SEWARD, Neb. – Emotions ran high both prior to kickoff and then throughout the 90 minutes of intense play on Saturday (Oct. 15) evening. On a night the Concordia University Women’s Soccer program celebrated its eight seniors, the Bulldogs came up on the short end of a 1-0 clash with rival Hastings. Concordia was limited to three shots on goal while having a tough evening on the attack.
All three losses for the Bulldogs (8-4-2, 3-4-2 GPAC) during the month of October have been decided by a margin of one goal. Head Coach Thomas Goines still felt encouraged by much of what he saw on Saturday.
“Whenever Hastings and Concordia play it’s a tough match,” Goines said. “You knew it was going to be physical and it was going to be fast. Tactics seemed to take a back seat to the intensity and the physicality of that game. This was no different – another 1-0 game. Unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side of those a couple times now. I can’t be prouder of the girls. They kept their composure and played with a level of class that I expect of them.”
All eight Concordia seniors were included in the starting lineup. Though sidelined for the season by injury, Kadyn Lane even got the nod in order to allow her name to be called one more time. Collectively, the seniors gave the Broncos their best shot. Not a single goal was scored during the run of play. Hastings got the deciding goal in the 31st minute via Dekota Schubert’s successful penalty kick. The Broncos then went to work on snuffing out any Bulldog attacking chances.
Hastings keeper Sofie Jackson-Pederson came through with three saves to preserve the shutout. Two shots were put on frame by Concordia’s Lina Kirst while freshman Kierstynn Garner had one particularly dangerous run in the second half. On the other end, it was a fine night for Bulldog keeper Kalie Ward, who collected eight saves. Concordia continues to display gritty qualities that routinely give it a fighting chance.
The senior class sets the tone for that type of attitude. It’s a group that will never forget the 2020 GPAC tournament title run that actually occurred in the spring of 2021. The eight seniors honored during pregame festivities were: Aliyah Aldama, Caitlin Davis, Allee Downing, Ellie Eason, Lina Kirst, Kadyn Lane, Lisa McClain and Grace Soenksen. Former assistant coach Chris Luther also dropped in to show his appreciation.
Said Goines, “It’s a great weekend to be able to celebrate four years of effort and commitment to a program. All eight of these women have done so much for us. They’ve grown so much and it’s been an honor to be part of their journeys.”
By the end of Saturday night, Concordia sat in a tie for seventh place (11 points) in the league standings. Work is yet to be done to ensure the seniors get another shot at a postseason run. Hastings (10-2-2, 5-2-2 GPAC) resides in fourth place. Goines says his squad will put the focus on its next opponent.
The Bulldogs will be at home again on Wednesday to host defending GPAC tournament champion Briar Cliff (10-1-2, 8-0-1 GPAC) in a tilt set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. CT. The Chargers are unbeaten in conference play with their one league tie coming at Hastings. Concordia will attempt to avenge it’s 3-0 loss endured last season at Briar Cliff.