Season high goal total leads into games vs. Morningside, Jamestown

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 4, 2021 in Men's Soccer

SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Soccer team got a boost of confidence over the weekend with a season high goal scoring outburst at Dakota Wesleyan. That performance leads the Bulldogs (5-5-1, 3-2 GPAC) into a week that features a home matchup with Morningside on Wednesday and a road battle with Jamestown on Saturday. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad currently finds itself in a three-way tie for third place in the GPAC standings. Currently, Briar Cliff (7-1 GPAC) and Northwestern (5-0 GPAC) reside at the top of the conference.

Wednesday, Oct. 6 vs. Morningside (6-4, 3-2), 8 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats

Saturday, Oct. 9 at Jamestown (3-4-2, 2-2-1), 6:30 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats

Concordia is glad to leave behind a month of September that brought a number of frustrating results. It went 2-5-2 in seven September outings. The five goals scored in Mitchell, S.D., in a 5-1 win over Dakota Wesleyan last week helped exercise some demons for the Bulldogs, who had struggled to find the back of the net for most of September. Over the previous seven games, Concordia totaled a combined six goals (and was shut out three times). The five goals at Dakota Wesleyan represented a season high, surpassing the Bulldogs’ production in wins by scores of 4-2 over York College and 4-0 over Tabor College (Kan.). On the season, Concordia has collected 19 goals in 11 games.

Isaiah Shaddick helped make it a runaway at Dakota Wesleyan by scoring twice after halftime. The outing marked the third multi-goal game of Shaddick’s career. Other goal scorers in the victory included Yessine Bessaïes, Garrett Perry and Carter Hinman. A native of Gretna, Neb., Hinman recorded his first career goal. Shaddick and Perry are now tied for the team lead with four goals apiece this season. The outburst came following 1-0 losses that came at the hands of Northwestern and Midland. Prior to the game at DWU, the Bulldogs played in three-straight games that ended in 1-0 final scores.

On a positive note, Concordia has not allowed any of its GPAC opponents to score more than one goal. The Bulldogs began GPAC play with wins over Mount Marty, 2-0, and Dordt, 1-0. Weides is confident the defensive results will be solid no matter who plays keeper. Three different players have started at keeper: Callum Goldsmith, Gabriel Mendoza and Federico Simonetti. Among them, Simonetti has logged the most minutes with 462:22. On the back line, Iker Casanova and Decker Mattimoe have both started all 11 games as constants.

The Mustangs are battle tested having played two NAIA top 10 opponents outside the conference: then No. 8 Bellevue (4-1 win) and then No. 9 MidAmerica Christian (Okla.) (3-1 loss). Morningside snapped a three-game skid over the weekend with a 6-0 thumping of Doane. It marked the fourth time this season the Mustangs have totaled four or more goals in a game. Moritz Lusch is the team goals leader with seven. He’s also added six assists on the year. The Bulldogs last defeated Morningside in 2017.

Jamestown is in its fourth season as a member of the GPAC. The Jimmies picked up a signature victory on Sept. 23 when they toppled Hastings at home, 2-1. Jamestown has also played Midland and Morningside to double overtime contests (defeated Midland and lost to Morningside). The Jimmies finished last season at 6-10 overall (5-6 GPAC) and had the campaign end with a loss to Hastings in the GPAC quarterfinals. Concordia defeated Jamestown, 4-1, last season in Seward.

As for next week, the Bulldogs will take a mid-week bye before heading to Hastings on Oct. 16.