Sanchez powers Concordia to second-half execution against Briar Cliff
Guadalupe Sanches plays against the College of Saint Mary (photo from previous game).
Photo: Keith Siek
By Victor Tavares Paiva
On Saturday, the Concordia Bulldog women’s soccer team delivered a strong performance against Briar Cliff, earning a 2-0 victory, with both goals coming from sophomore Guadalupe Sanchez, and extending their winning streak to six games.
Playing at Faber Field, the home of the Chargers, Concordia controlled the game and continued to show its dominance on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs recorded 19 shots, including 13 on goal, for an impressive 68.4 percent accuracy. Briar Cliff recorded seven shots, with three on target.
Once again, Coach Weides trusted sophomore goalkeeper Aaliyah Matthews in the starting lineup, and Matthews delivered another strong performance, saving all three shots on goal and helping the Bulldogs earn another clean sheet.
The match was evenly contested physically, with both teams committing seven fouls. Briar Cliff received the only yellow card of the match.
On the offensive end, the duo of Sanchez and sophomore Abby Haynes continued to shine. The pair has now combined for an impressive 17 goal contributions this season, and Saturday was no different.
Early in the second half, in the 50th minute, sophomore Kianna Perez delivered a dangerous cross into the box. After the ball bounced inside the six-yard box, it fell to Sanchez, who calmly tapped it into the back of the net to give Concordia the lead. It was Sanchez’s fifth Great Plains Athletic Conference goal of the season.
Sanchez was not finished. In the 83rd minute, after receiving an assist from Haynes, she found the back of the net to score her second goal of the match and sixth of the season, sealing the 2-0 victory for the Bulldogs.
With the win, Concordia improves to 6-2-2 overall and remains perfect in GPAC play at 5-0. The Bulldogs will hit the road again next Wednesday, Oct. 7, when they travel to Yankton, South Dakota, to face Mount Marty University. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Crane Youngworth Stadium.
