SEWARD, Neb. – Based on the records coming into the evening, this contest appeared to be a mismatch. It played out that way on the field as the Concordia University Men’s Soccer team enjoyed its most lopsided win of the 2023 season. Five different Bulldogs got in on the goal scoring as the home team pummeled visiting McPherson College (Kan.), 7-0, on Saturday (Sept. 9). Concordia ruled the shot count, 41-2, in an utterly dominant outing.
Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad has moved to 5-0 while getting cozy on the Bulldog Stadium turf. The 4-0 home mark this season has extended the program’s home unbeaten streak to 15 (14-0-1 over that stretch).
“We were pleased with their approach,” Weides said. “Sometimes when you see a team’s record, it’s easy to make assumptions. What we saw on film is that McPherson is better than what its record shows. We knew we were going to have a challenge. No matter who the opponent is, the focus is on being better than we were last time out. We’re competing against ourselves as much as we are competing against an opponent. Our guys did a great job today of having a great mentality from start to finish.”
Some fancy footwork by Isaiah Shaddick allowed him to beat a defender and open the goal scoring in the 10th minute. A flurry ensued as Concordia found the back of the net four more times before halftime. Ferdi Hagen scored in the 15th minute and then Okan Erkocu struck once apiece in the 16th and 32nd minutes. The hard charging Ryan Wokutch also pressured a McPherson defender into drilling an own goal into the net. Shaddick assisted on the second and third goals.
The score remained 5-0 until Wokutch got on the board in the 86th minute. Less than two minutes later, Kai Olbrich found the back of the net (assisted by Jarrod Henson). Erkocu, Hagen and Olbrich each notched the first goals of their Bulldog careers. Hagen also recorded an assist. With the ball living on Concordia’s attacking third, the Bulldogs smelled blood in the water.
Said Weides, “Ultimately I think we left a few goals on the table but we got 41 shots throughout the game. We challenged our guys at halftime to have equal or more shots as we did the first half, and we did a great job of that. We had the ball most of the time and counter-pressed really well and created a lot of chances. These games are great to see some guys who haven’t had as many minutes get a chance to succeed.”
A native of Kiel, Germany, Erkocu is one of the newcomers that has helped raise the Bulldogs’ level. Currently rated as the No. 1 team in the GPAC, Concordia has high hopes thanks to the presence of standouts such as Erkocu in the midfield. As he said afterwards, “Of course I’m feeling great (about the goals), but first of all, the team is more important. If I can help with goals, of course I’ll take it. My goal is to help the team.”
A couple of starters sat out due to injuries Concordia hopes will be only temporary setbacks. The Bulldogs plan to get Iker Casanova and Carter Hinman (team high five goals this season) back in the starting eleven in the near future.
Now in his fifth year at Concordia, Shaddick has run his career totals to 19 goals and 15 assists. He’s working on becoming the 11th player in program history to hit the 20-goal mark. On the other end of the field, Gabriel Mendoza earned the shutout on a light 90 minutes in goal. He made one save. In addition to the large shot discrepancy, the Bulldogs owned a 16-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The second road contest of the 2023 season will take place on Wednesday when the Bulldogs will be headed to Atchison, Kan., for a 7:30 p.m. CT clash with Benedictine College (Kan.). Concordia got credit for a forfeit win after the squads met in Seward in 2021 (most recent matchup). The Bulldogs last traveled to Benedictine in March of 2021 when the Ravens picked up a 2-0 win.