I’m definitely proud. I’m a proud coach, and I’m proud of the boys and what they’ve accomplished this year. It’s been my first year, and it’s definitely been a learning year for me, but at the same time, it’s been a great one. They’ve done an awesome job.”