YANKTON, S.D. – Call it a workmanlike effort against an opponent that had not yet been beaten in 2022. Ultimately, a goal from Miguel Navarro in the 76th minute provided the difference on the scoreboard as the Concordia University Men’s Soccer team walked away from Yankton, S.D., with a 2-1 victory over Mount Marty on Saturday (Sept. 17). The result marked the fourth time this season the Bulldogs have won by a one-goal margin.
Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad has jumped out to a 6-1 overall record while winning its conference opener. It got all it could handle from the Lancers.
“This is one of the best Mount Marty teams we’ve seen,” Weides said. “They certainly made it challenging for us. It’s a small field with tight spaces, but I think our guys did pretty well overall. I thought we fought hard and responded well from an own goal. I saw a good mentality in our team and a good response. We got a lot of quality energy from our bench. I think it spurred the guys to keep on fighting. We didn’t play beautifully, but we did the job.”
The closely contested clash was a 0-0 stalemate all the way until the 54th minute. Out of a scrum, the Bulldogs emerged with a goal that was credited to Jarrod Henson. Roughly 20 minutes later, Mount Marty celebrated a goal that was helped into the back of the net by a Concordia player attempting to clear the ball. The Bulldogs responded affirmatively and regained the lead just a few minutes later when Navarro found the back of the net while assisted by Martin Herrera.
Over the final 15 minutes of play, Concordia keeper Gabriel Mendoza made a pair of saves in thwarting the Lancers’ attempt to pull even. Shots were not easy to come by on a night when both teams took exactly six apiece. Mendoza totaled five saves in what was nearly a fourth-straight clean sheet.
Shutout or not, the Bulldogs are showing their mettle in games that come down to the wire. They are stockpiling wins even as a big goal scoring outbreak is yet to happen. The program has won at least six of its first seven games for the third time in four seasons. The 2019 squad reached 7-0 before suffering a loss in game No. 8.
Said Weides, “We can get better and improve, and we will. It’s good when you’re finding ways to win. It was a good team effort top to bottom. They worked hard for this win and our guys deserve it. Mount Marty was undefeated for a reason. I think they’re going to be a challenge for a lot of GPAC opponents.”
Mount Marty finished last season at 6-9-1 overall (4-7 GPAC) and entered the weekend at 5-0-1 this fall. Prior to Saturday, the Lancers had been dangerous on the attack with outbursts of 10 goals versus Trinity Bible College, five versus Nebraska Wesleyan University and four versus York College.
Another GPAC road trip is coming up Wednesday when Concordia will be at Dordt (2-2-3, 0-0-1 GPAC) for a 7:15 p.m. CT kickoff in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Defenders drew with Briar Cliff in their GPAC opener this past Wednesday. In the 2021 meeting, the Bulldogs edged Dordt, 1-0.