SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer took this past Saturday and Sunday off from both training and competition. The Bulldogs will have had time to rest and recover by the time they make their way to Salina, Kan., for a matchup with Kansas Wesleyan University on Wednesday. In its most recent outing, Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad played in-state Bellevue University to a 1-1 draw in its home opener. Concordia looks forward to a return to the home turf on Saturday when Dakota State University (S.D.) visits Seward. The Bulldogs will celebrate their seniors prior to kickoff.
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Kansas Wesleyan (1-3), 5 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: JRI Stadium (Salina, Kan.)
Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Dakota State (0-4), 1 p.m. | Senior Day
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
• Concordia took advantage of an entire week off from game action before it welcomed Bellevue to Bulldog Stadium on Sept. 2. The Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead for nearly 30 minutes after sophomore Gudalupe Sanchez got loose for her ninth career goal in the 18th minute. Sanchez was set up by a perfect ball from All-GPAC midfielder Kyana Rios. The goal wound up being one of only two shots registered by Concordia for the entire 90 minutes. Defensively, Concordia managed to limit a high-powered Bruins team to one goal (Katrina Avila in the 46th minute) despite disadvantages of 13-2 in shots and 9-0 in corner kicks. Center back Evie Keller, the back line and goalkeeper Aliya Vidro (five saves) put together a confidence-building performance in the 1-1 tie.
• In the clash with Bellevue, the Bulldogs got a couple of key players back onto the field with sophomores Abby Haynes and McKennah West both making their season debuts. Weides has made the best of a roster that has been shorthanded due to injuries and other factors. As a result, Concordia has shuffled the deck while putting certain players in unfamiliar situations. Weides believes the team can reach another level as the season progresses. Through three games, there are eight Bulldogs who have started each time out: Avery Black, Molli Kalsbeck, Evie Keller, Sadie Mares, Sierra McElhannon, Kyana Rios, Guadulupe Sanchez and Addie Snyder. More reinforcements are on the way, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln transfer Kianna Perez.
• A junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., Aliya Vidro got the start in goal versus Bellevue and responded with five saves. Vidro has now started 14 games in her collegiate career. Vidro earned extensive playing time last season as a sophomore when she made 12 starts and produced 41 saves to go with a .774 save percentage and 0.98 goals against average. A transfer from Augustana University (S.D.), Aaliyah Matthews has also started six games in goal since becoming a Bulldog.
• On Wednesday, Weides will share the sideline with Kansas Wesleyan Head Coach Michael McIntyre, who spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons coaching Concordia’s men’s and women’s goalkeepers as a graduate assistant. Weides and the Bulldog soccer programs have provided mentorship for many graduate assistants who have gone on to secure full-time coaching positions. The list includes the likes of Dan Ball, Jack Bennett, Jan Chvojan, Benny Hanaphy and Nico Luque.
• Prior to kickoff on Saturday, Concordia will recognize its seniors. The group includes Camryn Higer, Olivia Kohl, Joey Long, Sadie Mares, Aaliyah Matthews, Olivia Pyle and Grady Smith. The four-year seniors have been part of teams that produced at least 13 wins each season from 2023 through 2025 under previous Head Coach Nick Smith. The ’24 team made history while becoming the first in program history to win a game at the national tournament. From an on-field perspective, Mares (Scottsdale, Ariz.), has made the largest impact among the seniors. She is in her fourth season as a starter and was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC in 2025.
The opponents
Kansas Wesleyan announced Michael McIntyre as its head coach on June 9. McIntyre served the Coyote program as a full-time assistant during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He previously worked as a graduate assistant at Concordia during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. KWU finished last season at 12-5-3 overall and sits at 1-3 so far in 2026. The Coyotes earned a 4-1 win over Midland before then falling at the hands of No. 15 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 1-0, Hastings, 4-1, and University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 3-0. Rylie Moreno-Rojas leads the team with two goals this season (after she tallied seven goals and four assists in 2025). A year ago, the Bulldogs defeated KWU, 3-1, in a senior day contest in Seward. Concordia traveled to Salina as recently as 2023 when it won by a 4-1 score.
Dakota State held its inaugural season of women’s soccer in 2025 and finished the season at 1-14-3 overall. Included in that record was a 4-1 loss at the hands of Concordia. The program’s first ever win was a 4-1 decision over Waldorf. However, the highlight of the campaign was an advancement to the Continental Athletic Conference tournament semifinals after moving past Hesston College (Kan.) on penalties. Head Coach Todd Stank and company are continuing to lay a foundation for the program. So far this season, Dakota State has been defeated by two GPAC foes, Hastings, 2-0, and Mount Marty, 5-1, and by two NCAA Division II opponents, University of Sioux Falls, 3-0, and Southwest Minnesota State University, 2-1. Two more GPAC combatants are on the slate this week as the Trojans will also travel to Northwestern on Wednesday.
Next week
There will be another break in the schedule with the absence of a midweek game before the GPAC slate opens with a trip to Dordt on Saturday, Sept. 19. The Bulldogs will be on the road for their first two conference matches before returning to Bulldog Stadium on Sept. 26.