SEWARD, Neb. – Here’s to hoping the GPAC tournament magic is back for the Concordia University Women’s Soccer program. The likes of Callie McNary and Aliyah Aldama emerged as goal scorers on Saturday (April 3) for a squad that had been struggling on the attack. After three-straight close defeats this spring, the Bulldogs got back in the win column with a 2-1 decision over visiting Dakota Wesleyan in postseason play.
Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad has earned the right to host again in the GPAC semifinals. Concordia (10-6-1) is 7-0-1 in its last eight games against conference opponents. Given all that has happened in the spring, this one felt sweet.
“It’s been a growing process for us this spring,” Goines said. “We’ve been absent some players different games. Our lineup has changed pretty much every single match and we’ve played some very challenging opponents. Dakota Wesleyan isn’t any different. They’re a quality side and gave us everything we could handle tonight. It was a sense of relief. Our girls had this match circled.”
For a majority of the 90 minutes, the Bulldogs out-possessed the Tigers and finished with advantages of 13-5 advantage in shots in 7-0 in corner kicks. That didn’t mean there weren’t some anxious moments. DWU’s Alondra Partida delivered an impressive free kick goal from roughly 25 yards out for the equalizer (1-1) in the 48th minute. That could have turned the tide, except Aliyah Aldama wouldn’t allow it.
Aldama one-upped Partida with a did-she-really-just-do-that type of goal. The native of Torrance, Calif., struck a laser beam into the goal from 30-plus yards away. The Tigers had barely finished celebrating Partida’s goal when Aldama fired off the highlight of the night (for her third goal this season). DWU managed only a single shot (that missed well off the mark) over the final 40 minutes.
Said McNary, “We’ve faced so much adversity. We all came together and bonded as a team. It really was a team win tonight from Carl (Lindsey Carley) all the way up to our forwards. We really pushed hard for that win and never stopped.”
It was part hustle and part being in the right place at the right time that led to McNary finding the back of the net in the 19th minute. She was the beneficiary of a scramble that occurred after Lina Kirst lofted a corner kick into the box that was then headed by Michaela Twito. The Ames, Iowa, senior put a couple of shots on frame in set-piece situations.
Dakota Wesleyan (9-8) enjoyed a bit of a breakthrough season that included quality victories over the likes of Concordia, Hastings and Midland. For the most part, the Tiger attack was stifled on Saturday. Of course left back Allee Downing’s play in the back always stands out. She joined a back line that included McNary, Sydney Ross and Grace Soenksen.
Some good stories will have to continue to emerge for the run to carry on. Said Goines, “We were missing a portion of our offense tonight. With Callie we’ve been working restarts on corners for a while. She’s been dying to get her moment. She put it away and that was great. Aliyah’s been playing great for a couple weeks. All the hard work is paying off for her.”
Because seventh-seeded Midland (7-5-3) upset second-seeded Morningside (12-4-1) on Saturday, Concordia will be back at Bulldog Stadium on Tuesday (April 6). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT. The Warriors are a dangerous No. 7 seed as a program that swept GPAC regular season and tournament titles in 2019.