YORK, Neb. – In perhaps the most commonly held rivalry in the history of Nebraska collegiate soccer, it was the Bulldogs who got the best of York College on Tuesday (Sept. 6) night. Concordia held the host Panthers to only two shots on goal in a 2-0 workmanlike victory. The two sides matched up on the natural grass field at Cornerstone Sports Complex in York.
In 15 seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs, Weides has led his side to wins in 13 of 14 clashes with York. On the season, Concordia has moved to 3-1.
“Each game has brought us something different,” Weides said. “I think a theme in this game was you just never quite knew how it was going to go. Today we scored like three minutes in, and it looked like we might be able to bang in a bunch of goals because of how we showed up ready to play. Those first 15 minutes we were really all over them but just couldn’t quite get that second goal. York fought hard – it was a physical and intense game. It was one of those where you have to manage your emotions. I was really pleased with how our guys showed great composure.”
Only 2:29 had elapsed off the clock when Dominic Abdel-Ahad put away his second goal of the season. The transfer from Northwest Nazarene University was assisted by Isaiah Shaddick. At that point, the Bulldogs appeared on their way to a productive offensive day like the one they enjoyed a year ago versus the Panthers in the 4-2 win in Seward. But York dug in and came close to finding an equalizer later in the first half.
Concordia earned some breathing room in the 53rd minute when Carter Hinman found the back of the net. He was set up by Marc Ackerman, who made the first appearance of his Bulldog career on Tuesday. Ackerman, a transfer from Central Community College, figures to show off his track speed moving forward. Meanwhile, Abdel-Ahad wound up putting three shots on goal. As a team, Concordia only narrowly outshot York, 11-9, but had an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal. Corner kicks were even at 5-5.
In goal, Federico Simonetti started for the second time this season and made one save to help preserve the clean sheet. Johan Rodriguez (four shots and one shot on goal) was the most active striker for the Panthers (2-3). By the time 90 minutes were up, the Bulldogs were satisfied to have seen out the physical battle.
Said Weides, “It was one of those that became a grind-out win. Even at 2-0, it wasn’t easy the last 10-15 minutes. York fought hard all the way to the final whistle. It was a really good overall performance for us to shut them out and walk away with the victory … Naturally there’s that rivalry because of proximity and because we play each other every year, there’s familiarity there. We’ve been fortunate to have the upper hand, but many of the games have been really intense battles. We expended a lot of energy to get this win.”
After four games away from home to start the 2022 season, Concordia will be ready to host its home opener on Saturday when No. 12 Bellevue University (2-3-1) will be in town for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. The two programs play each other on a near annual basis. The Bulldogs will attempt to defeat the Bruins for the first time since 2019.