SEWARD, Neb. – A Morningside win last week over Hastings, coupled with a Bulldog victory, has resulted in a three-way tie atop the GPAC standings. That means a share of the GPAC championship will be on the line when the Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer team hosts in-state rival Midland on Wednesday night. In the event of a deadlock at the top, tiebreakers will be needed to decide the highest seeds heading into the conference tournament that begins on Nov. 3. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad moved to 8-1-1 in league play (9-3-3 overall) with this past weekend’s 4-0 rout of Northwestern.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 28 vs. Midland (1-13-1, 1-8-1 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
NOTE: The GPAC tournament begins on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
By the numbers
• In the latest NAIA RPI, the Bulldogs leapt eight spots to No. 29 (in the Oct. 26 edition). Officially, Concordia’s strength of schedule rates as the 28th toughest in the nation. The GPAC is strongly represented in the RPI with Morningside landing at No. 13 and Hastings checking in at No. 22. Based on the RPI, the Bulldogs’ win over Morningside is their most impressive result of the season. Out of conference, Concordia played their highly rated foes in No. 16 Science & Arts of Oklahoma (4-0 loss) and No. 32 Bellevue University (1-1 draw). The latest RPI can be found HERE.
• While the program has experienced plenty of success since breaking through with a GPAC tournament championship in 2014, the Bulldogs have celebrated only one regular season conference championship. The 2017 team led by Head Coach Greg Henson captured the 2017 outright GPAC title while finishing at 9-0-1 in league play. Since then, Concordia has placed second four times (2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025). In addition to the ’14 postseason championship, the Bulldogs also won GPAC tournament titles in 2016 and 2020. In GPAC women’s soccer, automatic national tournament bids are awarded to both the conference regular season and tournament champions (the No. 1 seed earns the regular season auto bid). If the same team wins both, the second auto bid is granted to the regular season runner up.
• Weides’ team made use of a mid-week bye for rest and recovery. Concordia was well-prepared for Northwestern, winning by a score of 4-0. The Red Raiders had been a thorn in the Bulldogs’ side (having lost to them in 2024 and having tied them in 2025). In last week’s meeting, Concordia goals were scored by Guadulupe Sanchez (22’), Charli Preister (39’ and 42’) and Abby Haynes (61’). Assists were credited to Hayes, Triniti Rowe (two) and Preister. Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Northwestern to six shots (three on goal). In goal, Aaliyah Matthews played 73 minutes before giving way to Aliya Vidro. They collaborated on the team’s seventh shutout this season. Rowe teamed up with Evie Keller at center back.
• The presence of Keller and Rowe in the back made it possible for Weides to shift Preister forward in the attack. The Columbus High School product had previously played center back. The tactical shift worked wonders as Preister scored a pair of goals versus Northwestern while peppering the Red Raider defense with seven shots. Weides referred to Preister as one of the GPAC’s best players when the ball is in the air. Her first goal in the Northwestern game was a header that came off a free kick from Triniti Rowe. Preister is one of three Bulldogs who hail from Columbus, Neb. The others are sophomore Abby Haynes and senior Joey Long.
• In conference games only, Concordia has outscored the opposition, 28-6. Sophomore Guadulupe Sanchez leads the team in overall goals (eight) and goals within GPAC play (six). Sanchez is followed in the goal scoring column by Abby Haynes (six), Molli Kalsbeck (four), Preister (three), Avery Black (two), Kianna Perez (two), Kyana Rios (two) and Addie Snyder (two). As a defender, Rowe paces the team with six assists. According to official statistics, six players have surpassed 1,000 minutes played this season: Evie Keller (1,318), Black (1,293), Preister (1,167), Snyder (1,151), Rios (1,050) and Matthews (1,046).
The opponent
Midland is in the process of attempting to return to the type of success it enjoyed in 2023 when it won the GPAC tournament and qualified for the national tournament. Third-year Head Coach Keri Cordell’s squad enters Wednesday’s game with a record of 1-13-1 (1-8-1 GPAC). Eliminated from GPAC tournament contention, the Warriors will wrap up their season this week by traveling to Concordia on Wednesday and to Bellevue University on Saturday. Midland’s one win was a 7-0 rout of Waldorf on Oct. 10. As part of last week’s action, the Warriors were defeated by Dordt, 2-0. Midland has tallied 14 goals and has conceded 43 goals over 15 games this fall. The team goals lead is shared by three players with three apiece: Bailee Neatherlin, AnneMarie Oilepo and Nathaly Sabando. Last year’s matchup in Fremont resulted in a 4-0 Concordia win.
Next week
The GPAC tournament begins with the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In subsequent rounds, the semifinals will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 and the championship game will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Complete pairings will be announced after all regular season games have concluded on Wednesday evening.