Bowder and the Bulldogs fall on senior day
By Taylor Mueller, Sports Information Assistant
SEWARD, Neb. – Head coach Lisa White’s Bulldog women’s soccer squad ended the regular season with a one-sided loss on senior night, as it fell to Northwestern College, 4-0.
After a solid performance in the first half, the Bulldogs struggled to find any momentum in the second half, with Northwestern (9-6-2, 6-3-1 GPAC) scoring goals in the 49th, 53rd and 55th minutes.
“Our first half was fantastic other than the goal they scored,” White said. “I was really pleased with the effort of the entire team; moving the ball around and keeping possession of the ball.”
In a game that was more competitive than the final score indicated, the Bulldogs’ 13 shots were just one less than that of Northwestern. Concordia (6-8-1, 4-5-1 GPAC) got solid play from the likes of junior forward Jordan Donohoue, junior defender Emily Fleming and junior goalkeeper Jessica Clifford.
Seniors Kyleah Bowder and Kelsie Elder were recognized prior to the game in what was the final game at Bulldog Stadium in their careers. Bowder has been a fixture on the Concordia back line with 64 games played over the last four years.
White commented on the impact that the two seniors had on the program.
“It’s tough to sum it up in a brief sentence, but they have ensured that we keep going in the right direction,” White said. “They came in with a large class as freshmen and are the only two remaining. They’ve had such an impact on our culture and our team environment.”
Bowder commented on what her career as a Bulldog meant to her, now that she has stepped on the Concordia turf for one last game.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Bowder said. “It just stinks that I’m never going to play here again. It’s a special place with special people. (Kelsie and I) just talked about how much we love our team. We went to the hall of fame banquet and everyone talked about how you just remember the memories and we’ll always remember our teammates. I just can’t emphasize enough how much they mean to us and made it all worth it.”
The Bulldogs are now in a win or go home situation, as they begin conference tournament play on Oct. 30. Seventh-seeded Concordia will be at second-seeded Doane for a 5 p.m. opening round game. The Bulldogs hope to avenge a 5-0 home loss to Doane on Oct. 23.
“The rebound ability with them is not something we worry about,” White said. “We had a tough game on Tuesday and we came back and played well tonight regardless of what the results showed.”
"Soccer is a game that can go either way. It’s almost like a clean slate and hopefully we can get some wins,” Bowder said.