SEWARD, Neb. – In a battle of GPAC rivals, a physical fight unfolded on Wednesday night (Oct. 9) between the Concordia University women’s soccer team and 22nd-ranked Midland. Star goal scorers Nayeli Rodriguez and Elena Perez both got on the board while lifting the Warriors to a 2-0 victory on a misty evening inside Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs had been 6-1-1 against Midland since the start of the 2013 season.
The blemish is the first this season within conference play for head coach Chris Luther’s squad. Concordia (3-7-1, 3-1-1 GPAC) has fallen only twice over its past 32 GPAC regular-season outings.
“Against Midland it’s always going to be a battle. It’s always going to be physical,” Luther said. “They have two really fantastic goal scorers – No. 10 and No. 11. Our focus was to shut those two players down. We feel like for the majority of the game we did successfully. Credit to Midland. They played a good game.”
For much of the first half, the Bulldogs hung right with the 2018 national quarterfinalist Warriors (7-2-1, 4-1 GPAC). Concordia was aided by an offside that disallowed a goal and a spectacular save made by goalkeeper Lindsey Carley just before the 33-minute mark. As a unit, the Bulldogs did a commendable job of limiting Midland to 11 shots (six on goal).
It’s just not an easy thing to keep Rodriguez and Perez in check for a full 90 minutes. Rodriguez emerged with a great individual effort on a left-footed shot from outside the box for the game’s first goal, occurring in the 39th minute. In a game that the Warriors controlled much of the possession, the 2-0 score felt like a comfortable lead when Perez found the back of the net in the 59th minute.
After struggling to create scoring chances throughout the nonconference portion of the schedule, Concordia went five-straight games without being shutout, prior to Wednesday. Midland held the Bulldogs to four shots with only one on goal. That strike was delivered by freshman Jaiden Beecher. Warrior keeper Rachel Thigpen earned credit for the shutout.
There were certainly some positive takeaways for a Concordia squad that can compete with anyone in the midfield, which is roamed by the likes of Madeline Haugen, Mikeila Martinez and Michaela Twito. The Bulldogs also have found a more settled lineup and formation. Wednesday’s approach favored the defensive side of things.
“We have to use our midfield. We feel like we have a really good midfield unit,” Luther said. “We just continually work on our defense. Most of the goals we’ve given up this year have been played over top of us or in through the gaps of our backs. We have to continue to work on our defensive shape.”
The gauntlet of a week will continue on Saturday with a trip to 14th-ranked Hastings (9-2, 5-1 GPAC) for a 5:30 p.m. CT kickoff from Lloyd Wilson Field. Concordia and Hastings have met in the GPAC tournament championship game in three of the past five years (2014, 2017 and 2018). The lone Bronco conference loss this season came by a 1-0 score at the hands of Briar Cliff.