Those who followed Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer team through its 2025 journey are well aware of the rough start. While up against a challenging nonconference slate, the Bulldogs scored just one goal over the season’s first four games and stood at 0-4. It’s a testament to the team’s character and resolve that, instead of going off the rails, the campaign finished with a historic achievement. The ’25 team became the first in program history to advance past the first round of the national tournament.
In dramatic fashion, the Bulldogs bounced No. 24 Eastern Oregon University from NAIA national championship play on Nov. 20. It came down to penalty kicks, which resulted in a 4-2 advantage for Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad. It will forever be an unforgettable moment in the program’s history.
“This team showed its mental resilience,” Weides said. “We had one of the worst starts we’ve ever had and then won a conference tournament title and got to nationals. To win in the first round and be in position to possibly advance to the final site against all odds – I’m just really proud of them. Whether it’s our leadership council or all the newcomers really growing into the season and the returners helping to cultivate and build our culture, it’s a season I’ll always remember. It’s a very resilient group that was fun to work with.”
Out of the despair of the 0-4 start, Weides’ 2025 team experienced the thrill of winning the GPAC Championship Game in front of the home fans at Bulldog Stadium before then traveling to Olathe, Kan., for NAIA National Championship tournament action. In other words, this edition of Concordia Men’s Soccer soaked up two of the most meaningful results in program history. It took some time, but eventually the Bulldogs discovered their winning formula. A squad that remained below .500 until late October finished at 12-9-1 overall while going 10-3 against GPAC competition (including the postseason).
That winning formula revolved around stingy defensive play and an offensive attack that grew more potent as the fall wore on. The addition of Ricards Busmeisters, a First Team All-GPAC honoree, proved critical. The Riga, Latvia, native led the team with 10 goals and clinched the PK shootout for Concordia with the strike that sunk Eastern Oregon. The GPAC All-Conference honor roll for the Bulldogs also included second teamers in Oliver Balazs, Hugo Garrote and Slade Leicht and honorable mention selections in Inigo Chavarria, Nolan Fuelberth, Adrian Wambua and Mike Wyvill.
The roster was revamped considerably from the previous year as Weides welcomed in one of the largest recruiting classes during his 18-year tenure. There were growing pains in the beginning, and almost nothing came easy, as exemplified by the postseason run. In the GPAC tournament, the Bulldogs won all three games by one-goal margins: 1-0 (overtime) over Hastings, 3-2 over Briar Cliff and 2-1 over Morningside in the conference final. Concordia embraced the tight moments.
“There’s a lot of luck involved when you get to PK’s, but it’s about your preparation and your confidence,” said Weides in breaking down the first round of the national tournament. “I think we’ve won five out of six PK shootouts in our time. We feel really confident when we get to those moments. Even though it could go either way, our guys are prepared. They did the job. Inigo our goalkeeper is another reason we feel confident. He’s been amazing in those situations. He came up with two big saves. It was an important national tournament win for us. It’s a great step for our program to be able to go deeper into national tournaments. We’ve been there before, but we weren’t able to get past that first round. It was a really important moment for us.”
The season ended one win shy of reaching the national tournament final site, Orange Beach, Ala. In round two played in Olathe, the Bulldogs were defeated, 3-0, by site host MidAmerica Nazarene University in a contest that was more competitive than the final score indicated. In a unique twist, Concordia went up against a former ally in Ferdi Hagen, who scored one of the Pioneers’ three goals. The Bulldogs were beaten despite a 10-9 edge in the shot category. Even in defeat, Weides came away encouraged by how his side showed it belonged on the same field as an opponent ranked No. 2 in the NAIA coaches’ poll.
Said Weides, “I thought it might be a tough match with us coming off double overtime and being pretty fatigued. It was the second time all year where we went: game, day off, game. I thought we might get caught defending most of the game, and it really wasn’t that way. Our guys handled their press really well and were able to build and get forward and create chances. Possession was pretty even. The difference in that match was set plays … It showed we can play with the top teams and compete at this level. It’s unfortunate we’re not down in Orange Beach, but I think our team got one step closer to being prepared to get there in the future.”
Over 22 games in 2025, Concordia outscored its opponents by a combined total of 34-28 and won its final 10 home games of the season. The team’s top goal scorers outside of Busmeisters were Jasper Hofland (five), Oliver Bneson (four), Kai Olbrich (four) and Hugo Garrote (three). Benson paced the Bulldogs with six assists, one of which came on Busmeister’s game-winning goal in the GPAC tournament final. Garrote also produced one of the season’s most critical goals as he scored on a free kick to defeat Hastings in the GPAC quarterfinals.
At the keeper position, Chavarria eventually became the full-time starter after transferring from Harding University. He split time earlier in the season with an accomplished keeper in Fuelberth. Among GPAC keepers, Chavarria ranked second in goals against average (1.02) and third in save percentage (.778). He had a strong back line in front of him thanks to the likes of All-GPAC honorees in Leicht, Wambua and Wyvill.
The initial struggles made it all the more rewarding when the Bulldogs hoisted the GPAC championship trophy and celebrated with the conference championship banner. No matter the personnel departures from the previous year, Concordia expects to be a factor every fall in the conference championship race. In 2025, nothing changed. The route to a championship was an “uncommon” one. The word ‘uncommon’ happened to be the team’s theme. It was an apt descriptor considering where the Bulldogs stood in September.
For the seniors who are moving on, they can take pride in what has been accomplished in recent years. Back on senior day (Sept. 6), the program honored eight seniors: Santiago Abadia, Caleb Babisak, Oliver Benson, Inigo Chavarria, Lance Kiango, Slade Leicht, Kondwani Mtawali and Adrian Wambua. The four-year seniors were part of GPAC tournament title runs in 2022 and 2025 and helped the 2023 team reach as high as No. 18 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The ’24 squad also hosted the conference final and was the runner up.
That veteran group helped hold things together during moments of doubt. That doubt transitioned into belief and gave way to a championship season.
“We suffered together,” Weides said. “If you’re willing to endure and suffer together, sometimes you can have that reward at the end. It was a great joy to see them have that reward. After the first four, five or six games, I can’t imagine there were many people that thought we were capable of doing that. Sometimes it’s about proving yourself wrong and proving others wrong along the way. It was fun to have this playoff run in front of Bulldog Nation and be able to host all three rounds and have the GPAC final at home for the second year in a row. Those are special moments. This was the first championship that we won at home. That made it really special.”
For an inside look at the GPAC title run, check out our feature from Nov. 16 titled, “An uncommon journey: from 0-4 to GPAC championship glory.” That feature can be found HERE.