SEWARD, Neb. – The unranked Bulldogs welcomed two NAIA Top 25 opponents in their opening week and came out with the highest ranked win in the program’s history after defeating (3-1) No. 4 Columbia College (Mo.). Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer will hit the highway to face Dakota State University (S.D.), then return to Seward and host in-state Nebraska Wesleyan University on Saturday. CUNE opened the season with No. 23 University of Science and Arts (Okla.), ending with a stalemate (3-3).
This Week
Wednesday, Aug. 27 at Dakota State (0-0), 6 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Dan Beacom Track & Field (Madison, S.D.)
Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
The Bulldogs shook up the NAIA Women’s Soccer world with the upset over the Cougars in a dominant outing. Freshman Guadalupe Sanchez got the Dawgs rolling with a 1-v-1 chance finish (6’) after a stellar dish by Elena Ruiz. Sanchez continued to make a name for herself with a through ball that ended with a Kierstynn Garner goal (33’). Freshman Charli Priester smashed a no doubt header past the NAIA First Team All-American goalkeeper via a Garner cross to lock down the impressive victory. Concordia rained down 18 total shots (13 SOG), while allowing 11. Newcomer Aaliyah Matthews grabbed eight saves in the contest.
Marked by three penalty kicks inside the 90 minutes, the Bulldogs found themselves in a nightmare beginning to the season. After a foul inside the box, USAO’s Emali Goulas made good on a penalty chance in the second minute to put Concordia down early. CUNE responded with a penalty goal of their own via Garner and tacked on two more before the halftime break from Kyana Rios and Preister. The Drovers came out pressuring the Dawgs having another foul called and the NAIA All-American Ilse de Jong captured the penalty plus the equalizer (62’). The two teams would stall offensively, lacking the final touch in the last 20 minutes.
With six goals against two national tournament type programs, the offense has come out to a greater tune than a season ago. Led by Garner, the Kearney, Neb., native has two goals and assists early on. With her first goal, Garner eclipsed the 50-goal career mark and has 51 total. She sits just two scores behind Brittany Thomsick (2003-06), the third highest in the program. The Kearney High product now has 19 career game-winning goals, for which she already holds the career record. Averaging 13 shots a game as a team, five of the six goals have been assisted by Garner (2), Sanchez, Ashlee Trujillo and Ruiz.
Goalkeeper Matthews has 15 saves in the two contests and a .789 save percentage. The Augustana University (S.D.) transfer was baptized into the deep end of high end NAIA opponents. A Millard North alum, Matthews has been a quality addition to the defensive third for the Bulldogs. The back line and Matthews allowed only one goal from a program that scored 91 in 2024 for Columbia.
Senior Niah Kirchner is a name that isn’t all over the record books due to the position she plays in the midfield. Make no mistake, Kirchner is a leader that Coach Smith, a former midfielder, leans on to control the field. Dubbed a “playmaker” in Coach Smith’s preseason interview, the Millard West product stands at a whopping five feet two inches, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she takes possession from opposing players. Kirchner leads a deep midfield that includes Evie Keller, Priester, Rios, Ruiz and more.
The depth of the roster has been understated with 20 players who have taken the pitch in only two high profile games. A massive senior class that has been much of the lineup to see the field includes the likes of Kirchner, Savannah Andrews, Sierra Springer, Selah Draper, Trujillo, Ruiz, Hannah Kile, Shelby Rugg, and Garner. The Bulldogs have sent on seven new faces and five freshmen in the opening days as the roster continues to grow in depth under Coach Smith.
Dakota State
The Trojans begin a new era with a fresh off-the-press women’s soccer program. Dakota State will face Mount Marty later tonight in their inaugural season opener at Dan Beacom Track & Field. The Trojans will enter a new era with Head Coach Todd Stank at the helm. Stank previously started a new program at his previous institution, St. Clair Community College (Mich.), in 2020. Alec Rathje holds the assistant coach role for the upstart. The 2025 roster includes 17 total athletes and six transfers into the program. DSU will have five home matches in 10 days to begin the season.
Nebraska Wesleyan
The Prairie Wolves are coming off a 6-10-2 campaign in 2024 and will open with the Bulldogs in 2025. All-Conference honorable mention Averie Hike returns after totaling seven goals and two assists in the season before. The attacker, out of Papillion-LaVista South, had two game-winning goals last year. Nebraska Wesleyan starts fresh with the hiring of its 13th Head Coach Robert Lynch. He arrived in Lincoln with nearly a decade of coaching experience as Associate Head Coach at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. Lynch hired Bailey Brennan as his first full-time assistant coach. Concordia bested (2-0) the Prairie Wolves in 2024 at Abel Stadium.
Next Week
Concordia will be back on the road to face Bellevue University next Wednesday and host an early senior day versus Kansas Wesleyan University on the following Saturday. The Bulldogs will take to the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex against the Bruins.
Wednesday, Sept. 3
5:30 p.m. – at Bellevue
Saturday, Sept. 6
2:30 p.m. – vs. Kansas Wesleyan